Rebel signs up
By Ryan Rogers
Sports Editor
April 2, 2008
 The Lancers women’s basketball team announced the commitment of Bojana Kovacevic, one of the local stars that they’ve had their eye on since 2005, to their program for the 2008-09 season.
Kovacevic was a First Team WECSSAA (Windsor-Essex County Secondary School Athletics Association) All-Star for the last two seasons. She led the Riverside Rebels to the SWOSSAA (South-Western Ontario Secondary School Athletics Association) ‘AAA’ championship game and a silver medal in the WECSSAA ‘AAA/AAA.’
The 18-year-old Kovacevic decided to attend school in Windsor despite being recruited throughout the United States by NCAA teams for both basketball and soccer.
Vallee said that she noticed Kovacevic when she started investigating potential players after being hired as the head coach of the Lancers women’s basketball program in 2005.
“At this point in time, the first thing I started looking into was potential basketball players … Bojana was in Grade 10 at that point, and I’ve watched her play since.”
“She’s been extremely successful and I’ve kept my eyes on her,” continued Vallee. “I put a bug in her ear to help us continue to reach our goal (of a national championship). Since then I only really seriously started recruiting her this year, but we’ve always been in contact with her over the years.”
The five-foot-eleven guard will be registered into the nursing program at the University of Windsor. “I like helping people,” said Kovacevis, “and it’s a good nursing program.” The women’s basketball team’s performance last year also caught her attention. “I watched the Lancers play and I like how their game is organized, and it has fast intensity and the coaching staff is great,” said Kovacevic.
Kovacevic didn’t start playing basketball until she moved to Canada with her family six years ago from Serbia. In that move, she reunited with some of her family – her uncle moved to Canada 40 years ago. Kovacevic is the oldest child of two and has a younger brother.
Vallee says that recruiting the top local talent is extremely important to the Lancers. “With us being more successful (in the 2007-08 season) it has become more easy (to recruit) with more interest from the local area,” said Vallee. “To prove that we are changing things and perception was one of our goals since day one,” she continued.
Last year Vallee recruited Laura Mullins from St. Anne’s, who would later be named to the OUA West’s all-rookie team.
“I think she’ll fit in great,” said Vallee. Kovacevic will be joining other locals Marissa Bozzetto and Mullins.
“[Kovacevic] has come out and done some testing with us,” said Vallee.
“She’s quite impressive for a high school person who hasn’t played at this level. She’s going to fit well because she’s a very versatile player, she can play inside and outside, she’s got good speed.”
“The one thing that we’re going to look at is experience,” continued Vallee. “She’s played a little more soccer than she’s played basketball.”
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