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Savo prepping It wasn't his dream to play in the NBA.
for NBA
The former UH guard never
planned on an NBA job, but he'll
take it if one comes alongBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comBasketball was just a game, just something to play. Like soccer. Or water polo.
And water polo is big in Herceg-Novi, Montenegro, a good-sized city of 40,000 on the Bay of Boka Kororska, Yugoslavia.
P.V.K. Jadran, a water polo and swimming club, has been around since 1926 and has produced a fair number of members of the Yugoslav national team.
But Predrag Savovic wasn't a swimmer, at least not a real serious competitor after he turned 13. He did like to free dive in the waters of the Adriatic, and he loves his seafood.
Now, coming to America was a dream.
Getting a degree from an American university was a dream.
The future was to include good Italian food and a beautiful wife.
Making money was always part of the plan. He envisioned himself as a corporate lawyer on Wall Street.
Savovic leaves for New York on Tuesday. But it won't be as a barrister -- he didn't get accepted to the only law school he applied to, the Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii.
"I was a little surprised and very disappointed about that," Savovic said. "But what happens, happens."
Good things should continue to happen for him.
Savovic will celebrate his 26th birthday on May 21. On June 26, the All-American guard for the Rainbows hopes to celebrate being an NBA draftee.
If it happens, he'll become the 13th Rainbow drafted and the first since Reggie Cross went in the second round to Philadelphia in 1989.
Plenty of NBA teams have called the Hawaii basketball office, asking for game tapes. Lately, team representatives have called the Rainbow coaches, asking for character references.
"I tell them he's the best," said head coach Riley Wallace. "You'll find no finer human being.
"How do you explain Savo? He is very, very, very special."
Savovic works out hard, very hard. He's been at it 3-4 hours nearly every day since the Rainbows ended a 27-6 season with a loss to Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 15.
He runs, he lifts weights, he shoots, he goes one-on-one with anyone who drops by Gym II.
Last week, former Rainbow guard Jarinn Akana put Savovic through a workout similar to what can be expected at an NBA camp. Akana, who helped Hawaii to the 1994 WAC Tournament title, is the Director of Player Development/Asia Scout for the Denver Nuggets.
"When you see the '3' ... put it up nice and easy," Akana instructs. "You want a quick shot, not a rush shot."
There are half-court drills, lay-up drills, free-throw drills, 3-point shooting drills. Footwork and foot speed are crucial.
It's not a problem for Savovic, considered the best all-around athlete on this year's team. During fall camp, he ripped off a 5:02 mile after hardly warming up.
"He has a chance, a good chance, at being drafted," said Akana. "He has a quick release, which is why he's been able to get his shot off when he wants.
"Any time a guy can shoot and score like he can, he has a chance."
The knock on Savovic is his defense ... the lack of. But that's the knock on nearly every NBA player.
Savovic can score from anywhere on the floor. He can create. He can score. He can improvise. He can score.
The always confident Savovic, Hawaii's all-time 3-point goal leader (178) believes he will be drafted. Wallace feels the guard will go late in the first round.
InsideHoops.com has Savovic as a "Notable" just outside of the top 32 selections. Other NBA Draft Web sites put him among the top 10 shooting guards available.
"It's going pretty good," Savovic said after a workout last week. "It's good to work out with Jarinn. He knows what is expected.
"I don't care what team I go to. It's a big league and all the teams are good."
Savovic and his brother, Ohio State guard Boban, will be staying with friends in New York. And they will be working out together with the hopes of both being picked up by a pro team.
"I'm ready for it," Savovic said. "Growing up, nope, I never thought about the NBA. Basketball was for playing. It was a game.
"My dream this year was to be in the Final Four. Now it is to be in the finals of the NBA."