Here's What's Next For Nikola Dzepina At UW

After a spirited run to the FIBA U20 Eurobasket championship game, Nikola Dzepina and his Serbian national team came up short, yet he was rewarded for his week-long efforts with all-tournament honors.

The 6-foot-10 University of Washington power forward and his Serb teammates were left with an 84-65 loss to the host Slovenia team on Sunday in Liubljana. He finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds in the finale.

After averaging 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds over seven games, Dzepina will return to the UW where it is hoped he will step up and take on a much more prominent role as a sophomore for Danny Sprinkle's Huskies this coming winter.

So what comes next?

Dzepina is part of a UW team in a rebuilding mode that counts him among six forwards and a pair of post players, with his coach looking to find two or three starters among them, depending on how many guards are used as game-opening Huskies.

"He's going to be a really, really good player," Sprinkle said when last season ended.

It would be a good time for Dzepina to prove it.

Niko Dzepina holds his all-tournament trophy at Eurobasket. | FIBA

The forward candidates include 6-foot-8 Texas Tech transfer LeJuan Watts, a 62-game starter for three schools; 6-foot-7 Gonzaga transfer Steele Venters, a 77-game starter for two schools; and 6-foot-10 returnee Lathan Somerville, a 22-game starter at Rutgers and the UW.

Others in the mix are 6-foot-9 newcomer Boris Tisma from Croatia, 6-foot-7 freshman Lattimore Ford from Snoqualmie, Washington, and, of course, Dzepina.

The Serb, who appeared in 14 games as a Husky freshman reserve last season, will join this mix as a veteran player.

He'll try and prove to Sprinkle that he's much more than a 3-point shooter, which was his reputation when he first came to Montlake, that he can handle major responsibility.

After playing at 240 pounds for the Huskies, Dzepina will need to be a little bigger and stronger in order to meet the rigors of the Big Ten.

Niko Dzepina leaves the court in the Eurobasket title game. | FIBA

Eurobasket seemed to demonstrate that he's a more seasoned player. He scored in double figures in all but one outing and twice scored more than 20. He opened play with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double against Poland.

Again, this wasn't the Big Ten, but for a week and a half, Dzepina was a highly motivated player. In fact, he was so invested in what he was doing, Dzepina was visibly upset when Serbia's title run came up short.

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