Raca to Represent Serbia at 2024 Olympic Games
7/23/2024 11:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest women’s basketball alumni Ivana Raca and Serbia will tipoff their Olympics on Sunday, July 28 against Puerto Rico.
PARIS – Wake Forest women's basketball alumni Ivana Raca is set to represent her home country of Serbia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Raca and Serbia will tipoff their Olympics on Sunday, July 28 against Puerto Rico. In Group A, Serbia and Raca will also play China and Spain for the chance to advance to the knockout stage.
She has been a mainstay on the Serbian National Team during the last few years of international competition including EuroBasket Women 2023 and the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Raca helped lead her home country to quarterfinal appearances in both competitions.
The 2021 Wake Forest graduate also recently signed with the renowned Greek club Olympiacos for the upcoming season. She is coming off a season where she averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for Sassari in the Italian Serie A1.
An Incredible Career at Wake Forest
In 2021, Raca became the first Demon Deacon to be selected in the WNBA Draft since 2015 when the then San Antonio Star chose Dearica Hamby with the sixth overall selection. The Los Angeles Spark still hold Raca's rights in the WNBA.
Additionally, Raca became just the fifth player ever from Serbia to be chosen in the WNBA Draft (Jelena Milovanovic, 2009, 24th overall; Sonja Petrovic, 2009, 26th overall; Sarah Krnjic, 2011, 35th overall; Dragana Stankovic, 2015, 30th overall). Raca was also the first player selected in the draft to be born in the country of Cyprus.
The two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection had best season in 2020-21, helping lead the Deacs to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history. She finished her senior season averaging 16.7 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game including 10 double-double performances.
Against Virginia Tech that year, she had a near record-setting day on the boards at Virginia Tech when she pulled down 19 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Her 19 rebounds were just three away from the all-time program record.
She was nearly the first Demon Deacon since Hamby (2014-15) to average a double-double over the course of the season.
Her points per game and rebounds per game both ranked in the top five in the conference that season.
Raca became just the fourth player in Wake Forest program history to earn First Team All-ACC honors, joining Dearica Hamby (2013-14, 2014-15), Tracy Connor (1995-96) and Jen Hoover (Mitchell) (1989-90).
She finished sixth in program history with 18 career double-doubles. Raca is also one of just four players to rank in the top 10 in scoring with 1,482 points (ninth) and 715 rebounds (10th).
Raca and Serbia will tipoff their Olympics on Sunday, July 28 against Puerto Rico. In Group A, Serbia and Raca will also play China and Spain for the chance to advance to the knockout stage.
She has been a mainstay on the Serbian National Team during the last few years of international competition including EuroBasket Women 2023 and the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Raca helped lead her home country to quarterfinal appearances in both competitions.
The 2021 Wake Forest graduate also recently signed with the renowned Greek club Olympiacos for the upcoming season. She is coming off a season where she averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for Sassari in the Italian Serie A1.
An Incredible Career at Wake Forest
In 2021, Raca became the first Demon Deacon to be selected in the WNBA Draft since 2015 when the then San Antonio Star chose Dearica Hamby with the sixth overall selection. The Los Angeles Spark still hold Raca's rights in the WNBA.
Additionally, Raca became just the fifth player ever from Serbia to be chosen in the WNBA Draft (Jelena Milovanovic, 2009, 24th overall; Sonja Petrovic, 2009, 26th overall; Sarah Krnjic, 2011, 35th overall; Dragana Stankovic, 2015, 30th overall). Raca was also the first player selected in the draft to be born in the country of Cyprus.
The two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection had best season in 2020-21, helping lead the Deacs to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history. She finished her senior season averaging 16.7 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game including 10 double-double performances.
Against Virginia Tech that year, she had a near record-setting day on the boards at Virginia Tech when she pulled down 19 rebounds to go along with 14 points. Her 19 rebounds were just three away from the all-time program record.
She was nearly the first Demon Deacon since Hamby (2014-15) to average a double-double over the course of the season.
Her points per game and rebounds per game both ranked in the top five in the conference that season.
Raca became just the fourth player in Wake Forest program history to earn First Team All-ACC honors, joining Dearica Hamby (2013-14, 2014-15), Tracy Connor (1995-96) and Jen Hoover (Mitchell) (1989-90).
She finished sixth in program history with 18 career double-doubles. Raca is also one of just four players to rank in the top 10 in scoring with 1,482 points (ninth) and 715 rebounds (10th).
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