A two-time B.C. high school basketball champion with Burnaby South Secondary is making a return to the hardwood.
Sasha Vujisic, after two years, will make his collegiate debut later this fall in recently signing with Simon Fraser University (SFU).
It's arguably been a trying couple of seasons for the soon-to-be first-year centre.
After graduating Burnaby South, Vujisic went to Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented him from competing.
Later, in spring 2021, he suffered a leg injury, which encouraged him to come back home to Burnaby in pursuit of a computing science degree at SFU.
He then went to Red Leafs men's basketball coach Steve Hanson and asked a simple question.
"It's not often a 6-10, 245-lb prospect comes to your office, has two years of SFU Computing Science under his belt and was a First Team Provincial All-Star and BC high school champion, and asks, 'Can I join the team?'" Hanson said in a team statement.
"We are excited to see what Sasha can bring to our team and also see what this experience does for his confidence and his future."
Vujisic provided height and strength in the key to lead the Burnaby South Rebels to two AAAA basketball banners in three years — 2018 and 2020.
Named a first-team provincial all-star at both tournaments, he recorded a combined 106 points over eight games, including a team-high 24 in the 2020 final.
"SFU is close to home and offers a rigorous Computing Science program, which is ideal for someone like me who sees themselves working remotely as a software developer once I am done with basketball," said Vujisic.
There are now three Burnaby South alumni listed on SFU's men's roster for when NCAA Div. II basketball officially begins in November.
Vujisic was teammates with Jio Khan and Jimmy Zaborniak in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
He joins a Red Leafs squad that's looking to bounce back from a 1-17 record in the 2022-23 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) campaign.
SFU's season kicks off Nov. 3 when the school hosts the first-ever CCA Div. II Canadian Tip-Off Classic at the Langley Events Centre.
