Kapetanovic is headed out

Oggie Kapetanovic's first season in the Red and Blue will be his only one.

Kapetanovic, who transferred to Penn from Brown after his sophomore season, was forced to sit out the Quakers' entire 1998-99 season due to NCAA regulations, and thus had one year of eligibility remaining.

"I've been thinking about graduating and going overseas and playing ball there, because I want to play ball," Kapetanovic, told the DP in April. "I feel like if I stayed here, I'd get similar time to what I got this year."

Kapetanovic graduated from Wharton this summer after taking six classes last spring and three during the first summer session. A native Yugoslavian, Kapetanovic is currently in Sarajevo -- his father's birthplace -- playing for an AAU-level team and was unavailable for comment.

After a European tour with his current team, Kapetanovic will try to catch on with a European professional team. His dual citizenship in Yugoslavia and Canada, which will allow any European pro team that picks him up to circumvent the "two Americans" rule, should help him, not to mention his 6'10", 235-pound frame.

While Kapetanovic started last season's opener in the pre-season NIT against Kentucky, he averaged only 12.9 minutes a game on the year. The forward scored just 3.6 points and grabbed 2.9 rebounds per contest last season.

Penn head coach Fran Dunphy found out about his forward's decision when Kapetanovic left a message on Dunphy's voicemail earlier this week.

"Oggie chose to go overseas, and I wish him the best," Dunphy said.

However, the coach, who said that Kapetanovic never sought his advice on the matter, thinks that his former player should have thought a little harder about staying.

"My recommendation would have been for him to come back," Dunphy said. "I understand it a little bit, sort of. Do I agree? No, I don't agree with what he's doing. My whole thought process is I hope he doesn't regret not playing another year of collegiate basketball."

Responding to the lack of playing time to which Kapetanovic alluded in April, Dunphy said that nothing was set in stone and that Kapetanovic -- who got most of his minutes backing up senior center Geoff Owens and sophomore forward Ugonna Onyekwe -- could very well have seen more action in the upcoming season had he elected to stay.

"He said that he didn't get enough playing time, and that he wanted to play," Dunphy said. "Well, Geoff and Ugonna were healthy all last year, if they don't stay healthy this year or if Oggie stepped up his game he could've gotten to play more [next season]."

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