Filip Petrusev is a young Serbian basketball player who plays in the position of power forward and center for Gonzaga University in the West Coast Conference, Division I of the NCAA. Before moving to the states he played for top-level Serbian youth teams such as Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, as well as on the youth squad for Laboral Kutxa, a Spanish Club.
He excelled at high school level basketball ball, leading his teams to several national and international championship victories. He is regarded as one of the top prospects to follow at a collegiate level and even for future NBA drafts. He is ranked highly in the class of 2018 list and was courted by schools like UCLA, Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee, and Charlotte. However, he announced on November 8, 2017, that he had signed his letter of intent to go to Gonzaga University to further his education while playing for the school’s squad, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Filip Petrusev Biography
Petrusev was born on April 15, 2000, in Belgrade, Serbia. He has a younger brother named David who is also a basketball player.
He began throwing a ball around at a very tender age after he became interested in the sport. He began training and practicing with groups around his neighborhood, going on to play for youth teams in Serbia, as well as the junior national men’s basketball team.
He moved to America in 2016 to play high school basketball at Avon Old Farm. He transferred to another school, Montverde Academy to finish his senior season. While at Montverde, he helped them snag another championship title. He put up 21 points in the semifinals and another 15 points in a spectacular performance in the final game.
Petrusev was part of the U-16 Serbian national team that competed at the 2015 and 2016 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. He was also a member of the under-18 national basketball team that took home the gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 FIBA Under-18 Championship.
His skill and impressive talent led to a lot of schools offering him scholarships to come play for their teams, but he chose to go to Gonzaga University, which is easily the highest basketball power, playing in a mid-major conference. He has built a name for himself as a forward to watch out for. The athlete is quick on his feet and a very cooperative teammate. He doesn’t play stingy with the ball or refuses to pass to his teammates as long as they are all winning.
Petrusev is considered one of the foremost prospects in European basketball and one of the best recruits the class of 18 had to offer. His career is taking off and his popularity in the sport keeps growing with each game he plays. Commentators and recruiters alike agree that the Serbian player would not have a hard time securing an NBA draft pick position when the time comes.
Stats
During his year at Montverde Academy, an excellent prep school where Filip Petrusev completed his senior season, earning a solid reputation as the big guy who can do everything: defend, pass, score, and everything in between.
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The 2017 season turned out to be a fantastic one for the forward. Petrusev averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds across seven tournament games. In 2018, the stats climbed even higher, with him averaging 21.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. He put up 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in the final game of the tournament, finishing third highest in rebounds and scoring and getting named to the All-Tournament squad.
Strengths
- Excellent mobility in defense or offense
- Great body frame
- Provides effective support on switches and can guard other players on the ball.
- Generous passer
- High level of awareness on the rim
Weaknesses
- His former training methods were substituted with a less rigorous regimen after he suffered a stress fracture injury in 2016
- His finishing still needs a little work around the rim
- Doesn’t have great upper body strength, probably because his frame has not yet filled out.
- His footwork might be rock solid against smaller members of the opposition, but it slacks when he is faced with much taller opponents
Height and Weight
The Serbian basketball player would be considered a giant by normal people with his freakishly tall height of 6 feet 11 inches. He also weighs 235 pounds or 107kg, and while this might sound like a lot, Filip Petrusev is still quite skinny for his height.
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