Haris Nurkanovic is a Bosnian-born, Canadian-grown UTM student and basketball player.
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992, Nurkanovic left Bosnia with his family three years later in the midst of the Bosnian Genocide. Now, he is in his fifth year of a double major in economics and environmental management. Nurkanovic’s passion for basketball was inspired by his father, who once played at a professional level in Europe.
Nurkanovic usually plays centre or power forward, but does not believe in playing in one or more positions in particular; he is rather keen on “performing any tasks” that can help the team win. He “enjoy[s] playing the sport and watching the games to make [himself] better”—his basketball role models are Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. His hobbies include trying new foods and new drinks when he is out with his friends as well as watching movies, reading, and playing video games at home.
According to coach Juan Nunez, Nurkanovic plays at a high level. His strengths on the court lie in being the tall man in defence to protect the basket (cf. “Rotman Returns to UTM,” October 20) and in holding the ball on the opposite end of the court to attract defenders onto him, thus freeing the path to the basket for fellow teammates to score.
After he graduates, Nurkanovic plans on opening his own renovation company to make some money, which, he hopes, will be the underpinning investment for a long-term plan to one day open his own basketball academy. Nurkanovic is open to the prospect of living and working abroad, but is keener on settling in Canada.
Nurkanovic is today a veteran of the UTM Eagles basketball team. He believes that UTM’s rejuvenated team has the right chemistry to win the championship this year. “The hope I have for this team is [to] win another championship. It’s a great group of guys that we have and we have the potential to be great,” he said.
Winning for this team means everything for Nurkanovic, who plays basketball every day. “It’s my personal outlet that helps me keep going,” he said.
