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Jusafagic Brings “European” Style To GCCC
PANAMA CITY - The Gulf Coast men’s basketball team is coming off a disappointing 11 win season last year. A season that ending with only five players on the Commodores roster.
But, the Commodores are much improved, with a full roster, for this year’s campaign. Gulf Coast has won five of it’s last six games.
One answer to the early success: the European-born 6-10 center.
“We call him J.J.,” Gulf Coast point guard Marcus Nicks said. “But his real name is Jadranko Jusufagic. With an accent on Ja-dran-ko. Don’t ask me to spell it.”
J-A-D-R-A-N-K-O J-U-S-U-F-A-G-I-C
No matter how you spell it, J.J. is helping the Commodores spell W-I-N.
Jusufagic leads the team in scoring with 17 points per game and he leads the team in rebounds with nine.
“He’s a big help to us,” Nicks said. “With his inside-out game, he creates a match-up problem for defenders on the other team.”
It’s J.J.’s “European” style that causes the problems. He runs the floor, he passes, he plays solid defense, and standing just under seven feet tall he can shoot the long ball!
“He’s got a good touch,” head coach Jim Hatfield said. “Anytime you shoot over 40 percent, you’re okay.”
J.J. was born in Bosnia. He and his family moved to Australia as refugees after the Bosnia and Herzegovina War.
In Australia, he played basketball at an academy that prepared the nations athletes for national and Olympic games.
Coach Hatfield had never seen Jusufagic before coming to the United States. Hatfield said that he does a lot of European scouting by phone.
“It was just a big recommendation,” Jusufagic said. “They said Panama City’s a nice place and the Panhandle’s [Conference] a great conference.
Both the Men’s and Women’s teams prepare for tournaments this weekend. The ladies tip-off in Ocala while the men play in Marianna.
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