EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women's basketball guard
Katarina Zec aspires to go out with a bang as a senior in 2019-20.
If the two exhibition games were any indication, Zec appears poised to make her final season her very best in a Miner uniform. She averaged 20.5 points per game on 58.3 percent (14-24) shooting, including nailing 50 percent (6-12) from beyond the arc, in the exhibition victories against a pair of Division II programs.
The effort was a continuation from last year, when she hit double digits in scoring in the final 12 games on the year. Things weren't always that way for Zec, who acknowledges it took some time to adjust to the playing style in the United States as opposed to where she grew up in Serbia.
"First of all, I think I had a really hard time adjusting to this style of basketball (in the US)," Zec said. "I got pretty adjusted my freshman year. I went through some struggles, some ups and downs. I grew as a basketball player, a leader and a person. I think that's the most important thing."
Zec spent part of her 2019 summer training and trying out for the Serbian Women's Basketball National Team. She didn't make the squad but believes the experience will help her.
"I just gained some experience playing with some older women," Zec said. "I think it was pretty useful for me and my future career."
Playing with world-class talent exposed Zec to all sorts of different leadership styles. Her leadership during the preseason was noticed by head coach
Kevin Baker, and Zec plans to continue that as the 2019-20 season gets underway.
"I'm really trying to lead by example," Zec stated. "Sometimes I'm trying to be the voice of the team but that's impossible with
Ariana Taylor. She's the loudest. So I'm just leading by example on and off the court. I think the girls are picking up on it."
She is a more than a basketball player, though. She's a tremendous student who maintains a cumulative GPA of better than 3.75, which has earned her a trio of Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Medals. She has a specialized major, and a unique dream of what to possibly do upon the conclusion of her playing career.
"I'm majoring in biochemistry," Zec said. "How I plan on using it is still to be decided, but one of my dreams is to create a skin care line. So we'll see how that goes."
While Zec will be asked to do a lot for the team in her last hurrah, she knows that for UTEP to have a solid season the four freshmen will have to contribute. Zec doesn't hold back in her praise of the incoming freshmen, in addition to the team as a whole.
"I think we have the best freshmen class in the conference," Zec said. "This team is so complete right now that I think we are capable of success, but I just want to take it step by step right now and not think any further in this moment."
She has had some special moments during her career with the Orange and Blue. Among them was tying the school record for 3-pointers made in a game after catching fire to nail seven triples at NM State as a sophomore. She's on track to surpass 1,000 career points while also finishing among the program's leaders for 3-pointers made and attempted. Yet what she cherishes most is the Miner fanbase.
"I'm really grateful for these fans because they're super loyal," Zec noted. "I've been here for four years and that's probably my best memory of UTEP. It's such a great basketball community. I'm super happy, super grateful and super thankful for them."
Zec will have plenty of chances to play in front of the Orange and Blue faithful, with the Miners slated for 18 contests at the Don Haskins Center in 2019-20. It will tie as the most regular-season home games at UTEP since 2006-07, with the opener slated for 7 p.m. Saturday against UC Riverside.
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