The Sydney Kings have announced the signing of sharpshooting guard Dejan ‘DJ’ Vasiljevic on a three-year deal.
The talented young guard just completed four-years at the University of Miami where he averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in his senior year.
Making a name for himself for his impressive shooting from beyond the arc, Vasiljevic had a decorated college career finishing 17th in ACC history and 2nd among Hurricanes in career made 3-pointers.
Vasiljevic expressed excitement in getting his professional career underway in Sydney.
“I’m very excited to be joining the Sydney Kings”. “I haven’t played in front of Australian fans or my parents for the past four years so I’m looking forward to being home and joining a successful Club with a great coaching staff, and a good bunch of blokes on the team” Vasiljevic shared.
A product of the Australian Institute of Sport, Vasiljevic represented the green and gold at FIBA events from 2013 to 2019. In 2014 he won a silver medal at the FIBA U-17 World Championships and was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
He was a member of the 2017 Emerging Boomers side to attend the World University Games alongside fellow Kings Craig Moller and Xavier Cooks, and again in 2019 (with Kings Assistant Coach Adam Forde) who went on to win a bronze medal.
At just 23, the rising star was highly sought after by a number of teams within the NBL before landing on Sydney as his preferred destination. He adds depth and firepower to the Kings scoring line-up heading into NBL21.
“I’ve been speaking to Will Weaver and Adam [Forde] on a daily basis and Will just wants me to come in and develop my game to the highest level so I can make that jump to the NBA in the coming years. He wants me to do what I do best and that’s shoot threes and score, but also help me in the areas that I still need improvement on” Vasiljevic said.
“Over the last few years at College I picked up the nickname ‘Three-J’ because I shoot a lot of threes. I’m a scorer and quite versatile but I’ve also worked on becoming a solid defender and rebounder over the years. I’m trying to put the whole package together and I’m looking forward to developing on that at the Kings.”
Kings CEO Chris Pongrass was thrilled to be welcoming Vasiljevic to Sydney on a long-term deal.
“DJ is an extremely talented player and impressive young man. Following a distinguished collegiate career, we are excited to have him join the Club and build towards a successful NBL21 campaign” Pongrass shared.
“A gifted offensive threat, DJ’s range and shooting ability are welcomed additions to our arsenal. He is a tough, gritty player, who will fit seamlessly with our group”.
“The development of our young core is always a point of emphasis for us; we look forward to helping him grow within the Club’s culture in hopes of playing at the highest level” said Pongrass.
Vasiljevic becomes the seventh contracted player for the Sydney Kings joining Xavier Cooks, Brad Newley, Craig Moller, Shaun Bruce, Jordan Hunter and Didi Louzada for the upcoming season.
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