With an eye to a future when players like Destiny Leo and Colbi Maples are out of eligibility, Cleveland State added Swedish point guard Hanna Medina Kajevic during the November signing period, the program announced on Friday.
The 5-7 Kajevic initially committed to the Vikings on October 24th, and is scheduled to join the Vikings for the 2025-26 season. She offers the sort of fearless guard play that has become a central component of CSU’s style with the ability to run the floor, shoot the ball, and explosively navigate seams on the way to the basket.
“We are excited for Hanna to call Cleveland State home!” Vikings head coach Chris Kielsmeier said in the school’s release. “She is an aggressive and physical playmaker who fits our style of play, and has great experience at the international levels. Hanna is a true competitor with a passion for the game of basketball, and we are looking forward to her wearing the green and white.”
Kajevic has been something of a rising star since she was called up to the senior team of the Norrköping Dolphins in the SBL, Sweden’s top professional league, for the 2023-24 season. As a 17-year-old playing against fully-grown women (including, incidentally, 2015 Cleveland State graduate Cori Coleman, who also played in the SBL last season), Kajevic acquitted herself quite well, playing an 11-minute-per-game supporting role for a team that finished second in the standings and advanced to the playoff semifinals.
Her 12 points and 5 assists in a win over IK Eos on January 24th were enough to earn player of the game honors.
She’s been a frequent national team selection as well, including for the European Championships at the U16 level in 2022, followed by U18 nods in 2023 and 2024. At the most recent event, Kajevic averaged 8.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.
Sweden’s 2-5 record, leading to a 17th place finish, wasn’t the worst thing that happened at the tournament, however. According to a report in the Norrköping Times, Kajevic has had chronic issues with her periosteum, the membrane around the outer surface of her bones. Typically, she’s been able to play through the pain, but following the EC tournament in Romania, things went downhill. So far, she’s missed all four of the Dolphins’ games during the 2024-25 SBL schedule.
That situation will be worth monitoring throughout Kajevic’s final season in Sweden, and into her first summer of college workouts. Regardless, when healthy, there’s little doubt that the Vikings’ latest addition has the potential to flourish at CSU.
