2016 Introduction: Dejan Vasiljevic

He might not be a household name to American college basketball fans just yet, but Australian guard Dejan Vasiljevic is well known in the international hoops community.

That's because Vasiljevic has fared well at a number of premier tournaments and showcases around the world. He averaged nearly 20 points per game in the 2013 FIBA Oceania U16 Championship, 12.6 per contest in the 2014 FIBA Oceania U18 Championship and 13.3 in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship.

Notably, Vasiljevic scored 29 points against a loaded United States team full of four and five-star prospects in the 2014 tournament. A 25-point outing against Canada highlighted his run in the 2015 event. Plus, Vasiljevic poured in 30 points against Cal a few months back during the Bears' offseason trip to Australia.

It's no surprise, then, that Vasiljevic has emerged as a top prospect for European professional basketball teams.

But instead of turning pro now, Vasiljevic is delaying his professional aspirations to pursue competition and a degree at a university in the United States.

"As any other kid I do have dreams to play big time and I have been approached on numerous occasions to play professionally in Europe," Vasiljevic said. "However, it has been my plan all along to go to the US and play for a great college. I would love to play basketball as my primary goal but I am very much aware that there is life after basketball and I always keep that in mind."

Stanford is one of the programs that might stand to benefit from Vasiljevic's decision. The Cardinal started recruiting Vasiljevic in February, after he attended the NBA Without Borders camp in New York City.

Stanford's pursuit of Vasiljevic picked up steam once they received his transcripts - that's when the discussions "progressed to a next level," Vasiljevic said.

Cardinal recruiting coordinator Mike Schrage has led the Stanford charge, and head coach Johnny Dawkins is also playing an active role.

Stanford's coaches have emphasized their belief that Vasiljevic would fit well into the Cardinal program - and would also benefit from the university's academic opportunities - should he end up on The Farm.

"Stanford's message is fairly simple," Vasiljevic said. "They believe they can help me to become a player I think I can be and in the process they believe I can be an integral and a very important part of their system in the upcoming years and assist them in their intentions. However the emphasis is not only on basketball but also the education. Being considered by Stanford, one of the best academic colleges in the world with a great basketball program, is really gratifying."

As one might expect given Vasiljevic's abilities, Stanford is far from the only program involved in his recruitment. He's received dozens of offers from D1 and D2 programs. Initially, he had his sights set on the likes of St. Mary's, Boise State and New Mexico - those programs are strong presence at the Centre of Excellence (CoE, formerly AIS) in Canberra, where Vasiljevic trains.

His focus shifted after strong showings on the international stage.

"After my initial performances against New Zealand in 2013, followed by my international performances in 2014 and 2015, a number of contacts and offers was immense," Vasiljevic said. "I wanted to receive an offer or a few offers but then I found myself in a great deal of anxiety - I have received almost 50 formal offers from D1 and D2 colleges. Bringing it down to a feasible number was a really difficult task. Probably it would have been even harder without all the support I have received from Basketball Australia and the Boomers Head Coach, Andrej Lemanis, who personally organized his scouting contacts in the US to provide detailed reports on each college and then my father is a University Professor and his job was to provide me with reports about educational standing of the colleges."

Vasiljevic was eventually able to whittle down his extensive list of college options to five programs: Louisville, Cal, Miami, LSU and Stanford. He'll visit each of those schools in December/January and make a decision shortly thereafter. Vasiljevic is currently planning to take his Stanford visit on January 14th - he'll watch the Cardinal take on Cal.

"In my selections I have approached every school with the same rigor and questions - whether I would be given an opportunity to play as a freshman and showcase my abilities; whether I would be developed as a point guard, which comes with the coaches' track record; and whether a style of play executed by a coach would be a good fit for my abilities and development goals," Vasiljevic said. "Obviously some colleges wanted me as a shooting guard only and had no plans to offer me an opportunity to play outside of that spot so I had to thank them for consideration and move on. After all conversations and considerations I am convinced that the shortlisted colleges meet these requirements.

"All coaches, including coach Dawkins, certainly have the winning attitude and strive for greatness in everything they do, which I found very much compatible with my nature. I thrive in intense situations and draw energy from a great contest and whichever college I select I will certainly give it all to go all the way and win it all. This is as far as basketball is concerned and then there is that important part called education - the college of choice should offer a program of my interest and provide necessary support for me to graduate."

Stanford could be a good fit for Vasiljevic on a number of levels.

"First of all, I am really keen to attend a school that would provide me with both, basketball development and education," Vasiljevic said. "Certainly a number of schools in the US qualify but in my selections I have really paid attention to a style of play, the coaching staff and their track record. Apart from its exceptional academic standing, Stanford has coach Dawkins, who played NCAA and NBA as a point guard and allows for more flow and motion offenses, a style of the play I got accustomed to at the CoE. Since I want to develop into a point guard who can also score, I believe coach Dawkins can assist me in my intentions. Obviously there are other colleges that can provide the same; that is why visiting them is very important to me."