Western Nebraska Community College's Sladjana Rakovic had the perfect birthday present on Wednesday.

                The 6-foot Rakovic signed to play NCAA Division I basketball on Nov. 9 with the University of Wyoming and it was by coincidence that the signing and her birthday fell on the same day.

                While it might have been a good birthday present for the Cougar guard/forward, it was also a nice present for the Wyoming women's basketball program.

                Rakovic said she had other schools looking at her, but the WNCC guard/forward kept her word in signing with the Pokes since Wyoming was the school that recruited her to the states and placed her at WNCC.

                "When I was talking about coming to states, Wyoming was the college that wanted me to come to the states and wanted me to be here," she said. "They have good programs and they have one of the best conferences for basketball where I can grow myself as well as my education."

                At WNCC, Rakovic is capable of playing any position from guard to forward to even posting up inside. Last year, Rakovic helped lead the Cougars to a 25-4 record while earning Region IX South All-Region honors.

                Rakovic averaged 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals a game a year ago.

                This season, Rakovic is averaging 12.3 points a game, including scoring 21 points in a 69-54 win over the Wyoming All-stars last weekend. Off the court, Rakovic was inducted in Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society, earlier this fall.

                Rakovic said she is adjusting to American basketball and is still learning the game.

                "American basketball is so hard. I still have some growth," she said. "But I am learning and I think I will be good there [at Wyoming]. Wyoming is probably the best place for me to still learn and play. I know coach and I know the level of basketball that they play is so close to my style in Europe. I am happy."

                The move to Laramie next year will be hard, but at the same time she will still be close her American family members in Nebraska. Rakovic's dorm family is Scott and Amy Winters and she said it will be hard to leave them.

                "It is actually so important for me to be close," she said. "I left my first family at home [in Montenegro] but I didn't want to leave my second family.

                "But I am not going too far. Just knowing the fact I am leaving here and will not able to see them [my dorm family] or my teammates, especially Bree and Zeynep, when I want to will be super hard."

                Rakovic is appreciative of all the support she has received while at WNCC and in Scottsbluff.

                "I want to thank my teammates from last year, the teachers here, thanks to all the people from this college that helped me, and special thanks to my dorm family for helping me out a lot here," she said. "Go Pokes."