It was a long journey, both on and off the floor, for Borovnjak as the 6-9 native of Belgrade, Serbia traveled more the 4,700 miles to play basketball and earn his degree in Happy Valley. His skill level and basketball intelligence were evident immediately as he played in 18 games as a true freshman, but a torn ACL stole his sophomore season before it even started and he spent the next 2 ½ years working to realize his potential. He played the best basketball of his career in his senior season and down the stretch in Big Ten play where he was the Lions[apos] third leading scorer, posted double-digit scoring in five of his last eight games and logged two career high outings. He led Penn State in field goal percentage in back-to-back seasons (2011-12 and 2012-13) and finished his career third all-time at Penn State with a career shooting percentage of 54.2 percent. He ended his career with 400 points and 231 rebounds while playing in 81 career games and starting 30, including 23 in his senior season. The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree will graduate in May with a degree in Marketing.
'It is great to see Sasa finally getting back to 100 percent and full strength after his knee injury. He is quicker and is moving up and down the floor better. As a veteran, he brings a great basketball IQ to our team and the ability to score on the block.'
- Patrick Chambers
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2012-13 SENIOR
Had a breakout final campaign in blue and white starting the last 22 games and playing in 30...surged at in the final eight games posting five double-digit scoring outings and averaging 12.3 ppg while shooting 62 percent from the floor over that span...the teams third leading scorer (8.4 ppg) and seventh in the conference shooting 51.3 percent in Big Ten games...led the team in field goal percentage (54.1%) for the second straight season and finished third on the PSU career charts (54.2%)...the Lions third leading scorer (7.4) and fourth rebounder (3.6) on the year...scored in double-figures in eight games, including career-best strings of three straight to end the non-conference season and in February in Big Ten play...twice recorded a career high 17 points, shooting 7-of-9 at Michigan (2/17) and 7-of-10 at Illinois (2/21) in back-to-back road games...posted his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a road win at Northwestern (3/7)...capped his career with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a loss to No. 6 Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament (3/14)...had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting vs. Iowa (2/14)...had 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists in a win over Delaware State (12/15)...had 11 points vs. New Hampshire (12/23) and 14 vs. Duquesne (12/29) for three-straight double-digit scoring games...posted eight points and eight rebounds at La Salle...made the decision in the fall to make this his last collegiate season and pursue opportunities in his native Serbia despite having one season of eligibility remaining after missing the entire 2010-11 season with a knee injury...earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
2011-12 SOPHOMORE
Borovnjak returned from an ACL injury to see the most action of his career in his sophomore campaign...played in all 32 games and made seven starts...averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best 56.6 percent from the floor in an average of 17.5 minutes per game...scored in 27 games, twice reaching double-figures...showed flashes of an effective low-post scoring game posting a career-high 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting against a big Mississippi team (12/4) and logging 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting vs. Mount St. Mary[apos]s (12/18)...pulled down six rebounds vs. No. 2 Kentucky (11/19) and tallied a career-high seven boards at Duquesne (12/10)....went 4-of-4 for eight points in a 65-45 home victory over Purdue (1/5) and went 4-of-5 for eight points at Purdue (2/29)...logged eight points and six rebounds at Nebraska (1/11)...made his first career start in the season-opener vs. Hartford (11/12).
2010-11 REDSHIRT
After a strong summer in which he looked like he would compete for time on the Nittany Lions[apos] frontline, Borovnjak tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the Lions[apos] first full-team practice on Oct. 7 and missed the 2010-11 season as he rehabilitated the injury.
2009-10 FRESHMAN
Borovnjak saw action in 18 games as a true-freshman, including seven Big Ten games...Averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.1 rpg...Scored in eight games...Made his collegiate debut with two points in the season-opening victory over Penn (11/13)...Had a season-high six points in a victory over Robert Morris (11/16)...Had five points in a 79-60 victory over Northwestern (2/28)...Pulled down season-highs of three rebounds in wins over Robert Morris and Gardner-Webb (12/19).
HIGH SCHOOL
Borovnjak earned first-team All-Western North Carolina honors in his senior season at Veritas Christian Academy...Led western North Carolina in scoring and was fourth among all public and private school players in the state posting 26.1 ppg...Added 12.0 rebounds per game for a Veritas team that went 20-18 and finished sixth in the National Association of Christian Athlete[apos]s Division I National Championship....Veritas spent four weeks in ESPN[apos]s Top 50 prep program rankings during the year and played a national schedule that took them as far as the Bahamas and to 16 states...Borovnjak played two seasons at Veritas where he played with current Memphis guard Doneal Mack and Clemson center Catalin Baciu...Posted 33 points and 14 rebounds against perennial national power Oak Hill Academy, a 41-point outing vs. Queens Grant and 27 points vs. Mt. Zion as a senior....Averaged 18 ppg and 12 rpg as a junior and was named the Offensive MVP of the NACA Division I National Championship....Listed as a three star recruit by Scout.com.
PERSONAL
Born on July 30, 1989 in Knin, Croatia...the son of Zoran and Jasmenka Borovnjak, both of whom are economists...his older brother, Dejan, is a 6-10 forward who has played professional basketball in Europe since 2004-05 and currently is playing in Italy...raised in Belgrade, Serbia until moving to the U.S. for two seasons of prep basketball before coming to Penn State.