By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Ever since she was a kid, Iva Corluka dreamed of playing college basketball.
It was a goal she worked towards for a significant portion of her life, that led her to dominating on the high school stage and also overseas as she played for the Croatia National Team.
In her senior year at Ardsley High School, just outside of White Plains, Corluka was named the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) Class A Player of the Year after leading the team to a state championship. Then, over the summer, she carved out a role for herself within Croatia’s U-18 national team during its journey to earning a bronze medal at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Division B Tournament in Lithuania.
Over the course of the latter competition, she made appearances in six games, averaged 12.1 minutes, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
So, for a team that lacked a true defensive identity last season, a promising defender with talent not only proven at the American high school level, but in Europe as well, bringing in Corluka was a no-brainer.
“Just the thought of that motivates me,” Corluka said. “Every day at practice I’m just grateful to be here in the first place. It kind of helps me push myself.”
The Bonnies and Corluka were ultimately a match made in heaven. According to her, while she was searching for colleges one of her requirements was that the school needed to have a good community around it. In just the few weeks she has been on campus, she can safely say this was the right choice.
“I’ve obviously found community within my team, but I also have really good friends outside of basketball and even outside of athletics,” Corluka said. “There’s just a bunch of great people here.”
Still, the transition to college basketball is not all that simple, even with a stellar background the likes Corluka has. Fortunately, she said that her coaches and teammates have made her feel right at home in the Reilly Center.
“My team is great and the coaches are great,” Corluka said. “Overall, I’m just having a great experience. (The team and coaches) really help make the transition easier.”
St. Bonaventure’s Iva Corluka rises up for a layup at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Division B Tournament in Lithuania. (St. Bonaventure Athletics)
It is clear based on the recruiting class this year that defense was a priority for head coach Jim Crowley and his staff. His Bonnies were in the bottom two of each rebounding statistic in the Atlantic 10 last year, a trend he wants to see quashed.
At 6-1, Corluka believes that her defensive acumen can help make up for the deficiency the team had in size and strength underneath the basket last season.
“Obviously, Coach wants us to have great defense, and throughout my whole basketball career, my coaches have really helped me focus on defense,” Corluka said. “I take a lot of pride in that, and I’m trying my best every day to keep improving at that.”
But even Corluka knows that she still has plenty to learn in order to be an effective defender at the collegiate level. Fortunately, she has been able to pick up on things quicker due to the leadership of the veterans on the team.
“I’ve picked up, for example, on defense if you beat someone to the spot, it just makes your job a whole lot easier,” Corluka said. “So, instead of working harder to fight someone in the paint, I’ll just beat them there, and then it just makes my life easier.”
She has also been able to draw from the immense well of experience Crowley has in leveling up her game. She praised her head coach and admitted that she was blown away by just how deep his knowledge of the game goes, which has only led her to putting even more faith in him.
“What stuck out to me when I first came in for practice, was just how much he knows about basketball,” Corluka said. “At practices, he knows when adjustments need to be made. He has a great IQ, basically.”
Ultimately, Corluka just wants to play her part any way she can. She is determined to fight for minutes and to be the exact type of player that Crowley and his staff need her to be, all for the ultimate goal of restoring glory to the program.
“I’m just excited to get as many minutes as I can and contribute to my role,” Corluka said. “I just want to help my teammates, because I want us to have a good season.”
Corluka and the Bonnies will have the chance to put their talents on display for the first time on Oct. 29 at 4:30 p.m. in a scrimmage against Daemen University.
