There have been plenty of conversations around the validity of the term “student-athlete” these days with the growth of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and collectives, as well as the upcoming direct payments from colleges.
Some might ask: “If athletes now have the opportunity to get paid, should we be using the same language that served the previous amateur model?”
The most recent addition to the Arizona women’s basketball roster, Katarina Kneževic, may just be a living challenge to that notion.
“I came here with purpose,” Kneževic said.
“Everything that I love to do, I have it here which is playing basketball and studying,” she added.
A student, and an athlete.
The 6-foot forward from Belgrade, Serbia, at one point shared that she studied European history during a conversation with her new coach, Adia Barnes; Barnes was plenty happy to share her own love of learning.
Arizona forward Katarina Kneževic (34) takes a shot as UA assistant coach Bett Shelby looks on during practice at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on July 23.
“That was a good talk,” Barnes said. “I tell my kids that it’s not only about basketball; we need to have meaningful conversations. I think you have to get to know people. I love getting to know them. I learned a lot in that few minutes with her that I wouldn’t have known. I try to spend time personally with them and getting to know what they like, what their interests are, because it’s so much bigger than basketball.”
On the court, Kneževic can score and describes her game as versatile. She said that when she steps onto the court, something clicks and her passion takes over; she’s going to fight for everything, she said.
She said she loves playing defense “because that fuels you and you feel that you are ready to protect your territory.”
That defensive-minded approach was a clear fit for the UA program.
Despite being in Tucson only a handful of weeks at this point, Kneževic is adapting quickly — getting to know her teammates and coaches. The laughs are coming easier, too; she likes that the coaches don’t “yell” and are supportive and encouraging.
Arizona forward Katarina Kneževic (34) dribbles the ball during practice at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on the UA campus on July 23.
The 19-year-old is already tooling around campus and McKale Center with the same small black e-bike that many of her teammates have.
Kneževic said that even though it was a little hard physically the first few weeks, she was ready what Barnes and the UA staff threw her way.
She already had some understanding of what that meant after her stint last season with Gran Canaria, a professional team in Spain. One of her teammates there: former Wildcat and 2023 WNBA Draft Pick Jade Loville.
Kneževic said gave that a go to test the professional waters to see if she was at that level.
“I saw there ... that those players are not different than me,” Kneževic said. “They don’t have some extra abilities, you know, extra powers, two heads, whatever. They’re just players like me, but they are so much more mature. I was like, ‘OK, maybe I’m currently not on this physical level because you look at their bodies and they are huge.’ They play defense, you can do nothing. You can’t drive the paint because they’re so big. I was like, ‘OK, maybe it’s a great thing to try college basketball because it gives you so many opportunities to experience a lot of great things.’”
Arizona forward Katarina Kneževic works on her shot a summer 2024 Wildcat practice at the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium on the UA campus on July 23.
As a reserve, in 11 games she averaged 4.4 points.
She said she learned a lot from that experience that will help her over the next four years, including studying the players’ demeanor, how hard they work on an off the court and their competitiveness.
She said it also prepared her for any adversity that may hit her moving forward. In that particular scenario, just 18 years old, she admits she was homesick.
But it also helped her select her next home knowing exactly what she wanted and needed. That came down to development — a hallmark of Barnes’ Arizona program.
Two calls with Barnes and Kneževic was sold on being a Wildcat.
“It was pretty easy because they saw in me what they needed and I saw in them what I needed,” she said.
“It was their philosophy because besides their willingness to win, they want to make something that is going to last longer,” Kneževic added. “Both coaches and players can benefit from that. It’s important because they want to build players and that caught my eye.”
Kneževic said that while other schools were talking to her, one coach wanted to visit her in Serbia; she told them she had already made her decision.
Two seasons ago, she played in the Serbian Women’s Basketball Division 1 League and was the second most valuable player averaging 18.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31.6 minutes per game. She helped her U18 national team to a bronze medal last summer in the FIBA Women’s European Championship by averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists. And she also played with the U20 national team last summer.
Barnes said that Kneževic is good for the program overall and it hasn’t taken long for her presence to be felt.
“She’s super hungry and going out and pursuing her dreams,” Barnes said.
“She left Serbia when she was young to play in Spain. She has a lot of courage. Her work ethic; her mentality. She’s in the gym shooting. Her and Jada (Williams) and (Sahnyah) Jah, right now, they are working on their game every day,” Barnes added. “They’re hungry to get better. And I think what that shows about (Kneževic) is that she’s eager to learn and get better.”
