Stefan Jankovic Draws High Major Looks

Posted on 28. Jun, 2010 by Nolan Shulman in Canada Spotlight, Interviews

Kiski Springs School in Pennsylvania isn't just a private boarding school to those of us who follow Canadian high school basketball.  It's an athletic institution responsible for developing three of Canada's most prominent future stars.  While Sim and Tanveer Bhullar get most of the national attention, 6-9 swing man Stefan Jankovic is also an integral prospect for the future of Canada's National program.  

Stefan was born in Belgrade, Serbia and came to Ontario at the age of 5.   While he possess the height of a kid destined to be in the low post, Stefan has taken the more European approach, spending more time developing out on the wing.  "If you want one word to describe my game I'd probably go with versatile" says Stefan.  "I can handle it out on the perimeter, I can distribute, stroke the three, I can play a little in the post, and although I'm not a freak athlete, I did jump over someone last year to dunk on him.  I'm more athletic than people give me credit for."

How has his decision to leave Ontario and attend Kiski Prep helped his development and exposure thus far?  "Its been a whole different experience for me.  Coming from (St. Francis) Xavier where all we had was practices and games and moving to Kiski where I am waking up at 5 in the morning, working on my game, lifting, getting shots up, running, and even seeing college coaches coming into our gym….. It's been a whole different thing to be honest.  School's been a lot harder but they've helped me get through it.   I'm getting better grades, campus is beautiful, and the ball team is real close"  proclaims Stefan.

From an exposure standpoint, Stefan's versatility, length, and surprising athleticism has caught the eye of numerous college coaches.  Now just 13 days into the contact period and he's already received phone calls from Indiana, Washington State, and Penn State.  He's also received letters from Pittsburgh, Villanova, USC, Kentucky, Detroit, West Virginia, Northwestern, Drexel, Buffalo, and Baylor.  He visited West Virginia unofficially last year but has no current plans to make other visits.  Stefan says he plans on letting the recruiting process play out and is in no rush to cut his list or make a decision. 

In the meantime Stefan says he's working hard to improve his game in order to become a more complete player.  Strength and lateral quickness are two areas he's focusing on this summer in order to be more effective guarding shooting guards and power forwards.  He's seen how being versatile offensively has been a strength and wants to become more versatile defensively as well. 

Off the court, Stefan is a regular teenager who's most interesting hobby is collecting shoes.  " My coolest shoes…. I'd have to say my Jordan Space Jams" says Stefan. "When you're a size 15 shoe, it becomes harder to collect sneakers, but right now I have about 30 pairs." 

As Stefan continues to refine his strengths and add elements to his skill set, he should have opportunities to play in camps and all-star games that give away free shoes.  Whether you're a size 15 or not !!!

Tags: Feature, Stefan Jankovic