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Stojaković played a significant role in the game, scoring nine points and dishing out eight assists. After the match, he shared his emotions, clearly affected by the season's end and the likelihood that he and his teammates might never play together again.
"There were no emotions on the court at all; everything hit me when I entered the locker room, to be honest. As the fans applauded us at the end of the game, I couldn't believe the season was over. In the last 10 seconds on the court, as we shook hands with our opponents, I felt nothing; everything was a blur, I don't remember anything. I recall shaking hands with a few players and coaches, and then I came into the locker room where there was silence. We believed we had the same chances as the other three teams, and I'm grateful for this season. Some shots that should have fallen didn't, and now we can't change anything." - Andrej Stojaković
For him, this was a profound experience.
"I learned so much about myself, physically, mentally; I pushed myself to limits I didn't know I had. I can't help but be proud of these guys, who fought until the very end. We missed some shots, things didn't go our way, and the University of Connecticut is a great team with an excellent coach. All credit to them."
He also revealed what will stick with him the most.
"The coach, obviously, talked to us about the season, his life, but we have to keep our heads up; we've changed many lives. We did something that hasn't happened in over 20 years; we represented this program in the best possible way. Everything is so blurry to me now, all that we went through, some silly things that happen every day, that make you laugh and then you forget them. We had days like that constantly; it's incredible how many memories we made. I'm glad we have everything recorded."
He also addressed whether the opponent's experience was a deciding factor.
"Honestly, I don't know. This is our first Final Four, we'll see if experience makes a difference next year. Dan Hurley is a great coach; he prepared his players well, they made their shots, and ours didn't fall. We can't change that now," Stojaković concluded.
Andrej, the son of legendary Serbian basketball player Peja Stojaković, reportedly has an offer to play for the Greek national team. It's also an open secret that officials from the Basketball Federation of Serbia are in contact with his family, and he could very well follow in his father's footsteps and play for the 'Eagles'.
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