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UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It is not typical for a freshman to work her way into the starting lineup for the UConn women’s basketball team, not when there are a lot of experienced players returning, or when the freshman is not coming in with all the usual five-star credentials.
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But shortly after her arrival in Connecticut, Jovana Popovic showed Geno Auriemma and his staff she was, as they expected, cut a little different.
“The first week of practice was a get-a-feel, get-to-know, and you could see that the length and the quickness here was bothering her a little bit,” Auriemma said. “Then we tried to put her under as much defensive pressure as we possibly could, but the unique thing is she hasn’t been like that since those first initial workouts. Every day she has come to practice, she has been better than the day before, so when you see somebody doing that you start to give them more time, more time, more time, until they reach the point where they can’t do this any more.
“I don’t know when the exact day was, but we all looked at each other and said, ‘She needs to be on the floor.’ “
When the lights came on for the first time Monday night, Popovic, 5-foot-9 guard from Vrbas, Serbia, was on the floor starting alongside Sarah Strong, KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and Jana El Alfy, all veterans of the Huskies’ 2025 national title team. And once Popovic was on the floor, Auriemma evidently did not want to sit her down. She played a team-high 31 minutes, 12 seconds, and at times looked like the best player on the floor in UConn’s 88-60 victory over Syracuse in an exhibition game at Mohegan Sun Arena. This is a young player with “immediate impact” and “fan favorite,” along with all the reasons Auriemma has been gravitating more and more toward overseas prospects, written all over her No. 13 jersey.
“First, I would say I’m very happy to be here playing with these guys and with these coaches and everything,” Popovic said. “No I was not nervous because we’ve been practicing all that and really I was so happy to play.”
Popovic scored 10 points, 5-for-7 shooting from the floor, three assists and a steal, a plus-minus of 26. She did not commit a foul, but when she found herself guarding a much bigger opponent, an offensive foul was called.
“She’s really smart for a young player,” Auriemma said. “She makes good decisions for the most part, she’s used to playing under a certain amount of pressure. If you’ve ever been over to Europe and watched some of those games, the coaches are very adamant. And she plays at a pace that all good players play, she doesn’t get sped up, doesn’t lose her composure out there, she knows what she’s good at. Even though she is theoretically a freshman in college, her basketball mindset and basketball talent is a little bit higher than that.”
Blanca Quinonez, who is still recovering from her offseason shoulder surgery, Allie Ziebell, who has a sprained ankle, and freshman Marine Dursus, who has a foot injury, were all sidelined for the exhibition game, but the Huskies had enough experienced players available to give Auriemma options. When he did call Popovic over to talk, it looked more like he was talking calmly to a veteran player, and the freshman listened carefully, nodded her head and headed back on the court. Every movement Popovic made looked as if she’d done it before.
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“I think she played the same way she played over in Serbia,” Strong said. “She’s confident.”
Most of the regular-season games Popovic played with her club teams had, she estimated, about 15 people watching. Her games with Serbia’s National Team in the 2025 FIBA European championships were a little closer to UConn-level crowds. As she searched for the words, she seemed amazed by the size and intensity of the crowd (5,012 fans) at Mohegan Sun. Of course, on this front, she hasn’t seen or heard anything yet.
“In Serbia, I never played before too many people,” she said. “Basketball is not (as popular). For National Team and EuroBasket it’s different. … I’ve never played in this atmosphere with these people around us, supporting us. I just want to say ‘Thank you for coming.’ It was a great thing and I wasn’t expecting (to play so much), so thank you, Coach.”
When Popovic signed with UConn last November, it came somewhat out of the blue. But Auriemma had spotted her early, was reminded of Nika Muhl, and began tracking her play, keeping his interest in her largely secret as he navigated the complexities of international recruiting.
When she arrived on campus, Popovic immediately impressed her teammates and coaches by how quickly she picked up the conditioning drills, and other behind-the-scenes nuances of adjusting to American college basketball at the highest level.
“(My favorite thing) is to hang out with them,” said Popovic, who joined teammates on a walk over to the UConn men’s hockey game last week. “Everyone is so helpful. All of them help me in everything, so I love hanging out, helping each other, supporting each other.”
Popovic and KK Arnold, who had 11 points and six assists and was a plus-30, proved to be an effective backcourt combination for UConn. Though Strong (15 points) was limited to 26 minutes with foul trouble, both of the Huskies’ centers, El Alfy and freshman Olivia Vukosa, scored 10 points, so things functioned rather well, even when Strong was sitting.
“As (Popovic) puts all the pieces together, she’s going to be a big, big help to us,” Auriemma said. “Because she’s different than KK, she’s different than Kayleigh Heckel, she’s certainly different from Kelis (Fisher), so she’s found a little niche for herself. She makes big shots in practice, makes great decisions, she’s tough, she’s hard-nosed. I think the Texas game (Oct. 19) will really be something for her. I’m looking forward to seeing that.”
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This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 2:40 AM.