Goran Suton (born 11 August 1985) is a
Bosnian-Croat former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player who last played for
Movistar Estudiantes of the
Liga ACB
The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...
. He played
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
basketball with the
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
Spartans
Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern P ...
.
Early years
Suton was born on the outskirts of
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
in then-
Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Социјалистичка Pепублика Босна и Херцеговина), commonly referred to as Socia ...
,
SFR Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, to father Miroslav and mother Živana, a
Bosnian Croat
The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats (), are native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and constitute the third most populous ethnic group, after Bosniaks and Serbs. They are also one of ...
and
Bosnian Serb
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...
respectively. During the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, he lived with his family in
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data).
...
, Serbia. He played for the Bosnian U14 side before his family moved to the US, where he attended
Everett High School in
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...
. There he led the Everett Vikings to a Class A boys basketball title in 2004 as a
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
.
College career
Suton first rose to notability during his
freshman
A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...
season at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
, when he notoriously missed a last-second
layup
A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, "laying" the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump ...
in a hotly contested game against
Gonzaga in the
Maui Invitational
The Maui Invitational is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, a ...
. Suton developed into a key player for the Spartans during his career, earning
second team All-Big Ten marks during his senior season.
Suton helped the Spartans to an
NCAA Final Four as a senior in
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. He was especially effective during the 2009 Final Four run, holding
USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
star
Taj Gibson
Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans men's basketball, USC Trojans and was sele ...
to three points, and hitting a string of
jump shots against
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
on his way to scoring 19 points in the game. Suton was named Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest regional in 2009. Suton was named to the first team all-tournament.
Professional career
Suton was chosen 50th overall by the
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...
in the
2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball p ...
. Jazz coach
Jerry Sloan
Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...
cut Suton during the preseason on 21 October 2009. Suton signed a contract with
Spartak St. Petersburg of the
Russian Basketball Super League
The Russian Basketball Super League 1, or Super Liga 1, (), formerly known as the Russian Basketball Super League A or the Russian Basketball Super Liga A, is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian profe ...
on 2 November 2009. For the 2010–2011 season he played with
Angelico Biella of Italy. In July 2011 he signed with
Cibona Zagreb
Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball sports club, club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the ABA League JTD, Adriatic Basketba ...
and won Croatian championship with them. In August 2012 Suton joined Cibona's city rivals
KK Cedevita
Cedevita d.o.o. is a Croatian company which produces a wide range of teas, instant drinks, and dietetic products. A notable owner of the company was the Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva d.d. Since 2001 Cedevita has been part of the Atla ...
. In August 2014, he moved to Spain and signed with
Joventut Badalona
Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...
. On 5 August 2015, Suton signed a new deal with Joventut Badalona for one more season after averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his first season in
Liga ACB
The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...
. On 2 August 2016, he signed with
Estudiantes.
Estudiantes adds size with Goran Suton
/ref>
Personal
Suton became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2006.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suton, Goran
1985 births
Living people
ABA League players
American expatriate basketball people in Russia
American expatriate basketball people in Spain
American people of Croatian descent
American people of Serbian descent
Basketball players from Lansing, Michigan
BC Spartak Saint Petersburg players
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's basketball players
Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to the United States
Bosnia and Herzegovina refugees
CB Estudiantes players
Centers (basketball)
Joventut Badalona players
KK Cedevita players
KK Cibona players
Liga ACB players
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players
Pallacanestro Biella players
Basketball players from Sarajevo
Utah Jazz draft picks
American men's basketball players
Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Croatian descent
Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Serbian descent
Croatian people of Serbian descent