Jock Landale
July 23, 2020
George Blagojevic
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 18/10/96
- Place of Birth: Whittington (VIC)
- Position: SF
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 95
- Junior Assoc: VIC - Geelong
- College: Hartford (2015-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 19/09/19
- AGE AT DEBUT: 22
- LAST NBL GAME: 2/06/21
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 24
- NBL History: Cairns 2020-21
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: George Blagojevic was born in Whittington (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Geelong basketball program. Blagojevic received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2014. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2014, 2015).
NBL EXPERIENCE
George Blagojevic made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 22 years of age. He scored two points in his first game.
In 2019/20, Blagojevic averaged 1.5 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.3 assists as the Taipans finished in third place (16-12).
2020/21
Following a breakthrough 2019/20 season where Cairns finished in third place (16-12) and reached the semi-finals, the Taipans entered the 2020/21 season under reigning NBL Coach of the Year Mike Kelly. The NBL reduced the import limit from three to two due to COVID-19 restrictions, with DJ Newbill (to Osaka) leaving the club. Scott Machado, Cameron Oliver and Nate Jawai re-signed, while Jordan Ngatai (via New Zealand) joined after six seasons with the Breakers and Next Star Mojave King was added to the roster.
Ahead of the season, George re-signed with Cairns on a two-year deal, with the second season a club option. After the NBL1 season was cancelled, he remained in Cairns to train throughout the extended off-season and scored 40 points across two ‘Top of the North’ games against Townsville. “George has had to fight and scratch for every minute on the court,” said Kelly.
Cairns opened the season at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena on January 16, defeating Sydney 87-86. Blagojevic (1 rebound) played just over three minutes, while Machado (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Mirko Djeric (15 points and 4 rebounds) led the Taipans, with Casper Ware (18 points) leading Sydney.
Blagojevic (2.5 points across 31 games) remained a reserve wing behind the Taipans’ more established forwards but received more opportunities than during his rookie season. No injury was reported for Blagojevic during NBL21. He did not take the floor against Sydney (January 23), Brisbane (January 30), Melbourne (April 2), Brisbane (May 8) or Perth (May 17), with no injury or other reason publicly given for those five games.
Blagojevic’s best game of the season came against New Zealand on February 8. Cairns entered the game on a six-game losing streak and Kelly went to Blagojevic early after being unhappy with the team’s execution. Blagojevic (10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) provided an immediate spark off the bench as the Taipans defeated the Breakers 84-69, with Majok Deng (21 points and 2 blocks) and Kouat Noi (18 points and 5 rebounds) leading Cairns while Tai Webster (13 points) was New Zealand’s leading scorer. “George came on and played very well,” said Kelly.
As injuries and player absences created further opportunities late in the season, Blagojevic played 16 minutes against South East Melbourne on May 28 and finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals as Cairns overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat the Phoenix 94-87 and snap an eight-game losing streak. Deng (22 points and 4 assists) and Djeric (16 points) led the Taipans, while Yannick Wetzell (25 points and 8 rebounds) was South East Melbourne’s best. Kelly said “George Blagojevic played with great energy, especially in that second half.”
6. point. game.
Insert eyeball emoji here#NBL21 live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/ANJMnRpa0d
— The NBL (@NBL) May 28, 2021
Injuries would derail Cairns throughout the season. Deng (12 points and 4.5 rebounds) suffered a partial tear to his left MCL and bone bruising against Melbourne in February and was ruled out for at least six weeks, while Noi (10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds) suffered a PCL tear against Sydney which ended his season. Tad Dufelmeier Jr (6 points) was elevated from training player to injury replacement following Deng’s injury, while Hyrum Harris was later added as another injury replacement. Oliver (17.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) was waived after 24 games on compassionate grounds so he could return to the United States after complications with his wife’s pregnancy, with Venky Jois (6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds) added to the active roster as his replacement.
Machado (15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7 assists) remained Cairns’ offensive leader and was named Taipans MVP for a second consecutive season. Djeric (8.6 points) made a career-best 66 three-pointers, while Jawai (8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds) recorded four 20-point games for the first time since his rookie season in 2008. Ngatai (6.7 points), King (6.2 points) and Fabijan Krslovic (5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds) also provided support as Cairns struggled to recreate the success of the previous season.
With Cairns out of playoff contention, the club announced on June 1 that Kelly would not return as head coach the following season. Cairns finished its season the following night in Rotorua, where Blagojevic (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal) played 18 minutes as the Breakers defeated the Taipans 84-78, with Machado (21 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists) and Jawai (14 points and 9 rebounds) leading Cairns while Tai Webster (23 points and 6 rebounds) led New Zealand, leaving the Taipans in ninth place with an 8-28 record.George Blagojevic played two seasons the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 48 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 24 | Cairns | 8-28 (9) | 31 | 267.2 | 76 | 53 | 15 | 26 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 16 | 27 | 33 | 72 | 46% | 3 | 13 | 23% | 7 | 18 | 39% | 47% | 48% | 10 |
| 2019-20 | 23 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 17 | 57.3 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 47% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 10 | 14 | 71% | 55% | 47% | 10 | Totals | 48 | 324 | 100 | 63 | 19 | 31 | 32 | 15 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 40 | 87 | 46.0% | 3 | 14 | 21.4% | 17 | 32 | 53.1% | 49% | 48% | 10 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 24 | Cairns | 8-28 (9) | 31 | 8.6 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 46% | 0.1 | 0.4 | 23% | 0.2 | 0.6 | 39% | 47% | 48% | 10 |
| 2019-20 | 23 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 17 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 47% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 0.6 | 0.8 | 71% | 55% | 47% | 10 | Total | 48 | 6.8 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 46.0% | 0.0 | 21.4% | 0.1 | 0.3 | 53.1% | 49% | 48% | 10 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- AIS (2014–2015), Cairns (2019), Geelong (2021–2024)
Blagojevic joined Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence for the 2014 SEABL season and began his state league career with the AIS program, averaging 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game across the 2014–15 period while playing for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.
He remained with the AIS for the 2015 SEABL season and continued as part of the Centre of Excellence squad in Canberra before departing for Hartford.
Cairns Marlins added him for the remainder of the 2019 QBL season after he graduated from Hartford, and he averaged 12.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in 11 appearances. His regular season closed with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds against Gladstone Port City Power before he went on to sign with the Cairns Taipans for the following NBL season.
Geelong Supercats signed him on 10 June 2021 for the 2021 NBL1 South season and he made an immediate impact with the hometown club, averaging 23.4 points and 11.4 rebounds across seven games to rank among the competition leaders in both categories.
A return to Geelong followed for the 2022 NBL1 South season and he resumed with the Supercats after his stint in Luxembourg, remaining a frontcourt focal point and posting outings such as 16 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a Round 4 win.
Geelong brought him back for the 2023 NBL1 South season and he responded strongly after recovering from a serious knee injury late the year before, helping anchor the Supercats frontcourt while producing major individual performances that included 20 points and 18 rebounds in a May win and 21 points with nine rebounds in a June outing.
He returned again when the club rebranded as Geelong United for the 2024 NBL1 South season and delivered one of the best state league campaigns of his career, averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.35 assists per game while sharing the club MVP award with DeMarcus Gatlin.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Blagojevic represented Australia at the 2014 FIBA U18 Oceania Tournament, where averaged 14.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. As well as the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships.
In 2019, he helped Australia win bronze at the Summer Universiade in Italy where he averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in six games.
COLLEGE
George Blagojevic committed to Hartford in March 2015, choosing the Hawks over Boise State, Saint Mary’s and Grand Canyon. As a freshman in 2015–16, Blagojevic played 31 games and made 26 starts, averaging 9.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and he earned America East Rookie of the Week honours twice after early-impact performances that included 15 points in his collegiate debut at Central Connecticut on November 13 and a season-high 24 points versus St. Francis on November 29.
He continued to produce big scoring nights as a first-year player, hitting 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting at Binghamton on January 13 and posting 23 points against UMBC on February 17, while also earning America East Academic Honor Roll recognition for the season.
As a sophomore in 2016–17, Blagojevic played 31 games with eight starts and saw his averages drop to 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, but he still delivered key stretches early in the year with back-to-back double-figure games, scoring 15 points in 35 minutes against Niagara on November 15 and 11 points against Rider on November 16, while also landing on the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
In his junior season in 2017–18, Blagojevic shifted into a full reserve role, appearing in all but one game and averaging 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per contest while shooting 51.7 percent from the field, highlighted by efficient outings such as 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting at FIU on December 22 and 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 line against Maine on January 18, along with repeat America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition.
Blagojevic’s senior year in 2018–19 marked a breakout, as he started all 32 games, averaged 14.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game, led the America East in field-goal percentage at 56.2 percent, and earned America East All-Conference Second Team and America East All-Academic Team honours while also being named America East Player of the Week twice (December 17, 2018 and March 4, 2019).
His 2018–19 season featured repeated headline games, including 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting with a career-best 15 rebounds at Bryant on December 12, a career-best six steals in an overtime win at Boston College on December 31 while logging a career-high 41 minutes, and his career-high 32 points at Binghamton on February 27 when he opened 13-for-13 from the field and finished with 16 field goals made in the 96–76 win.
Late in the year, Blagojevic scored his 1,000th career point in the postseason against UMass Lowell on March 9 with 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting, and he finished his four-year Hartford career as a 1,000-point scorer with 1,032 points and 578 rebounds, while also compiling six career double-doubles and posting career highs that included 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and six steals across his senior season run.
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