April 8, 1998

6-Foot-11 Yugoslavian Native Signs National Letter of Intent With Furman

GREENVILLE -- Furman University head basketball coach Larry Davis announced today that Stevan Petrovic, a 6-foot-11, 240-pound center from Norfolk, Nebraska, has signed a national letter of intent with the Paladins.

Petrovic, a native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, came to the United States last September and, after gaining eligibility, played the second half of the 1997-98 season at Norfolk (Neb.) High School, where in 11 games he averaged 14.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg. Norfolk finished the year with an 8-11 record but was 8-3 with Petrovic in the lineup.

"For the future of our program, being able to land a player of Stevan Petrovic's size and ability was a major accomplishment in our first year of recruiting," said head coach Larry Davis on Thursday morning. "Stevan will give us a true center's inside presence, with shot blocking and scoring ability -- something that has been missing in recent years -- and he has tremendous potential, which we are very excited about working with him to develop."

"By season's end Stevan Petrovic had developed into one of the top post players in the state," said Norfolk High School head coach Dave Oman, who has totaled 345 wins in 29 seasons of high school coaching. "He averaged almost 15 points per game over our final 11 games, and he did that while being double and triple teamed. He is a big, strong athlete with potential to become a big-time player, and he's one of the nicest people I've ever had the opportunity to work with," added Oman.

Petrovic becomes the first player to sign with Furman this spring but the third signee overall to join the Paladin program this year. In November, Furman inked a pair of guards: Anthony Thomas, a 6-foot-3 wing guard from Atlanta, Ga. (Woodward Academy), and 6-foot point guard Paul Foster from Teachey, N.C. (Wallace Rose High School).

Thomas, an All-Metro Atlanta and second team Atlanta Journal-Constitution AAA all-state selection, averaged 23.5 ppg as senior in leading Woodward Academy to a 23-5 record and appearance in the state playoffs. During his four year career, Thomas shot 54.0% from the field and 73.0% from the free throw line and scored 1,753 points while leading Woodward Academy to a 91-16 record. Foster, meanwhile, completed his prep career by averaging 10.5 ppg and 8.5 assists per game in leading Wallace Rose High school to a 31-0 record and AA state championship.