‘A great story’: Del Campo basketball star celebrates what he has, including star talent
Damjan Agovic has to be seen to be fully appreciated. And then you’ll be hooked.
Here are the quick-hit highlights: He can score in the low post on a spin move or with power. He can pass, block shots, box out and set screens. He can hit 3-pointers, splash free throws, drop in runners in the lane, and he especially dazzles when grabbing a long rebound and going coast-to-coast for a thunder dunk.
Agovic averaged 18.2 points and nearly 14 rebounds a game as a senior at Del Campo High School as the best “big man I’ve had in my 19 years coaching here,” Cougars coach Dave Nobis said.
That’s all reason enough to root for the affable 18-year-old who graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average. But there’s more. Agovic has left his indelible mark with just one hand. His right arm ends at his wrist.
You’ll notice he has one hand at first glance, and then you’ll marvel at how it doesn’t slow him down a bit. Count me among the awed. Not only does he have a cool name — Damnjan! — but Agovic matches it with a versatile game and a refreshing attitude on how to overcome, how to seize a moment and a season. Agovic was the best big in the region, and at 6-foot-10, he stood as a powerful inspiration to anyone wondering about long odds.
He also stood as the most inspirational story this academic year, one that was heavy on dour expressions as no high schools even practiced until spring because of the pandemic. He’s as inspiring of a student-athlete as I have experienced in my 30-plus years on the beat at The Bee. I see this guy compete and care and wonder how anyone can have an ounce of laziness.
In meeting Agovic for the first time as the short season closed earlier this month, he spoke glowingly and proudly about his role. This was after a last-second road loss at rival Rio Americano in a season marked by crushing last-second defeats. Had Agovic wanted a day to dwell on the loss, to process as we wanted to chronicle his life story, we would have understood.
“No, I’d be glad to talk to you, and thanks for coming out,” Agovic said, sweat matting down his dark hair but not his smile.
Agovic explained he doesn’t really have a handicap. How can he miss what he’s never had? And right out of a Hollywood script, there was Agovic after the Rio Americano contest, surrounded by friends and opponents who approached to offer him kudos, to say they were inspired. He thanked all of them.
“Life is good,” Agovic said before walking into the sunset. “I’m the happiest guy.”
Agovic is just getting started. He isn’t done competing and inspiring. He will play on scholarship at Cal State Monterey Bay, where he will study business.
‘I’ve got to play like I have two hands’
Agovic was born in Italy, where his family lived for several years. His mother Vanessa relocated from her native Bosnia and then settled in California 10 years ago. She is her son’s biggest fan, the loud and proud one in the stands, waving signs, cheering on all the players. She is always the lady of the hour, never alone in the bleachers or after a game. People gravitate to her. Her son has her booming good cheer.
“Yeah, my mom’s easy to find,” Agovic said with a laugh.
“My son,” that proud mom said in the parking lot, her eyes moist, “inspires all of us. I just love him so.”
Agovic had the admiration of opponents at Del Campo but not an ounce of pity. He would not have it any other way. He’s never played the sport as some sort of novelty act. He earned his minutes in practice, blended fundamentals with flair and impacted games. You’ll know he was there after watching him compete.
Agovic had 37 points on 13 of 17 shooting in a 71-58 win over El Camino on May 21. He went for 35 on 15 of 20 shooting in a 73-58 triumph over Bella Vista and followed with a 24-point effort to beat Sacramento 66-42. He did this sort of damage despite double teams, or players trapping or collapsing on him in the low post, hands snaking in to get to the ball.
With his frame and long left arm, Agovic was able to hold the ball high on plays. Sometimes, opponents stripped him of the ball, but mostly he either fought through it to score or found an open man or a cutter to the bucket.
Agovic also crashed the boards. He produced rebounding games of 18, 18, 15, 18, 15 and 14.
“I’ve got to play like I have two hands,” Agovic said. “I know teams won’t take it easy on me, and I won’t take it easy on them.”
“The guy’s incredible,” Rio Americano coach Chris Jones said after edging Del Campo by a bucket late in the season. “He’s great, inspiring.”
The coach added, “Imagine if...” — and what he was going to say was, “if he had two hands.”
It’s OK. This query has never offended Agovic. He wonders himself, but never dwelled on what he doesn’t have. He appreciates what he does have. Nothing inspires more than the motivated kid, and he has always found a way to tie his shoes, to dress himself, to text in rapid fire, to excel academically, to live a good, normal life.
Asked if he ever wondered what it would be like to have two hands, Agovic said, “Of course I do! Oh yeah. I’ve heard that, ‘’If you had two hands, you’d be so much better.’ I’m good with one hand. I’m satisfied.”
Discovering basketball
Agovic didn’t discover basketball as much as his mother steered him to it.
“I was born in Italy, and people there play a lot of soccer,” he said. “When I moved here, I was 8 years old. Mom told me I could do anything, so she told me to play basketball. I went to a rec center but wondered how to play with one hand. You can do anything you want. I try to inspire people.”
He has inspired his coach, Nobis, who wanted to see this team play before stepping down after 19 seasons and more than 300 victories. Del Campo’s other star player was Cameron Niles, a 6-4 guard headed to UC Davis on scholarship. Had there been a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff tournament, this might have been a championship club, and more of the region could have seen Agovic and the Cougars.
“Damjan’s such a good player and a good kid,” Nobis said. “He works hard. He absolutely loves the game. He will play it any time, and he never missed a practice. At first, you think about what he’s doing with one hand, then you see how skilled he is and what a great job he does out there, and then you don’t think about it anymore. You just appreciate him as a good player, a great player.”
Folsom coach Mike Wall saw Agovic as a freshman and sophomore at holiday basketball tournaments.
“I saw him through his development, and I was always impressed with his tenacity and ability to overcome and to do what he does,” Wall said. “He’s a very nice player, and he’s a great story.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM.