Boys basketball: Exchange student provides boost for Northfield

It took some time before Northfield foreign exchange student Mitar Petrovic got to show his playmaking abilities in a game but his impact on the team became apparent quickly in practice.

Petrovic plays with a frenetic energy and applies a lot of pressure on the ball defensively. Offensively he finds the open man frequently and passes with panache.

Raiders head coach Andy Berkvam knew he had something in the Montenegro native Petrovic by the way he practiced.

“What he did when he came in is he changed the work habits of our guards,” Berkvam said. “He gave them absolute fits. When it was early he was fouling them and toughening them. They were getting mad. Now I think they appreciate how good he is defensively on the ball. He’s a valuable asset to our team.”

Petrovic has played basketball since he was 7, back in his hometown of Sutomore, Montenegro, a town of 2,004 people on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, according to the 2011 census. He played on a club team where the game takes the format of NBA games with four quarters and a shot clock.

“I try to push other guys to work harder,” Petrovic said.

Petrovic made his first big impact in a game Dec. 30 in an 88-63 victory over Cambridge-Isanti at the Lakeville North tournament. Petrovic scored a team-high 18 points and led the team in assists and steals while tying for a team-high five rebounds. Petrovic finished with five steals, five rebounds and three assists. He also shot 7 of 10 from the field and had a 3-pointer.

Petrovic followed that up with a 13-point performance against Rochester John Marshall and led the team with five steals.

Petrovic provides a change of pace for Northfield when he comes off the bench. The team pushes the tempo because of the way Petrovic plays.

“He’s a very intelligent kid in that he can pick up what we’re doing,” Berkvam said. “He knows basically everything we’re doing. He’s helped us win some games already, there’s no question.”

Petrovic got his first taste of American football in the fall as a member of the junior varsity team and later with the varsity team. He played running back on the JV team and filled in on special teams with the varsity. He’d only seen the game on television prior to joining the team in the fall.