ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine has again drawn upon its connections with Lee Academy and the country of Serbia to bring in a player for the men’s basketball team.
Black Bears coach Bob Walsh on Monday announced that Dusan Majstorovic plans to transfer to UMaine for the fall semester.
Majstorovic is a 6-foot-5 guard who played his freshman season at La Salle University in Philadelphia, where former UMaine coach John Giannini is the head coach.
Majstorovic appeared in 15 games and averaged 5.7 minutes per contest for the Explorers last season. He will sit out a year under NCAA transfer rules and becomes eligible to start the 2017-2018 season.
“Dusan is a tough, skilled wing with good size and great feel,” Walsh said in a news release. “He can score in a lot of ways, and he’s a very driven kid with great passion for basketball. His approach and dedication will really help advance our culture to a championship level. Black Bear fans are going to love watching him play.”
Prior to attending La Salle, Majstorovic spent a year at Lee Academy where he was teammates with current Black Bears Aaron Calixte and Ilija Stojiljkovic. While at Lee, he averaged 14 points and six rebounds.
The native of Novi Sad, Serbia, played for the Under-16 Serbian Super League Team, earning MVP honors while averaging 21.0 points. Majstorovic also played for the U-16 Serbian National Team.
Vann chooses VCU
Issac Vann, who recently announced his departure from UMaine after only one season, has chosen a new school.
The 6-7 forward will transfer from UMaine to Virginia Commonwealth University, which is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The move was revealed recently after he visited the school in Richmond.
Vann, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, averaged a team-best 16.4 points along with 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals last season for the Black Bears. His 15.8 points per game in conference contests ranked sixth in the league.
Vann shot 46 percent from the field, including a team-high 41 percent from the 3-point line, and converted 78 percent of his free throws while averaging 28.3 minutes per game. Vann played in 17 of 30 games for 8-22 UMaine, missing several as the result of an ankle injury.
VCU went 25-11 last season, was the A-10 runner-up and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where it lost to Oklahoma. Coach Will Wade’s team will lose six seniors after the 2016-2017 season and Vann becomes eligible in the fall of 2017.
3 UMaine student-athletes honored
UMaine women’s basketball student-athletes Mikaela Gustafsson and Liz Wood and track and field performer Annabelle Wilson have been recognized as 2016 UMaine Outstanding Graduating Seniors in their respective colleges.
Gustafsson, of Sodertalje, Sweden, was named the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is majoring in sociology, with a concentration in crime, law and deviance. She also has a minor in psychology, child development and family relations.
She plans to pursue a professional basketball career and a master’s degree in international development, ultimately doing work related to immigration and welfare policies.
Wilson of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, has been named the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Education and Human Development.
The elementary education major, with concentrations in English and human development, is a member of UMaine’s women’s cross country, and track and field teams. She captained both this year.
She plans to start her elementary school teaching career in Maine.
Wood, of Catlett, Virginia, has been named the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture.
Wood has served as president of the UMaine Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the America East Conference representative on the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She plans to pursue a professional basketball career, followed by medical school.