Last Sunday Iowa beat Purdue 75-66 in the Big 10 tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes lost 4 of their final 7 games in January but have been near-unstoppable since then by winning 12 of their last 14 games to make the NCAA tourney yet again, where they will face #12 seed Richmond on Thursday in Buffalo. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Iowa SR Filip Rebraca about the reigning NBA MVP and winning the conference tourney.
You were born in Italy/raised in Serbia: how big is basketball overseas? I sepnt time living in the US/Greece as well. Basketball is pretty huge, especially in Serbia. They have a rich history and the country leans toward the sport during hard times such as during war/hardship.
You are from the same hometown as NBA MVP Nikola Jokic: what is he like, and are we going to see you 2 as Olympic teammates anytime soon? Every time I see him I definitely say hi. He is down to earth and a humble guy who keeps to his own hobbies such as horse racing. It would be a dream come true to be his teammate but 1st I have to make the Olympic team! My dad actually won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics.
You began your college career at North Dakota, where you set a school record with 20 double-doubles: how do you balance your scoring with your rebounding? I focus on both. Rebounding is a key part of the game but not a lot of people understand how important it is. I had teammates who ran a lot of plays for me and they trusted me to score.
Why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Iowa? I had to leave because my masters’ program was online and coming from a foreign country I needed to take an in-person program instead. I also wanted to win games and make the NCAA tourney…and here we are as Big 10 champs! It is great to play in a system where I can develop my game.
You play for Coach Fran McCaffery: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you learned from him this year? His experience/knowledge and the confidence he instills in his players. He talks to me every day about being more aggressive and not being hard on myself. He taught me how to stay positive.
Last Sunday in the Big 10 tourney title game you scored 3 PTS in a 9-PT win over Purdue: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? We lost to them twice during the regular season so it felt really good to get some revenge at the most important time of the season. The locker room was surreal: it is all a blur so I do not think I fully processed it until today.
Your teammate Keegan Murray finished 4th in the nation in scoring with 23.6 PPG, and your teammate Jordan Bohannon has played more games than anyone in the history of the sport (178): how crucial have both of them been to your team’s success? They have been very crucial. Keegan is our leader and we lean on him in crucial moments. He is also 1 of our best rebounders/defenders. Jordan has so much experience that he is our “voice of reason”: he has been through a lot of big-time moments and succeeded so we follow him. Do not forget about Connor McCaffery: he is our unsung hero.
You already have a degree in economics and are now pursuing a masters’ degree in finance: why did you pick those subjects, and what is the post-graduation plan? Growing up my dad got into business after retiring from basketball, which made me want to learn more about managing money wisely. I was pretty good at it and just stuck with it. I want to play basketball as long as I can because there are only so many years that players are able to do so.
Your father Zeljko is 7’ tall and played pro basketball in the NBA and overseas: who is the best athlete in the family? Definitely him! His success at the club level/national level is great so the younger generation has a lot of work to do to catch up to him.
How do you feel about being a #5 seed, and what do you know about Richmond? Richmond is 1 of the most experienced teams in the country so I know they will give us a battle. I feel that we could have received a higher seed but we won our title about 30 minutes before the Selection Show. We just need to be prepared.