MIAMI (May 10, 2022) - FIU women's basketball head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley announced the newest addition to the program's 2022 recruiting class on Tuesday, with the signing of guard Mihaela Lazic from the University of South Florida (USF).
"We couldn't be more excited to have Mihaela join our family," said Coach Burks-Wiley. "The one year I was fortunate enough to coach Miha while I was at USF left a lasting impression on me, so having the chance to coach her again here at FIU is awesome. On the court Miha brings a great work ethic, high basketball IQ, and a dynamic scoring and distributing skill set. Off the court, she has a personality that is hard not to love. She is a very welcome addition to our FIU family!"
Lazic lands at FIU as an incoming redshirt junior after spending three seasons with a USF Bulls squad that saw two NCAA Tournament apperances and the program's first-ever American Athletic Conference (AAC) championship. Lazic has three years of playing eligibility remaining due to a redshirt designation in her freshman season and then later being granted an extra season of eligibility due to COVID. The dynamic guard is an international product of Slavonski Brod, Croatia.
"Signing with FIU means a lot to me," said Lazic. "I am looking forward to playing for the coaching staff who will get the best out of the team and myself. I can't wait to play with such an energetic team and see what we can do next season. I believe the best is yet to come for this program and I am ready to work hard and watch the grind pay off!"
Lazic becomes the fourth member signed to FIU's 2022 recruiting class, joining senior guard transfer Kaliah Henderson from Saint Joseph's University (SJU), junior forward Ajae Yoakum from Eastern Arizona College (EAC), and junior shooting guard Sariana Rodriguez from Florida SouthWestern (FSW).
MIHAELA LAZIC | G | 5-6 | R-Jr. | SLAVONSKI BROD, CROATIA | USF
During the 2021-22 season as a redshirt sophomore, Lazic played in 14 games on a USF squad that posted a 24-9 record and graced the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed. Lazic logged 1.2 points per game on 40 percent shooting from the field and logged a total of 73 minutes on the season.
As a redshirt freshman during the shortened 2020-21 season, Lazic saw action in 17 games including two starts and helped the Bulls win their first ever American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament championship. The Bulls posted a 19-4 record in 2020-21 and graced the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, making it as far as the second round. Lazic averaged 1.8 points per game and 1.1 assists per outing during the campaign, including a career-high 10 points on 4-for-11 (36.4 percent) shooting from the field against Tulsa.
Lazic redshirted during the 2019-20 season as a true freshman and also holds an extra year of eligibility due to the shortened COVID seasons.
Before joining the college ranks, Lazic played in the FIBA 2017 and 2018 European Championships. In 2018 over the span of seven games at the Euros, Lazic averaged 7.9 points per game, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. In 2017 at the European Championship, Lazic logged 8.1 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds per contest. Lazic also played in the A-1 Croatian League where she was a three-time league scoring champion. During the 2018-19 season, Lazic averaged 21.4 points, 5.4 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game in the A-1 league.
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