Giacoletti signs Serbian center

Two days after losing three players, the Utah basketball team has added one with the signing of Misha Radojevic, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound center/forward from Belgrade, Serbia.

Radojevic (pronounced MEE-shah RAH-doe-yeh-vic) will join the Runnin' Utes with two years of eligibility remaining. He has been attending the Belgrade Polytechnic Academy the past two years.

Radojevic has been playing basketball in the Serbian amateur leagues since graduating from high school. He currently plays for Tamis Pancevo and is averaging 12 points and nine rebounds per game.

"I'm very excited and proud to become a part of such a successful program at the University of Utah and to be playing for the Utes next year," said Radojevic, who made a visit to the campus in February.

Radojevic will help fill the void left by Andrew Bogut who is turning pro and Justin Hawkins who is not returning for his junior season. He can play both the center position and the power forward positions vacated by Bogut and Hawkins.

"We're very excited to have Misha become a part of the Utah basketball family," said coach Ray Giacoletti. "Misha is a tough, hard-nosed guy. He really understands the nuances of the game that are necessary to be successful. He'll bring both experience and toughness to our front line next year."

Although the Utes still have one scholarship opening after losing three players, Hawkins, Jermaine Calvin and Jake Schmidt, earlier this week, Giacoletti has indicated the team won't necessarily fill the spot.

The Utes played one scholarship short of their limit of 12, which is one lower than the NCAA maximum due to penalties imposed to the Utah program by the NCAA two years ago.

During the fall signing period the Utes signed four players, Shaun Green, a 6-8 forward out of Olympus High; Lawrence Borha, a 6-3 guard originally from New York, who is coming out of prep school in Moorpark Calif.; Ricky Johns, a 6-3 JC guard from New York and Johnnie Bryant, a 6-foot guard out of San Francisco.

Besides the five signees, the other returning scholarship players are seniors Chris Jackson, Tim Drisdom, Bryant Markson and Richard Chaney, junior Jonas Langvad and redshirt freshman Luke Nevill.

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