Shantay Legans on Vulikic: “Luka is a very special player and we are looking forward to a huge year from him. Luka unfortunately had to redshirt his sophomore season due to injury, and our team missed his ball-handling and play-making ability last year. Now back to full health, Luka has had a great summer and has a lot to prove this year, and we are expecting him to have a great season."
2017-18: A bout of planter fasciitis plagued Luka Vulikic after he started all eight of the games he played. Head coach Shantay Legans announced in February that Vulikic would redshirt as an injury hardship after averaging 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in those eight games, but none since Dec. 3. He scored in double figures three times in those eight games, scoring 10 points each versus Walla Walla (11/10/17) in the team’s opener, at Washington (11/12/17) and then Utah (11/24/17). He had a career-high seven assists versus the Utes in a game he also had five rebounds, and Vulikic had a season-high eight rebounds with four assists in the season opener against Walla Walla.
2016-17: Earned Big Sky All-Academic honors for the first time. Vulikic started 22 of the 32 games he played in, and averaged 2.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He started in every game from Dec. 20 to Feb. 9 as part of a starting lineup that went 8-6 in those 14 games. He had just two turnovers in 58 combined minutes versus Xavier (12/20/16) and Colorado (12/22/16), and he equaled his season high with 12 points versus the Buffaloes. He had 10 points and six rebounds at Montana (1/26/17).
High School/Club: Attended Svetozar Markovic Jagodina High School. A former member of the Serbian U16 National Team, in 2015-16 he competed for the Serbian U19 National League (KLS) for Jagodina. The previous year, he played for Mega Vizura in the U19 National League. He led his Serbian team to a third-place finish in 2015 in the Euroleague Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade, earning all-tournament honors in the process. In 2014 when he played for the Serbian U16 National Team, he helped Zemun to a third-place finish in the U16 National League. He previously led his teams to championships in the Serbian U16 National League (2013 for Red Star), Demsar Cup international tournament (2012) and the U14 National League (2011 for Red Star). Skilled scoring, rebounding and passing the ball, he averaged 18.3 points, 5.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds at the Euroleague Next Generation Tournament. In the U19 National League in the 2015-16 season, he averaged 17.5 points, 5.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds. Earlier, he averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds in the U19 National League in 2014-15, and had averages of 14.8 points, 3.2 assists and 5.9 rebounds one year earlier in the U16 National League. He also played previously for Beostar and Mondo Basket in Serbia.
Personal: Major undecided, but is considering business administration. He had a 3.4 grade point average through his first two years at EWU. Born July 18, 1997 in Belgrade, Serbia. His parents are Vlastimir and Sladjana Vulikic. He has a younger brother, Vuk. His name is pronounced “Lou-kah” “Vool-ih-kich”
| Year |
GP |
GS |
Min |
Avg |
FG |
FGA |
Pct |
3FG |
3FGA |
Pct |
FT |
FTA |
Pct |
Off |
Def |
Tot |
Avg |
PF |
FO |
Ast |
TO |
Blk |
Stl |
Pts |
Avg |
| 2016-17 |
32 |
22 |
514 |
16.1 |
35 |
81 |
.432 |
4 |
13 |
.308 |
20 |
36 |
.556 |
23 |
66 |
89 |
2.8 |
43 |
1 |
23 |
29 |
8 |
13 |
94 |
2.9 |
| 2017-18 |
8 |
8 |
205 |
25.6 |
25 |
55 |
.455 |
0 |
5 |
.000 |
7 |
15 |
.467 |
7 |
22 |
29 |
3.6 |
16 |
0 |
20 |
14 |
2 |
6 |
57 |
7.1 |
| TOTAL |
40 |
30 |
719 |
18.0 |
60 |
136 |
.441 |
4 |
18 |
.222 |
27 |
51 |
.529 |
30 |
88 |
118 |
3.0 |
59 |
1 |
43 |
43 |
10 |
19 |
151 |
3.8 |
SINGLE-GAME HIGHS
Points: 12, Seattle - 11/22/16; at Colorado - 12/22/16
Rebounds: 11, Seattle - 11/22/16
Assists: 7, at Utah - 11/24/17
Steals: 3, at Idaho State - 1/12/17
Blocks: 2, Seattle - 11/22/16
FG made: 5, 4 times
FG attempts: 12, Walla Walla - 11/10/17
3FG made: 1, 4 times
3FG attempts: 3, Seattle - 11/22/16
FT made: 5, at Colorado - 12/22/16
FT attempts: 8, at Colorado - 12/22/16
