Damir Krupalija

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Damir Krupalija
Position	Small forward
Height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight	232 lb (105 kg)
Team	Spiro Charleroi
Nationality	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Born	June 13, 1979 (age 27) Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
College	Illinois
Pro career	2002–present
Former teams	WTK Anwil Wloclawek (2002-03

Damir Krupalija (born June 13, 1979 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a professional basketball player. Krupalija played at the University of Illinois from 1998 to 2002. Currently, he is a member of Belgium's Spirou Basket Club (Charleroi), as well as a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national basketball team.

1 Early Years
2 Career
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Early Years

Krupalija fled his war-torn country in 1992, living in the Czech Republic for three years before coming to the United States in 1995. His parents, Sead and Zora Krupalija, joined him a year later. Of this experience, Krupalija told the Common Ground radio program in 2001, "I was young. I didn t know what was going on. I knew there were people fighting all over the place, but kind of everybody was saying, "Oh, it s not gonna happen down here," and "Everything down here is cool." And then you know, one day it was just like, boom--no school; couldn t even go out. The next thing you know, we're going."

[edit] Career

After arriving in the United States, Krupalija attended Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois, where he led the Titan basketball team to a fourth place finish in the 1997 Illinois state tournament. In 1998, he was named an all-state selection by the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press.

After graduating from high school, Krupalija played basketball for the University of Illinois. Although his career at Illinois was often hampered by injuries, the 6'9" forward was well-regarded for his rebounding ability and fiery attitude on the court. In his senior year (2001-2002), Krupalija, coming off the bench, was named as the Most Valuable Player at the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament.

In 2002, Krupalija moved to Poland, where he played forward for Anwil Wloclawek and won the 2002-2003 Polish National Championship. The following season he relocated to Belgium and joined Spirou Charleroi. They won the 2003-2004 Belgian National Championship, and Krupalija remains with the club today.

[edit] Trivia

Majored in Business Administration at the University of Illinois.
His college roommates were Cory Bradford and Robert Archibald, both currently playing professional basketball in Europe (France and Spain, respectively).
Has a younger sister named Jasna who also attended the University of Illinois.
His favorite basketball player is Toni Kukoc.
Was nicknamed the "Hoosier Killer" during his career at the University of Illinois for his consistently strong play against Indiana University.