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In the midst of a stellar showing at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket, Washington Huskies forward Nikola Dzepina has been named to the tournament's All-Star Five.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore has led Team Serbia all the way to the final game of the tournament, averaging 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2 blocks per game along the way. That was headlined by a 21-point, 13-rebound outing in the opening game of the group stage against Poland, but he has also come up big when his team has needed him the most.
In a 72-65 win over France in the semifinal, he posted 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks, including a behind-the-back pass for an easy layup and an assist with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Serbia an 11-point lead.
When Dzepina returns to Seattle, Danny Sprinkle's coaching staff hopes he'll build on his performance and take a big step forward in his second season after arriving as a midseason addition in December. He played in 14 games as a freshman and averaged just 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, but with Hannes Steinbach off to the NBA, he could step into a much larger role.
Unafraid to shoot the ball from three-point range, Dzepina brings a promising offensive skill set to the table, and with a complete offseason to get ingrained in Sprinkle's system, he could become a productive member of the rotation moving forward.
Sprinkle and the Huskies are also battling with a pair of Big Ten programs in Iowa and Rutgers to secure another member of the All-Star Five, Slovenian guard Urban Kroflič.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington forward named to FIBA U20 Eurobasket All-Star Five
Continue reading...
The 6-foot-9 sophomore has led Team Serbia all the way to the final game of the tournament, averaging 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2 blocks per game along the way. That was headlined by a 21-point, 13-rebound outing in the opening game of the group stage against Poland, but he has also come up big when his team has needed him the most.
In a 72-65 win over France in the semifinal, he posted 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks, including a behind-the-back pass for an easy layup and an assist with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Serbia an 11-point lead.
Your 2026 #U20EuroBasket All-Star Five
Raul Villar
Mark Padjen
Urban Kroflic
Mohamed Diakite
Nikola Dzepina pic.twitter.com/nfc7dElW0b
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) July 19, 2026
When Dzepina returns to Seattle, Danny Sprinkle's coaching staff hopes he'll build on his performance and take a big step forward in his second season after arriving as a midseason addition in December. He played in 14 games as a freshman and averaged just 2.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, but with Hannes Steinbach off to the NBA, he could step into a much larger role.
Unafraid to shoot the ball from three-point range, Dzepina brings a promising offensive skill set to the table, and with a complete offseason to get ingrained in Sprinkle's system, he could become a productive member of the rotation moving forward.
Sprinkle and the Huskies are also battling with a pair of Big Ten programs in Iowa and Rutgers to secure another member of the All-Star Five, Slovenian guard Urban Kroflič.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington forward named to FIBA U20 Eurobasket All-Star Five
Continue reading...
