Belgrade, Serbia, to Fort Collins, Colorado: a near 5,700-mile journey to find a place to call home.
For Nikola Djapa, he found just the place to continue his basketball career.
Djapa is from Belgrade, Serbia — a city with a population of over 1 million — where he played basketball his entire life. Starting from club basketball as a child all the way to the Serbian national team and FIBA U18 tournaments, Djapa grew accustomed to international games.
However, with sights set on playing Division I basketball in the United States, he felt a change was needed.
“I started playing basketball when I was 8 in one really small club in Serbia,” Djapa said. “That’s how I started my journey. After that, I transferred to a team named Red Star and played there for a couple of years. Then I went to the club named Mega, which is a really big club in Serbia. … And after that, when I was supposed to start playing professionally, I decided instead of that to go and finish my last year of high school in America.”
To test his game at the American level, Djapa played a year of high school basketball at Hoosac School in New York.
Djapa’s fresh start involved the significant sacrifice of moving across the world. Although his primary intention was to advance his basketball career, this colossal adjustment also came with changes to his everyday life.
“The biggest struggle was adjusting to a new culture and language,” Djapa said. “Everything was different, from the food to the way people interact. It was challenging at first couple months, but over time, I got more comfortable.”
After that single year, he committed to play in-state at Long Island, fulfilling his goal to play American Division I basketball.
“Just work hard. (Hard work) is always going to pay off; your opportunity is going to come like mine came here. I didn’t play the first part of the season. I started one game and played really good, and if I wasn’t working hard, I wouldn’t play good that game.” -Nikola Djapa, men’s basketball center
At LIU, Djapa finished his freshman season with an average of 6.1 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. When he decided to find a new destination to utilize his skills for his sophomore season, his sight was set on the Rams.
“My set of skills as a big man, I think I can do a lot,” Djapa said. “How coach plays basketball, I think that’s a really good system of playing where I can show all my skill set.”
Djapa transferred to Colorado State during the offseason and came in as the tallest on the team at 6 feet, 11 inches, as well as the only true center.
Throughout the regular season, as the Rams have settled into their conference schedule, Djapa’s minutes continued to increase. Averaging 9.4 minutes per game in his final 10 games of the year, Djapa found himself a steady role on a flourishing CSU squad.
“I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do: playing defense, getting rebounds, protecting the post,” Djapa said. “(The chemistry) has been great throughout the whole year, especially before the season, as if you can get really good chemistry between players before the season, it will be much better during the season.”
For Djapa, an entire lifestyle change from Serbia to America along with leaving a huge part of his life behind for his future benefit was an extremely hard decision to make and fulfill.
As much as Djapa goes through as an international player within the NCAA, there are over 2,000 combined Division I and II international basketball players with similar uphill battles.
The international stage around men’s and women’s basketball in the NCAA is reaching extreme heights. In the past, international players approaching college — specifically those from regions in Europe, such as Djapa — frequently chose to play professionally in their home countries, with solid basketball competition and clubs in the surrounding areas.
Now, with new changes in the way the NCAA treats their players, a large shift has been taking place, changing the entire look of college hoops.
“The rise of international players shows that talent is everywhere, all around the world, and the game is evolving to be more global,” Djapa said. “I think the NBA and NCAA are really recognizing that the best players can come from all over the world, and it’s changing the style of play to be more diverse.”
“I think there’s a huge impact,” Djapa said. “Many, many players from foreign countries are coming to the U.S. because of the (name, image and likeness) opportunities. And social media is really big here, so if you play good, that really can impact scouts seeing you and other coaches from Europe when you want to go play professionally.”
A longstanding stereotype regarding European basketball in comparison to American basketball is the difference in physicality and game fundamentals.
As Djapa transitions off the court, he seeks to approach the game differently in order to adapt to the style of play in the United States.
“My game has become more individual-oriented in the NCAA,” Djapa said. “In Serbia, the focus was more on the team, but also here is team-oriented. … It’s all about playing within the system and trusting the team. The pace is much faster and the athleticism is higher, and that really pushed me to improve my conditioning, strength and decision making.”
As absurd as the growth of players from the Eastern European region has been in college basketball around the country, the numbers in the state of Colorado alone are head-turning.
Players such as Andrej Jakimovski from North Macedonia, Matija Jordovic from Serbia and Viktor Lukic-Gavric from Sweden make up just a fraction of the European men’s basketball population in the state.
Considering NBA champion and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic — who is from Serbia — is dominating for the Denver Nuggets, it shows the shared strength between players through their shared backgrounds.
“It’s really nice to see how many people that you can speak your language with, and that really makes me happy,” Djapa said. “(I like) when I can have a conversation with someone that is from my country or some country around Serbia.”
As international numbers climb, some challenges arise for those from foreign countries as they get accustomed to a college game that is still mainly American at the end of the day.
“I think international players are generally respected, but there are always challenges,” Djapa said. “Sometimes, there’s a bit of a cultural barrier, and we’re not always fully understood. But I hope for more support in terms of adjusting off the court. But overall, I think international players bring a unique style and mindset to the game.”
As the Rams prepare for a run at the Mountain West title, Djapa’s eagerness to improve and show how the international game can help the college basketball landscape increases. He said he wishes the best to any young player trying to make their American basketball dream come true.
“Just work hard,” Djapa said. “(Hard work) is always going to pay off; your opportunity is going to come like mine came here. I didn’t play the first part of the season. I started one game and played really good, and if I wasn’t working hard, I wouldn’t play good that game. … Wait for the opportunity. Somebody’s going to see you and be prepared.”
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter at @DImsirpasic.
