Stephen Samuel Stipanovich (born November 17, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player. A center who played for the University of Missouri between 1979 and 1983. He and Jon Sundvold helped coach Norm Stewart to four consecutive Big Eight Conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances. Stipanovich was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the second pick of the 1983 NBA draft. Knee problems limited his career to five seasons, and he retired in 1988 with career totals of 5,323 points and 3,131 rebounds. Early life Stephen Samuel "Stipo" Stipanovich, son of Sam and Elaine (née Ortmann) Stipanovich, was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Sam Stipanovich co–owned a funeral home with his father–in–law, Al C. Ortmann, that is still in operation today. Stipanovich is of Serbian and Croatian descent. His paternal grandmother Sadie was the daughter of Simo Visnic from Serbia and Milica Mamula from Karlovac, Croatia. Sadie married Theodore Stipanovic, whose family came from the same region. Visnic had come to the USA in 1905. High school career After attending Chaminade College Prep as a freshman, Stipanovich transferred to De Smet Jesuit High School in suburban Creve Coeur, Missouri. While a member of the De Smet Spartans, Stipanovich led them to back-to-back Missouri Class 4A State Championships and a sixty-game winning streak under coach Rich Grawer. Coach "Grawer worked with me, and helped me develop the fundamental skills of basketball," Stipanovich reflected. "By the time I was a senior, I was one of the most heavily recruited basketball players in the NCAA in 1979." In February 1979, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Stipanovich with Sam Bowie and Ralph Sampson as the nation's best high school centers. Stipanovich played in the 1979 McDonald's All-American Game. The memorable rosters included: Sam Bowie, Antoine Carr, Quintin Dailey, Sidney Green, Clark Kellogg, Greg Kite, Sidney Lowe, John Paxson, Ralph Sampson, Byron Scott, Isiah Thomas, Dereck Whittenburg, Dominique Wilkins and James Worthy. College career Stipanovich chose to attend the University of Missouri under coach Norm Stewart, after numerous colleges recruited him, including Notre Dame, Duke, St. Louis, Kentucky and North Carolina. In 1979–80 he was named Big Eight Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, averaging 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds on 59% shooting. The Tigers finished 25–8, advancing to the sweet sixteen of the 1980 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. “My favorite memory at Mizzou was during my freshman year