Playing with heart

Mike Sciacca

When Ivan Kovacevic moved with his family from Croatia to the United

States 10 years ago, the then-six-year-old didn’t know how to speak

English.

A few years later -- and after he learned the language by

repeating words he heard spoken by his fellow students at Top of the

World School -- Kovacevic picked up the sport of basketball.

It was a sport he wasn’t well versed in, but as he’s grown to

become a 6-foot-4, 195 junior at Laguna Beach High, his ability to

play the game has spoken volumes on the court.

“He’s a very versatile player who can do just about anything,”

Laguna coach Mark Hill said. “He can play anywhere you put him, at

point guard, small forward or at post.

“He handles the ball well, does a good job of getting to the

basket from the perimeter and is probably our best post player.

Ivan’s very important to our team.”

The Kovacevic family, four members strong, migrated from their

hometown of Rijeka when, what Kovacevic referred to as, “civil war,”

broke out in what was then-Yugoslavia. The only thing he knew in

Laguna Beach -- the place the family has resided since leaving Rijeka

for the states -- were some relatives.

“I didn’t like it at first, probably for about the first five of

six months that we were here,” Kovacevic said. “But I began to like

it a lot and I learned the language quickly.” Basketball was the

first sport he got involved with, he said.

His brother, Marko, now 20, preceded him as a member of the

basketball program at Laguna Beach High.

“I first started playing basketball when I was about eight,” Ivan

Kovacevic said. “I played at the Boys and Girls Club, then with NJB

[National Junior Basketball]. I was always tall for my age and I

worked hard to learn the game.”

Kovacevic first joined the Laguna varsity squad as a sophomore, a

year in which he was plagued by injuries: a dislocated right knee,

from which he recovered, was followed three weeks later by a broken

toe.

Both injuries occurred during practice -- the knee injury

happening just prior to the start of the 2002-03 season -- and

prevented him from playing half of the season.

The injuries came after a freshman year in which he had

arthroscopic knee surgery.

“It was definitely hard and very frustrating,” he said of the

injuries. “I was anxious and really excited to be playing my first

year on varsity, and then I had two setbacks. I felt like I was in

great condition heading into that season.”

Kovacevic was named one of two Laguna team captains -- the other

is senior Austin Sands -- for the 2003-04 season.

“It’s an honor to hold that position as a junior,” he said. “I

hope I have a positive influence on the underclassmen.”

Kovacevic has emerged to become the Breakers’ second-leading

scorer with a 14 points per game average.

He has scored in double figures in 11 games, which included

double-digit scoring in eight consecutive games at one point this

season.

His 34 points scored in a Dec. 16 victory over Centennial of

Corona, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division IA, is a career

best.

Kovacevic also is the team leader in rebounding with nearly 10 per

game.

“Ivan gives a great effort out on the court,” Hill said.

“Rebounding comes down to desire, and he has that.

“He has the potential to be one of the best players in our league.

He’s a great young man. He’s got ‘winner’ written all over him.”

Hill not only lauded Kovacevic’s basketball talents, but his

classroom prowess, as well: the 16-year-old, who lists Spanish and

math as his favorite subjects, carries a 4.6 GPA.

As he did with English, then basketball, Kovacevic, who skipped

the third grade, is becoming fluent in Spanish.

“It’s great learning another language,” he said. “I like the

challenge.

“I’m probably just a competitive in the classroom as I might be in

sports, and getting good grades has always been very important to

me.”