Andrej Jakimovski Explained

Andrej Jakimovski
Position:Small forward
Height M:2.02
Weight Kg:97.5
League:Big 12 Conference
Team:Colorado Buffaloes
Birth Date:18 March 2001
Birth Place:Skopje, Macedonia
College:
Career Start:2019
Years1:2019–2020
Team1:Torino

Andrej Jakimovski (born 18 March 2001) is a Macedonian college basketball player for the Colorado Buffaloes of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Washington State Cougars. Listed at 6feet and 215lbs, he plays the small forward position.

Early career

Jakimovski played for Basket Torino of the Italian Serie A2 Basket during the 2019–20 season. He saw little playing time for Torino. In the Italian NextGen Under-19 competition, he averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3 steals per game.[1]

On 21 June 2020, Jakimovski committed to playing college basketball for the Washington State Cougars. He had several offers from European professional teams but decided to come to America to play collegiately.[1] According to Washington State coach Kyle Smith, the Cougars had been recruiting him for over a year.[2] Jakimovski was also recruited by Utah, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Minnesota, Utah State and Davidson.[3] He was regarded as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and is Washington State's fourth-highest rated recruit after Klay Thompson, Mouhamed Gueye, and Michael Harthun.[4]

College career

As a freshman, Jakimovski averaged 5.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. After the season, he announced he was entering the transfer portal.[5] Jakimovski initially committed to Loyola (Maryland), but ultimately opted to return to Washington State.[6] As a sophomore, he averaged 5.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.[7] Jakimovski averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a junior.[8]

Jakimovski entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2023–23 season, and committed to Colorado on 21 April 2024.[9]

National team career

Jakimovski made three appearances for the Macedonian junior national teams at the FIBA U16 and U18 European Championships.[1] He led the FIBA U18 European Championship B in scoring with 18.4 points per game to go with 9.4 rebounds per game, leading the team to a fourth-place finish. In February 2020, Jakimovski made his debut for the senior national team during the FIBA European qualifying tournament.[1]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Washington State| 25 || 19 || 25.2 || .313 || .320 || .600 || 4.1 || 1.8 || .3 || .2 || 5.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Washington State| 37 || 5 || 18.9 || .386 || .383 || .719 || 3.9 || 0.8 || .5 || .1 || 5.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Washington State| 23 || 21 || 26.7 || .361 || .345 || .615 || 4.6 || 1.1 || .7 || .3 || 7.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| Washington State| 35 || 35 || 33.6 || .361 || .332 || .600 || 5.6 || 1.3 || .6 || .4 || 9.7

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Givony . Jonathan . Andrej Jakimovski to play for Washington State basketball after strong European season . 24 June 2020 . . 21 June 2020.
  2. News: Arthur . Ben . Washington State University signs elite European prospect Andrej Jakimovski . 24 June 2020 . . 22 June 2020.
  3. News: Lawson . Theo . Washington State signs elite international prospect Andrej Jakimovski . 24 June 2020 . . 21 June 2020.
  4. News: Lawson . Theo . Andrej Jakimovski earns 4-star rating, giving Washington State top recruiting class in program history . 24 June 2020 . . 23 June 2020.
  5. News: Bolton . Barry . WSU forward Andrej Jakimovski enters transfer portal . 20 June 2021 . 247 Sports . 16 June 2021.
  6. Web site: Nusser . Jeff . Powers . Craig . Andrej Jakimovski finds his way back home, will return to WSU . Coug Center . . 2 September 2021 . 14 August 2021.
  7. News: Hicks . Daylon . Andrej Jakimovski showcases skills in FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers . 10 January 2024 . The Daily Evergreen . 6 July 2022.
  8. News: Woods . Greg . How far can WSU men's hoops go this season? That might depend on the newcomers . 10 January 2024 . . 30 September 2023.
  9. Web site: 2024-04-21 . Former WSU wing Andrej Jakimovski transferring to Colorado . 2024-05-01 . The Seattle Times.