Even before Mihailo Vasic played his first game with the University of New Haven men's basketball program, his future endeavors on the court were already coming into focus.
No stranger to impromptu 3x3 basketball games while growing up in Novi Sad, Serbia, it was only natural that he would use his versatile basketball skills in the world of 3x3 hoops. When 3x3 basketball was added to the Olympic schedule, Vasic set an unwavering goal of being a part of the inaugural Olympic 3x3 tournament.
Vasic not only achieved that lofty goal but was able to return home from Tokyo as a member of Serbia's bronze-medal winning squad. It was Vasic who hit a layup to clinch the medal in Serbia's win over Belgium in the third-place game.
"Scoring the final point in the bronze-medal game was a very emotional moment for me," said Vasic, who is currently ranked second in the 3x3 world rankings. "At that time my emotions were heavenly mixed. On one side, I felt happiness and relief, but on the other side, I felt some kind of sadness because we won't be in the fight for a gold medal game that we expected. Receiving the medal was an incredible experience. Standing by my teammates at the Olympic podium was the moment that I was imagining as a little kid, and dreamed about it."
When he was in college, Vasic would spend his summers back home in Serbia playing in 3x3 tournaments. When he graduated from UNH in 2018, he didn't hesitate in leaving his days of playing 5x5 basketball behind him especially with news of the Olympics adding 3x3 to the schedule.
"I started to play 3x3 in 2016," Vasic said. "During the time that I was at UNH, I played just during the summer. I can say that was an important summer for me because my team managed to win some tournaments and with that qualified for FIBA 3X3 pro events. I moved completely on 3x3 and started to play professionally in 2018 when I graduated at UNH."
Vasic played in 40 events with either Serbian 3x3 powerhouse Liman or with Serbia's national team. Vasic's teams won 15 of those tournaments and finished in the top three 29 times.
Vasic was one of eight players in contention to make Serbia's Olympic team and after a couple of months of tryouts and tournaments, he was named to the squad. Serbia went 7-0 in Olympic pool play between July 23-27 with Vasic leading the team in scoring in wins over the Netherlands, Poland, and the Russian Olympic Committee teams to advance into the semifinals. The quest for gold ended with a loss to Russia in the semifinals. Less than four hours later, Serbia returned to the court to face Belgium with a bronze medal at stake.
"It was really cool to watch a former player from the University of New Haven play in the Olympics," Chargers' men's basketball coach Ted Hotaling said. "Knowing Mihailo like I do, it is even cooler because he is a passionate guy, a great teammate while he was here. I know he has worked so hard to be there, he is one of the best players in the world in 3x3."
Vasic, who is currently in Serbia preparing for the Abu Dhabi Masters event at the end of the month, was overwhelmed by the support he received from friends, former teammates, and coaches after becoming an Olympic medalist.
"The reaction after we won an Olympic medal was incredible," Vasic said. "I had great support from my friends and family from back home, and also from friends in the U.S. Friends from Serbia are much more familiar with the 3x3 game than friends from the U.S., so for them winning an Olympic medal wasn't much of a surprise. I got a lot of congratulation messages from my friends in the USA, and I can say that I was surprised by how many people followed my Olympic run."
Vasic's journey to Olympic glory came with plenty of sacrifices. He decided to leave home and head to the U.S. to play at Lee Academy beginning five years studying abroad.
"In 2013 I decided to leave for the U.S.," Vasic said. "The coach who convinced me was Igor Vrzina who was the head coach at Lee Academy. I spent one year there and I transferred to Harcum College. I can say that the first two years were a little bit hard for me after I left home. I think that leaving for the U.S. at such a young age helped me a lot to become an independent and responsible adult."
Vasic scored in double figures 22 times and had 13 double-doubles in 32 games at Harcum during the 2015-16 season. He averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 66.4 percent from the field for the 28-4 Bears.
He played at New Haven for the next two seasons. Vasic set the New Haven program record by shooting 61.5 percent from the field during the 2016-17 season. He had five double-doubles that season and scored in double figures 25 times in his two seasons with the Chargers.
"I spent two great years at UNH," Vasic said. "Some memories that I miss are traveling, playing games, and spending time with my teammates around campus. Also, I want to thank head coach Ted Hotaling and assistant coach at that time Mark Palmieri. They did a great job, and I learned a lot from them."
Hotaling said it can be difficult at times for a player with only a couple of years of eligibility to carve out a role and earn the trust of their teammates but that was not an issue for Vasic.
"The first thing I always think about Mihailo is what a great teammate," Hotaling said. "The guys loved having him on the team, he was very passionate. You can feel his energy and not just for the game of basketball. He is just a heck of a player. He was a high-efficiency scorer and I thought he had a great two years here."
Watching his former player win a medal was something that Hotaling and those who were associated with Vasic during his time at New Haven won't soon forget.
"Anytime one of us succeeds, we all succeed," Hotaling said. "I know our former players, former coaches, and even our current players, we talked a lot through text [messages] sending pictures of him. I think a lot of them enjoyed seeing him do well on the world stage and take some small satisfaction that our program had something to do with it."
