EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Entering his second season as a player with the Purple Aces, Mislav Brzoja is set to take his play to the next level.  In his first season, he became a fan favorite while making dazzling plays that brought the crowd to its feet on numerous occasions.
 
"I am really excited to see how our team will develop this year and to see where we are and if we are mature like we talk about," Brzoja said.  "Hopefully we are ready for the next big step, to bring this team back to the NCAA Tournament.  Do we have the potential to do it? Yes.  Are we ready now? No.  But we will be ready when the time comes."
 
With the team in the midst of its preseason preparations, excitement around the program is as high as it has been in years.  Brzoja's comments above show that the team is aware of the opportunities that lie ahead, but know that a great deal of work must be done in order to take that next step.
 
In his first season with the program, Brzoja was a pivotal piece of the puzzle that helped the Aces win the CIT Championship.  He was able to practice with the team in 2013-14 while sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, but when the time came for him to step onto the floor, he was ready to roll.
 
"When I got into a game, it was not an adjustment to the system, but the speed and environment of the game.  It was good to be on the court," he said.  "I had to adjust for the first few games, but after that, it got fluent and I was ready to go.  With the difference in the systems, the redshirt year definitely helped me."
 
Fans will notice something a little different with Brzoja this season – he has changed his number to 10.  Sometimes with players in any sport, the number you wear is just that – a number.  For Brzoja, that is definitely not the case.  It is much more than that.
 
"The number 10 was the first number I had since I was a little kid.  It was Drazen Petrovic's number and he was my favorite player growing up," Brzoja explained.  "Last year Jaylon Moore had #10 and as soon as he left, I was going to take it.  Drazen wore #44 with the Blazers and #3 with the Nets, so I picked up the first of his numbers that I could."
 
Petrovic and Brzoja are each natives of Croatia.  In his career, Petrovic wore #10 for Cibona Zagreb, which is a basketball team in Brzoja's home town of Zagreb, Croatia.  After his pro career in Europe, Petrovic went on to play for the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets.  Unfortunately, his career was cut short as he died at the age of 29 in a traffic accident in Germany in 1993.  Despite his untimely demise, his legacy lives on.  Brzoja is one of those who is making sure of that.
 
"His work ethic is the thing that stands out about him the most," Brzoja said.  "He was in the gym way before everyone else, he would wake up at 5 a.m., make 500 shots every morning before he went to school and came before and stayed after practice.  Made him one of the best shooters ever.  He is a legend in Croatia."
 
With the chance to wear the number that his idol wore, Brzoja is ready for this season.  He could not be any more excited about the upcoming schedule and the opportunities that are on the table. 
 

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