Arizona’s Dusan Ristic set to make school history with Netflix assist
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TUCSON, Ariz. — Netflix fancies itself as the world’s leading internet entertainment service, a cutting-edge necessity for millennials, responsible for a generation of cable cord-cutters. Another somewhat unconventional and random achievement for the streaming giant: it helped a 7-foot Serbian basketball player adjust to America.
Dusan Ristic had a limited grasp on English when he arrived at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas in early 2014 as a gangly 18-year-old who hoped to play college hoops in the states. Back in Novi Sad, his Serbian hometown, Ristic devoured American movie after American movie, following along with Serbian subtitles.
“When I came here,” Ristic told USA TODAY Sports, “I told myself, ‘I won’t have to watch movies with subtitles anymore!’ Wrong.”
To pick up the language quicker, to understand what his teammates were saying in the locker room and on the court, Ristic did what any teenager would do. He binge-watched The Walking Dead.
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Five years later, Ristic’s English is practically perfect, the subtitle feature on his computer turned off. He’s gone from bench player to one of the Pac-12’s most dependable big men. And this weekend, with two wins at the Oregon schools, he can become the winningest player in Arizona history (the record is 110, before tip Thursday Ristic has tallied 109).
That is a privilege, he said, in a storied program like Arizona. Two more victories would also help keep the Wildcats on pace to win another regular season conference title, and put them in line to earn a favorable seed in next month’s NCAA tournament.
And while much of Arizona’s success will be credited to freshman phenom and likely lottery pick DeAndre Ayton — it’s the other big man in the paint, Ristic, who Arizona coach Sean Miller admires.
“Dusan, he’s worked — in school, the weight room, practice,” Miller told USA TODAY. “A lot of times, his role wasn’t big. It’s not like he’s been a four-year starter. He’s had to fight through a lot. But who he is right now, I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”
Ristic and Ayton provide matchup problems when each is on the floor by himself. When they’re together, almost no team has answers. They’ve combined to shoot 59.9 percent this season (341-of-569).
And just in case anyone thinks this 7-footer can only do work in the paint, a quick scouting report: Ristic’s shooting 46 percent from beyond the arc. At Utah, he drained three threes in a win, and two weeks ago at Arizona State, he hit back-to-back threes as Arizona completed a sweep of its rival.
But the most impressive part about Ristic’s athletic journey has been the transformation of his body.
“When I got here, I was skinny but I was fat — does that make sense?” Ristic explained, laughing. “I came here 235 pounds, 20 percent body fat. … Skill-wise, I had no problem but the basketball was more physical, with stronger, bigger faster players. I had to improve.”
He did that by sacrificing long trips home in the summer, opting instead to stay mostly in Tucson and do sand pit workouts outside the McKale Center with strength and conditioning coach Chris Rounds. For two months going into his sophomore year, they met at noon every day, when Ristic estimates it was 110 degrees outside. Some days, Rounds strapped a weight vest on Ristic. They were the toughest workouts he’d ever done — and his favorites, because he saw instant results.
Each summer, he’s upped the ante. Ristic kept the sand workouts but added other off-court elements, like cardio in the pool, and boxing once a week (it helped his footwork). Steady improvement led to a trimmer, fitter Ristic: He checks in at 250 pounds now, with just under 10 percent body fat. For comparison’s sake, Ayton’s hovers between 5 and 6 percent body fat. Ristic thinks adding another 10 pounds of muscle will be a necessity at the next level, but is also conscious of not wanting to put too much pressure on his knees.
His physical growth has directly correlated with his rise in playing time and responsibility. After two years in a backup role, Ristic emerged as one of Arizona’s most dependable players last season, averaging 16.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, shooting 55.6 percent from the field. This year he chips in just 11.9 points, but shoots 58.8 percent from the floor. He also grabs 7.1 boards a game.
In idolizing Bill Walton and other American players as a child, Ristic soon understood that coming to the states was his best bet for overall development. He easily could have stayed in Europe to play professionally, skipping college all together. And initially, he thought that’s what he would do.
It wasn’t until Ristic – then 15 – recorded a double-double — scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 boards — at the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic International Game that he crossed college coaches’ radars. Shortly after returning to Serbia following the game, Ristic, then 15, got his first recruiting call — from UCLA. He told them he didn’t have any plans to go to U.S. long term, but thanks for thinking of him.
Almost seven years later, a playful smile crosses Ristic’s face as he retells this story. “I’m glad I didn’t go there, by the way,” he said.
Over the last five years in the U.S., Ristic has grown from frail bench player into a solid professional prospect. Along the way, he’s watched hundreds of fictional characters overcome various hurdles. What he’s learned — courtesy mostly of Netflix — is that the best journeys always involve some hardship.
“When you don’t play a lot, your mind goes a lot of different directions,” he said. “It can go to the worst-possible scenario. But I never said, ‘I wish I had stayed home.’ Years ago, I read a quote in a book: ‘Your failures, shortcomings and obstacles can either end up as your story, or your excuse.’
“You can choose. I chose for it to be my story.”
IMAGES FROM THE WEEK IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
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