The University of Hawai’i basketball team is expecting big things for the upcoming 2014-15 season. The Warriors would like to get even bigger in the future, and Gligorije Rakocevic could be a part of that.
Rakocevic, a 6-foot-11, 245-pound center at Cantwell Sacred Heart High School in Montebello, Calif., is expected to make an official visit to Hawai’i this weekend. He is originally from Montenegro, and enrolled at Cantwell Sacred Heart in 2013.
“I decided to come to the United States for a better opportunity to play basketball and study,” he said. “And I want to play college basketball.”
Rakocevic averaged around 11 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior last season, and was named to the Division IV All-StateTeam by CalHiSports.com. That same website also ranked Rakocevic among the top 25 players in the class of 2015.
“He’s a big, strong kid; a guy you can go to down on the block and count on to give you a presence in the post,” Caldwell Sacred Heart coach George Zedan said. “But he has a really soft touch and can shoot it, too. He showed some promise on defense this summer playing AAU, so we’re really happy with the overall player he’s become.”
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Rakocevic added: “I feel like I can shoot, but I love to play inside.”
Rakocevic said he has already made an official visit to Washington State. Hawai’i will be his second visit.
“Oregon State, New Mexico, Utah, some other schools also want me to visit,” he said. “I’m real excited about every school right now so I’m not sure.”
He is also excited about his first trip to Hawai’i, although he said the beaches will be a secondary sight. “I’m more interested in the basketball,” he said. “But, yes, I know Hawai’i is a beautiful place.”
As for his first name, Rakocevic said it has been mispronounced too many times to count.
“Everybody just calls me ‘Big G’ ,” he said.