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Thoughts from CanesHoops' Newest Signee, Dejan Vasiljevic

Nearly three months after his visit and commitment, it is now official - Dejan Vasiljevic is a Miami Hurricane. The dynamic guard signed his Letter of Intent from Australia on Thursday, and it arrived in Coral Gables in time for the start of Spring Signing Period on Wednesday (time zones are pretty grand). We've already spoken with DJ twice, both before and after his January visit, but he was once again gracious enough to answer a few questions. Our questions and his answers are below, lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.

By STRAUZER
Francois Nel/Getty Images

SOTU: Lots of American recruits have commitment or signing ceremonies to celebrate their college choices. Did (or will) you have any sort of celebration, or was it simply signing your name on the line and sending it to the university?

DV: As a family, we discussed this a while back and decided that it should be celebrated due to this being a new chapter of my life. We have planned to host a family gathering to celebrate this achievement but also a going-away party.

SOTU: You went through the recruitment process in a very deliberate way, and committing in January was obviously a major relief for you. What did it feel like to make it official, and knowing that now your future coaches can now speak freely about your impact on the team?

DV: Yes, the recruitment process was an intense and long process. Having many offers from Division 1 schools didn't help, it just made the process even tougher. Committing in January was always the plan, and once I did it, was the right decision to make and yet today, other coaches keep asking whether I am still committed to the Canes program and I can tell you I'm 100 percent a Miami Hurricanes player. As a person, I don't show much emotion off the court but committing to Coach Larrañaga's program, I knew it was the best fit for me. Coach Larrañaga has called me everyday alongside Coach Fisher to check in on me and how I can impact the team coming into my freshman year.

SOTU: You told us that your plan was to develop as a point guard, and to do your best to fill Angel Rodriguez's shoes from the moment you set foot on campus. How has your game developed in the last few months across your efforts with Perth, the U20s tournament, and the BigV league?

DV: My game keeps improving day by day. I've had many opportunities the last 4 months training with the Perth Wildcats, but also playing one of the post leagues in Australia, the Big V competition. Many scouts and spectators see me as a shooting guard, but these teams have played me at the point position and has improved my point guard skills dramatically.

SOTU: Is the plan still for you to arrive for the first summer session in mid-May? Any other changes to your plans, or other updates you want us to know?

DV: Yes,  the plan is the same. I arrive in Miami on the 14th of May and begin to get to work on the 16th. I'm excited and I can't wait to begin my college career at the University of Miami.

Thanks as always to SOTU's CanesHoops Consigliere Josh Frank @JoshDaCane for his work on this piece.

Click here for our February 1st interview with DJ