BYU is reportedly recruiting Andrej Stojakovic

The 5-star McDonald's All-American from Stanford has entered the transfer portal and is in Mark Pope's sights.
Andrej Stojakovic celebrates a made basket against USC
Andrej Stojakovic celebrates a made basket against USC / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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For those of you who witnessed the Sacramento Kings of the early 2000's, you probably recognize Andrej Stojakovic's surname and can't help but ask yourself: "Is that Peja's kid?" If this is the case, your instincts are good and you should start looking into the younger Stojakovic's game.

According to Robby McCombs, and much to my excitement, BYU has been going all-in on luring Stojakovic to a new home in Provo following his entrance into the transfer portal.

"BYU is recruiting Stojakovic hard, and sources tell me both sides are in the process of setting up a visit after the dead period. With Jaxson Robinson possibly (more like probably) gone, Andrej would essentially be a replacement for Jaxson. Andrej has the skill to make an impact and start right away, but he has also has high upside and most scouts saw him as a future NBA player in high school."

VanquishtheFoe.com

Andrej Stojakovic was heavily recruited out of high school. I mean he was ridiculously wanted by many of the best basketball programs in the nation. Stojakovic was a 5-star McDonald's All-American following his senior year at Carmichael Jesuit High School in California. His list of offers is likely more impressive than anything I'll ever accomplish in my life. The All-American received offers from Duke, Kansas, UConn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Oregon among many others.

Andrej Stojakovic
Andrej Stojakovic at the 2023 McDonald's All American Game / Michael Hickey/GettyImages

In his freshman season at Stanford, Stojakovic experienced some growing pains and struggled to match the elevated physicality of the D1 level. He averaged 7.8 points per game on 40% shooting and struggled to establish consistent levels of production through his initial year in Palo Alto. He still needs to fill out his frame a bit to match up better defensively, and to create his own offense without getting outmatched physically.

But Stojakovic was a 5-star for a reason, and that's because at his best, he is an elite scorer capable of creating his own offense when needed. Andrej is long and quick with a solid handle that he can use to blow past defenders or settle into a pull-up jumper. For a BYU team that was at times too reliant on team basketball to get open shots this season, Stojakovic would serve as a perfect release valve to get some offense going when the Cougars are in one of their infamous cold streaks.

While he struggled to finish with very high efficiency at the rim--scoring on only 39% of his attempts--his contested layups will likely see improvement as he fills out his frame. At Stanford, his 3-pointers didn't fall at the same rate they did in high school, but knowing his lineage and seeing his effortless release gives me reason to expect improvement from beyond the arc. In BYU's system, Stojakovic would have more open 3's than ever and would likely be a seamless inclusion and replacement for Jaxson Robinson (assuming he leaves the program this offseason).

Much more could be said about Stojakovic's game, but above all else, he's a natural hooper who understands the game and can flat-out ball. Seeing him in royal blue would be incredible for BYU's basketball program, and would be a monumental recruiting win for Mark Pope and Company. Stojakovic is BYU's home run swing this offseason, and he should be #1 on your big board.

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