June 26, 2006

BERKELEY - University of California sophomore guard Nikola Knezevic underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose cartilage from his right knee Monday, head coach Ben Braun announced.

Knezevic injured the knee in summer workouts last Thursday. Dr. Mark Safrin determined that he would benefit from the surgery and projected a 12-week recovery period.

"Nikola is in good spirits, and I expect him to be recovered sometime near the start off practice in October," Braun said.

Knezevic, a 6-2, 190-pound point guard, joined the Bears from his native Belgrade, Serbia, last December and played 21 of the 22 games he was eligible, averaging 1.0 ppg and 0.6 apg. He averaged more than nine minutes per game over Cal's last seven contests, helping the Bears reach the final of the Pac-10 Tournament and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.