Balša Koprivica

Balša Koprivica (Serbian Cyrillic: Балша Копривица; born May 1, 2000) is a Serbian college basketball player for the Florida State Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He was considered one of the top ten college recruits in the class of 2019 until he dropped to a four-star recruit during his senior year.[1]

Balša Koprivica
No. 5 – Florida State Seminoles
PositionCenter
LeagueAtlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2000-05-01) May 1, 2000
Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
NationalitySerbian
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeFlorida State (2019–present)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Serbia
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
2017 SlovakiaU18 Team

Early life

Koprivica was born in Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia to Slaviša Koprivica and Tanja Čavić. Slaviša, who stands 6-foot-9 (2.06 m), is a former Serbian professional basketball player who won the 1992 EuroLeague with Partizan. Koprivica moved to Florida, United States in 2012.

High school career

Koprivica began playing high school basketball in 2015 with University School of Nova Southeastern University[2] in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida. He played at the 2015 Battle at The Villages high school tournament. In July 2017, he transferred to Windermere Preparatory School[3] in Lake Butler, Orange County, Florida.

On September 27, 2017, the FBI announced an investigation on the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Koprivica was identified as "Player-11" in which Brad Augustine, a youth coach in Florida, and Christian Dawkins, a pro sports agent conspired to facilitate $150,000 in exchange for the commitment to play at the University of Louisville. [4]

In December 2017, he transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.[5]

Recruiting
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Balša Koprivica
C		 Belgrade, Serbia Montverde Academy (FL) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 88  247Sports: 93  ESPN: 51
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Florida State 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  • "2019 Florida State Seminoles Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.

    College career

    On October 26, 2018, he committed to the Florida State University.

    National team career

    Koprivica was a member of the Serbian U-18 national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.[6] Koprivica and Marko Pecarski played together for the national team and won a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. Thirty years ago, their fathers Slaviša Koprivica and Miroslav Pecarski played together for the national team and won a gold medal at the 1987 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.[7]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 Florida State 27010.3.699–.6582.4.3.3.34.7

    References
    1. "Dominant 7ft1 Balsa Koprivica Flashes Skills! Top 2019 Center". ballislife.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
    2. Balsa Koprivica, 15-16 Varsity Basketball
    3. "Five-star center, Koprivica, changes high schools". rivals.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
    4. "Balsa Koprivica sits, watches, waits for word on FBI basketball probe". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    5. "Montverde adds Balsa Koprivica for TV game vs. OCP". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    6. "Player Profile at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
    7. "Koprivica-Pecarski, 30 godina kasnije" (in Serbian). kosmagazin.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
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