Stefan Janković (basketball)

Stefan Janković^[1] (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Јанковић; born August 4, 1993) is a Serbian-Canadian professional player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. He played two seasons of college basketball for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors where he was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 2016.

Early life

Stefan was born on August 4, 1993 in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia to Drago and Aida Janković. His family was from the region formerly known as Yugoslavia. Both of his parents were brought up in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and his grandparents were raised in Montenegro. As a result of the violence during the breakup of Yugoslavia, Stefan's parents moved to Belgrade, where there was less instability. When Stefan was about two years old, a bomb fell about 100 yards from his home. In 1997, when Stefan was four years of age, they moved to Mississauga, Ontario in Canada, following Drago's brother's footsteps.^[2]

Stefan came to Mississauga with experience only as a soccer player, but a basketball court was located near his house in Canada. In turn, he played on the court with a wide variety of opponents. His family moved to a predominantly Serbian community, where he was primarily exposed to Serbian culture. In turn, Janković did not speak English even at eight years of age. Stefan spent most of his time taking care of his younger brother at their apartment, while his parents were busy.^[2]

High school career

Janković began playing high school basketball with St. Francis Xavier Secondary School in Mississauga. After his freshman season, he was averaging 33 points and 10 rebounds per game. For the following year, he transferred to The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, where he averaged 17 points and eight rebounds in his sophomore season. In one notable performance, he recorded a quadruple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 10 blocks. As a junior with Kiski, Janković averaged 22 points, about 10 rebounds, and eight assists.^[3] For his final season, he transferred to Huntington Prep School in Huntington, West Virginia. He became one of the top 50 players of his level in the United States, averaging 9.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 blocks. Janković played with stars such as Andrew Wiggins and future college teammate Negus Webster-Chan.^[1] On October 28, 2011, Janković chose to play college basketball with the University of Missouri. Other options he was considering included Louisville, Northwestern, Miami, Penn State, West Virginia, and Xavier.^[4] He commented on his decision, "It was honestly just feeling more comfortable. It was really close, but I felt more comfortable."^[4]

College career

As a freshman, Janković started two games and averaged 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game. At the end of the season, he elected to transfer. “I want to thank everyone at Missouri, my teammates, the coaching staff, the administration and the fans,” Jankovic said in a statement. “This was a tough decision for me, and Missouri will always hold a special place in my heart, but this was about having the opportunity to find a better fit where I could play a larger role on the court. I am looking forward to my next opportunity and want to wish everyone at Mizzou all the best this year.”^[5]

In his junior year at Hawaii, Janković averaged 15.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. Twice named Big West Player of the Week, he scored in excess of 20 points eight times and scored a career-high 34 points against Cal State Northridge on February 18. Jankovic had five double-doubles, which tied the league high. At the conclusion of the regular season he was named Big West Player of the Year and First Team All-Big West.^[6]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Janković joined the Miami Heat for the 2016 NBA Summer League.^[7] On July 13, 2016, he signed with the Heat,^[8] but was later waived on October 17 after appearing in one preseason game.^[9] On November 1, 2016, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Heat.^[10]

Personal life

Janković considers himself to be Serbian-Canadian as he was born in Serbia but raised in Canada and appreciates the opportunity Canada gave him and his family. Currently he hasn't committed to any national team as he stated he was undecided and still considering representing either Serbia or Canada.^[11]

Janković's grandfather formerly played for the Yugoslavia national soccer team. Janković's father, Drago, also previously played handball professionally.^[1] Additionally, he has a younger brother, Andreas.^[3]

References

External links

• Hawaii bio
• Missouri bio