Scouting trip to Europe may have netted Storm point guard of future in Ivana Dojkic

In January, Noelle Quinn embarked on a European scouting expedition — with stops in Italy and Turkey — and possibly discovered the Storm’s point guard for the next decade or so.

The third-year Storm coach made sure to check in on Ezi Magbegor, the team’s promising young star who was playing her first EuroLeague season in Hungary with Sopron Basket.

Quinn also had her eye on Kitija Laksa, the Storm’s first-round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, veteran guard Arella Guirantes, who would later sign a one-year deal with the Storm and a few other international prospects.

Sitting in the stands in Bologna, Italy, the 6-foot Quinn, who played 12 years in the WNBA, spotted Ivana Dojkic, a big guard not unlike herself, whom she remembers was able to “shoot the ball, play make and defend.”

It was love at first sight.

“It happens a lot honestly,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you don’t get to see [European players] up close because of how often you get to go to Europe, but as you’re watching film on players you see it. To have an opportunity to see it in person it doesn’t happen as often. As much basketball as we watch, especially in the offseason, you never really know. You see players. You think they can fit. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Quinn’s intuition was affirmed after her first conversation with Dojkic.

“I really enjoyed it,” Quinn said. “I understood who she was and how she worked. She was a young pro who left home early, so, she’s very mature. I had a very good conversation with her, and we had an opportunity.”

The Storm invited Dojkic (pronounced DOY-kitch) to training camp and despite missing the first week of practice, the 5-11 and 154-pound guard won a roster spot and a one-year-deal worth $62,285.

Dojkic sat out two of the first four games and played sparingly in her first four outings. Still, she made history while becoming just the third Croatian to play in the WNBA following Vedrana Grgin-Fonseca and Korie Hlede.

“You have to remember she got here late, didn’t know us and we didn’t know her,” Storm star Jewell Loyd. “So, it was going to take some time. … The best thing she does is push the ball ahead. She understands flow and knows who to get the ball to. The thing she needs to work on is probably fouling. When you play overseas you can get away with a little bit more than what they call here.

“She’s adjusting to that and how they call the game. She shoots the ball. She moves the ball. She’s not scared at all, and that’s a battle with any new player coming in. But her confidence is high and she’s not afraid of anything.”

It took Dojkic just seven games to win a starting job, replace veteran Yvonne Turner and become a fixture in the lineup.

In the past five games, the 25-year-old unheralded rookie from Rijeka, Croatia, is averaging 12.2 points, 4.2 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 29.3 minutes while shooting 45% from the field, including 41.2% on three-pointers (7 of 17).

“I surprised myself a little bit because I knew [the transition] would take some time and be a long process,” Dojkic said. “Everybody that comes from Europe needs some time to feel the game because it’s different, and I had some tough moments.

“But in those tough moments, I just stayed in my lane and tried to do the things that I’m good at and being focused. When you lose focus for five seconds and you’re gone.”

Unexpectedly, Dojkic has become a key contributor for a young and rebuilding Storm team that includes nine newcomers.

Her unconventional rise to prominence has been one of the most surprising and enduring stories in the WNBA.

“Anytime you come into the league and people don’t necessarily know a lot about you, that plays to your advantage,” Storm guard Kia Nurse said. “As we continue to go throughout this year … people will take notice and the scouting report will change.”

Thursday’s 7 p.m. matchup between Seattle (3-8) and Indiana (4-7) at Climate Pledge Arena features three of the top WNBA rookies, including Dojkic, fellow Storm forward Jordan Horston and the Fever’s Aliyah Boston, the front-runner to win the Rookie of the Year award.

One notable difference in the trio is their paths to the WNBA.

Boston was the No. 1 overall draft pick who starred at South Carolina while Horston, the former Tennessee Vols standout, was selected sixth.

Meanwhile, Dojkic, who played professionally for clubs in Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary and Italy, is one of four undrafted rookies in the league.

“She’s not your typical rookie,” Quinn said, smiling. “Ivy has a been a pro for close to 10 years and she carries herself that way.”

Growing up in Porec, Croatia, Dojkic was an avid volleyball player before switching to basketball when she was 8 years old.

Four years later, her family moved to Zagreb, Croatia, when her older brother Marko, a 14-year-old basketball prospect at the time, was called up to a senior team.

“This is what they do in Europe if you’re talented and they see potential in you” said Dojkic, who began playing competitively for Zagreb’s senior team when she was 12. “They pushed me really young.”

At 16, Dojkic signed with Zenski Kosarkarski Klub Celje in Celje, Slovenia. And when she was 18, Dojkic moved to Moscow and played three years with the Russian team Sparta&K.

“This was the biggest step for me,” Dojkic said. “I remember my first flight when I flew alone to Moscow. I came into the apartment, opened the door and started to cry. You’re so young and coming from a small country to such a big city.

“In those moments when I wanted to give up and pack my things and go home, I said: ‘No. Resist and just stay.’ I stayed confident and believed in the path that I had to go through because I knew it was going to be hard.”

In 2021, Dojkic signed with the New York Liberty, but her obligations with the Croatian national team delayed her WNBA debut.

The past two years, she played for Virtus Bologna in Italy’s top division, where she averaged 13.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 15 games.

“Maybe I could have forced it, but I wanted it to be more organic,” Dojkic said. “I’m trying to listen more to my gut feeling. I’m thankful because [Quinn] saw me. She said, I want you. I was ready, but if she didn’t see me in that exact moment, I would not be here.”