UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas; 4-star Andrej Stojakovic recruitment has reached BLUE BLOOD status
Four-star Andrej Stojakovic may ring a bell; he is the son of former NBA All-Star and Champion Peja Stojakovic. The younger Stojakovic will be a big riser in the upcoming On3 2023 rankings update due to his confidence in understanding his own game over the last eight months.
“I’ve really improved in creating my own shot,” Stojakovic told On3. “As I go to the next level, everyone will be bigger, faster, and more athletic, so I’m just trying to keep my own pace every game and just do me. I try to outsmart everybody instead of outrunning or outjumping everybody. I watch Luka (Doncic) and Devin Booker the most. They control their pace very well and know how to contribute to their teammates.”
He averaged 25.3 points per game on 50.0-percent shooting at Carmichael (CA) Jesuit this season. On3 caught up with Andrej Stojakovic recently to talk about his visits and the state of his recruitment.
“I just got back from a visit to Stanford on June 1,” Stojakovic said. “I have a visit set to UCLA for June 14-16. That is all I have set now.”
Stojakovic talks visits
Stanford: “It went super well. I was surprised by how big the campus was. The staff welcomed my family and me with open arms. It was fun seeing students around and meeting some players like Harrison Ingram and Isa Silva, who I already knew. I could pick their brains on what they think about Stanford and get the inside scoop and what it’s like to be a Stanford basketball player.”
UCLA: “Coach (Mick) Cronin has been checking in and reaching out consistently, getting to know me, and they’ve shown interest in me a lot. That really matters to me, so that’s why I’m visiting.”
“I’m looking forward to visiting the west coast schools now,” Stojakovic said. “Then I’m going to Greece to train over there. As soon as I return in August, I plan on visiting a bunch of east coast and midwest visits.”
Future Visits
“I’m still trying to decide which schools will get official visits,” Stojakovic said. “Building a relationship with UConn has been great, Virginia, Texas for sure, possibly even Indiana, and possibly even Kansas.”
Kentucky: “Coach (Oliver) Antigua and (John) Calipari have done a great job informing me about my role. Just that extra scorer that can score on all three levels can defend multiple positions, and they’ve mentioned an underrated part of my game is passing at my height.”
Texas: “Coach (Chris) Beard has reached out to me and built a relationship with me. It’s been amazing. I’m looking forward to visiting Austin. I want to get out there when students are there, so I can see the vibe and go from there.”
Indiana, Virginia, and UConn: “Out of those three, UConn has probably communicated with me the most. That’s probably a school I’ll do a visit in the fall. I’m still building a relationship with Indiana and Virginia. Coach (Tony) Bennett has done a great job reaching out, and Coach (Kenya) Hunter at Indiana has been awesome.”
Kansas: “Kansas hasn’t been reaching out as much as the other schools, but I can tell they’re interested, and I’m looking forward to seeing who commits there in my class and going from there.”
Stojakovic’s take
“I will be looking for a healthy environment to help me grow as a player and a person,” Andrej Stojakovic said. “Most of my family is overseas and would love to come to watch me play. I want to go somewhere that would be easy for my family to get to. A good ratio of academics and basketball. My goal is to make the NBA, so I want to look heavily at the school that can best help me get there.”