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In the end it makes sense.
The best swimmer our area has ever seen commits to the best college program and arguably the greatest coach of all-time. It’s a perfect match.
Luka Mijatovic is just a junior at Foothill High, but he recently made big news in the swimming community in the United States when he committed to the University of Texas for his college swimming career.
“I took official visits to Texas, California (Berkeley) and Indiana,” Mijatovic said. “I went in with an open mind. I wanted to see how well I fit in with the guys – I wanted a good bond; I didn’t want a school with no communication.”
The decision was pretty easy in the end.
“I chose Texas because Coach Bowman is one of the best coaches of all-time,” Mijatovic said.
He was referring to Bob Bowman, perhaps best known for being the longtime coach for Michael Phelps. Bowman started with the Texas program in April 2024, taking over for Eddie Reese who ran the program for 46 years.
Bowman built the Arizona State program over the course of nine seasons into a national champion. He was also the head coach of the U.S. Olympic team in 2016 and served as an assistant coach a number of times.
It is a luxury for Mijatovic to get the college decision out of the way, as he is almost halfway through his junior year of high school.
“A lot of kids commit their senior year,” Mijatovic said. “But getting it out of the way makes it so much easier.”
Now it’s back to making national news, as Mijatovic is ready for this week and the Toyota U.S. Open Swimming Championships in his future home of Austin, Texas.
When we last were talking about his achievements, it was heading into the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore that took place throughout July and early August of this year.
Mijatovic was representing the U.S. Senior team for the first time and had a good shot and making waves in the international swimming community.
But during the pre-meet camp, Mijatovic was one of a number of U.S. team members that came down with a virus that sapped his strength. He competed but was well below his standard and he did not get out of the first round.
After taking the month of August off to clear his body of any illness, Mijatovic charged back into training to get ready for the U.S. Open.
And the others should be worried.
“I am in the best shape I’ve ever been,” Mijatovic said. “The sickness held me back, but it kept me hungry.”
As is always the case for the top swimmers, the week will be packed for him as he will compete in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events, as well as the 400 individual medley.
Mijatovic is scheduled to swim the 400 free on Thursday, the 400 IM and 200 free on Friday, and the 800 free and 100 free on Saturday.
The heats start at 9 a.m. each day, with the finals set for 6 p.m. each day, with both times being Central Time. The meet is scheduled to be televised by Peacock.
Make sure to visit this space next week for how Mijatovic fared in the meet.
Amador boys’ basketball
The Dons played Sunnyslope out of Arizona even through three quarters before falling 66-53 at the one-day showcase at Dublin High.
Sunnyslope entered the season as the No. 9-ranked team in the United States, according to MaxPreps. The Vikings moved to 3-1 with the win over Amador, having lost 68-64 to No. 97 Redondo Beach.
Cade Kruger and Jaylen Smith led the Dons with 16 points each, with Elijah Stanley and Dante Ventura scoring nine apiece.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
