To bolster depth in the backcourt, UTEP men's basketball added point guard Vuk Vulikić, a 6-foot-5 international hooper who played on the Serbian national team, on Thursday.

The Miners beat out the likes of Arkansas and USC for the 21-year-old point guard. The incoming freshman will take one of the two remaining scholarships UTEP has and is immediately eligible.

The news was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. 

At a young age, the point guard already has professional basketball experience in Serbia. He recently played for Dynamic VIP PAY of the Basketball Leauge of Serbia and the ABA League Second Division. On KK Dynamic, Vulikić appeared in two Serbia Cups, where he scored 13 points (2019) and 10 points (2018) for his squad.

Photo courtesy Skopje Aerodrom & Petr Stojanovski
Photo courtesy Skopje Aerodrom & Petr Stojanovski
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The Belgrade, Serbia native was a member of the youth Serbian National Basketball team as well. Vulikić won a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, where he averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game through seven tournament games. He also participated in the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championships, as he averaged 6.9 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

His brother, Luka, plays for Eastern Washington as a guard too. Luka averaged five points, three rebounds and a pair of assists for an Eastern Washington team that finished first in the Big Sky last season.

Photo courtesy ABA - KK Dynamic
Photo courtesy ABA - KK Dynamic
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This offseason, the Miners brought in Oklahoma transfer Jamal BieniemyJUCO transfer Emmanuel White and walk-on Cam Clardy.  The eligibility status for Bieniemy is still uncertain given the NCAA's uncertainty toward COVID-19 waivers. Head coach Rodney Terry has expressed the need for depth at the point guard position this year after having inconsistencies in backcourt play last year. Jordan Lathon and Nigel Hawkins, who both held the point guard role in 2019-20, left the program following this season.

Here are some of Vulikić's top highlights:

 

 

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