EUSA Insider:
Stojan Djekanovic
Age: 22
Place of Birth: Ljubljana, Slovenia
University: University of Ljubljana
Published: 4 May 2018
Briefly describe how and why did you get involved with 3x3 Basketball?
When I was 17 years old, former number 1 ranked 3x3 player, Jasmin Hercegovac from team Ljubljana, invited me to play for one his teams in U18 selection at the Slovenian National Championship. Since it was summer, and the 5 on 5 season has just ended, I decided to try it out with my friends. And wow, the first season was amazing! We won 3 out of 4 qualifying tournaments and the final tournament. Since then we won the U21 category (undefeated), won the FIBA U23 Nations League (also undefeated) and have reached semi-finals on final tournament of the senior category twice! I would use this opportunity to thank Jasmin for all he has done for me and my team, even now, when we are on our path to become 3x3 professional, he is still helping as a sparing partner and ‘’mentor’’.
"...even though my first EUSA experience didn’t go as I wanted to, I can speak about it only in superlatives."
What do you study? How do you balance your study, trainings and competitions?
I was studying economics before, now I study physical therapy. It was hard for me, to balance everything, but somehow I managed to do it. Sometimes I skipped school to go to practice (you shouldn’t do that lol!) and sometimes I skipped practice to get ready for exams. But in the end, everything worked out just fine, so I can’t complain about having some troubles balancing everything.
Tell us about your experience at the European Universities 3x3 Basketball Championships 2017. Is this your first time at an EUSA event?
European Universities Championship 2017, which was held in Split, Croatia was my first EUSA event, so I really didn’t know what to expect from the other competitors. I think we were one of the favourites of the competition (based on FIBA 3x3 ranking), so I really wanted to get a medal, but we made a big mistake underestimating UNI Saint-Petersburg in quarter-finals and lost, I think 21-15. But hey, that’s life, you are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. So yeah, even though my first EUSA experience didn’t go as I wanted to, I can speak about it only in superlatives!
"Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just means you’re trying and learning in life."
In 2018 the European Universities Games 2018 will take place in Coimbra, Portugal, do you hope to be there? Why do you think university sport events are important?
As I said previously, I am trying to become 3x3 professional, so that means we have competition over the whole summer. I mean, I hope I will be there, but it’s not likely. I think that this kind of events are more than welcome, because you can meet a lot of new people, travel across the Europe and the end take a break from studying.
This is your chance! What is your message to European students like yourself?
In short; Carpe Diem and a small quote which goes: Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It just means you’re trying and learning in life.
EUSA would like to thank Stojan and his team for competing at EUSA events and we hope to see them in the future. Maybe already in Coimbra!
