Fedor Žugić just wrapped up his first summer with Creighton men’s basketball, one he hopes will propel him into a breakout second season.
The path has been anything but smooth for the 6-foot-6 Montenegrin guard since the former pro chose to depart from Spain and instead enroll at Creighton to experience college basketball.
He was a late arrival, signing with the program on Aug. 22. His and Creighton’s legal teams had to fight to get him cleared to play by the NCAA, which didn’t happen until December, then his representation had to spend the offseason once again fighting for additional eligibility.
Žugić received the good news that he’d been granted two years of eligibility at the beginning of July, and he spent the rest of the month on the court with his teammates.
“The difference is huge,” Žugić said. “First of all, I’ve got a whole summer to get to know the team, get to know the system, practice and get better in the system, and last year I didn’t have that, jumping in the middle of the season. So I’ll say it’s way better now.”
Žugić said he was not in a good place mentally last year late in the season, even though his opportunities on the court increased down the stretch. The uncertainty weighed heavily on him.
“We were playing important games, but in the back of my mind I was always like, ‘This might be my last game, and I haven’t really showed you guys what I can do yet,’” Žugić said. “All this stuff was just in my head constantly throughout the whole season, and having to earn my role coming in so late and everything, it was maybe the most mentally challenging year I’ve had in my career so far.
“Right now that I don’t have that, I feel free, basically. I feel so light. I just go out here and work and just wait for the season with no uncertainties. I know what’s ahead of me, and that’s it.”
Žugić wasn’t the only one dragged down by the uncertainty. His family struggled along with him, worrying about him constantly from across the Atlantic Ocean.
“I know my mom and my dad and my sisters went through hell just thinking about me here, struggling and not knowing what my future is,” Žugić said. “The first thing that came to my mind when I heard I was cleared, I was like, ‘I’m glad my family can finally sit at home and watch games and not worry about completely unimportant stuff.’”
The good news was a big boost to the program as well, injecting some firepower into the lineup that Coach Greg McDermott wasn’t sure he’d have available this season.
“It’s exciting to have him back,” McDermott said. “As I told you, I think last time we talked, I thought the chances were unlikely. But sometimes when you threaten lawsuits, all of a sudden, things change a little bit. We’re excited to have him back, and the fact that he’s got two years is great for him. I think everybody saw what he’s capable of late in the season last year and the impact that he can have when he’s healthy. So it’s awesome to have him back.”
Žugić played in 22 games last season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game. He nailed 16 of his 40 3-point attempts (40.0%) and 14 of his 22 shots inside the arc (63.6%), showing the ability to put the ball on the deck and fearlessly attack the rim in addition to fire away from deep.
Over his last seven games (excluding the St. John’s game in which he injured his ankle two minutes in), Žugić saw his playing time spike to 16.1 minutes per game, and his production rose to match, averaging 7.7 points on 64.0% shooting (16-of-25) including 52.9% from 3 (9-of-17) and 72.2% from the foul line (13-of-18).
“It just came with me playing,” Žugić said. “I was out there on the court long enough, and then I just started reacting and it was, it was ramping up slowly. It got to that point where I was playing better at the end. I wish the season was longer, but I’ll just continue doing the same thing this year.”
Until getting cleared last season, Žugić spent all of his practice time with the scout team. Now with three months in the system and a full offseason under his belt, he’s using his experience both as a pro and as a Bluejay to help fast-track the development of his younger teammates.
He’s also very hungry to show the fan base what he’s capable of.
“I owe Creighton fans a couple things I didn’t show last year, and I can’t wait to get out there to show them that.”
