Sasa Cuic bio
OREGON STATE
CAREER: Ended his three-year career as one of OSU’s top all-time three-point shooters ... In the career records book, he finished third in three-point percentage (.387), ninth in three-pointers made (105) and ninth in three-pointers attempted (271) ... Became the school’s 33rd 1,000-point scorer and finished in 27th place (1,037 points) ... Averaged 11.4 points over 91 career games.
2006-07: Played in 29 games (starting 23) as a junior ... His averages slipped to 25.7 minutes, 11.6 points and 2.8 rebounds ... Shot 38.8% from the floor, 36.5% on three-pointers and 62.3% from the foul line ... Scored in double-figures 17 times and led the team in scoring on nine occasions ... Hit the 20-point mark four times ... Named to the Oregon Rain Invitational all-tournament team after averaging 16.7 points in the first three games of the season ... Suspended for the road trip to Northern Colorado and Montana State (team-related reasons) before being reinstated ... In his return, scored a team-high 17 points with a career-high four three-pointers vs. Fresno State ... Missed another game (at home against Stanford) after surffering a bruised left elbow in the home California game ... Had his best success against the Arizona schools, averaging 20.8 points in the four games ... Scored a career-high 25 points at home against Arizona, including 4-for-5 on three-pointers ... Then scored 22 points in the home win against ASU ... Then reached double-figures in only one of the final six games.
2005-06: Emerged as OSU’s go-to player as a sophomore ... Averaged a team-high 13.5 points (13th in the Pac-10) ... Led the conference in three-point percentage (49.3%), a figure that ranks second in school history ... Also averaged 4.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes and shot 49.0% from the floor (seventh in the Pac-10) ... Shot 70.7% from the free throw line and had more makes (118) than any other Beaver had attempts ... In Pac-10 play only, averaged 15.1 points and shot 51.0% on three-pointers (seventh and first in the league, respectively) ... Led the team in double-figure scoring games (23) and 20-point scoring games (seven) ... Also led the Beavers in scoring a team-high 12 times ... Played in 30 games, starting 16 ... Posted his first double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. California ... Scored a career-high 24 points twice: vs. UCLA and at USC ... Had a stretch during Pac-10 play when he scored 20 or more points six times in 10 games ... Suffered a high right ankle sprain four minutes into the Arizona State game at the Pac-10 Tournament and missed the remainder of the game and the quarterfinal contest against UCLA ... Shared the team’s Ralph Miller Award (MVP) with Lamar Hurd.
2004-05: Made the 2005 Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention team ... Averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing in all 32 games (15 starts) ... Ranked ninth in the Pac-10 in free throw percentage (79.6%) ... Made 30 consecutive free throws early in the season, tied for the second-longest streak in school history ... Had a fantastic start, averaging 20.7 ppg in the first three games of the season and being named to the BCA Invitational All-Tournament team ... Scored a season-high 23 points against East Carolina (10-for-10 from the foul line) ... Was in double-figures in 11 of the first 13 games ... Playing time later decreased due to some minor injuries and the return of David Lucas and Nick DeWitz ... Averaged just 6.3 ppg in Pac-10 play ... Averaged 10.5 ppg at the Pac-10 Tournament, including 12 points in a first-round victory against UCLA ... Led OSU in scoring five times ... Joined the program in September 2004 after a scholarship opened up ... Was recommended to OSU by former Beaver standout Teo Alibegovic.
CROATIA
Was a member of the Croatian Under-17 National Team that played in the 1999 European Championships and the Under-18 team that played at the 2000 European Championships ... Missed the 2000 European Championships due to injury, although the team placed second to France.
CLUB TEAMS
Averaged 14 points and 6.4 rebounds in 35 games for Rotterdam of Holland’s Eredivisie League during the 2003-04 season ... Played in the Eredivisie All-Star Game in 2004 and was a member of the All-Holland (Bosman) Team ... Played for Italy’s Fagagna in 2002-03 ... Left home at the age of 16 to play in nearby Udine, Italy, for Snaidero ... While in high school he played for the Kantrida Rijeka club team.
PERSONAL
Born in Rijeka, Croatia ... First name is Aleksandar but goes by his nickname ... His name is pronounced SAW-sha CHEW-itch ... Son of Zagorka and Dusko Cuic ... Mother is a physician ... Has one sister, Aleksandra ... Majoring in international business ... Graduated from First Gimnasium High School in Rijeka, Croatia, in 2002 ... Enjoys traveling and playing tennis ... Fluent in English, Italian, Croatian, Serbian and Dutch.
