Florian Rexhepi '08 was lying in bed last semester when his roommate came bounding in."Dude, you won Rookie of the Year," the roommate said excitedly.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Rexhepi calmly replied.

Judging from the men's basketball guard's reaction, you would think Rexhepi had never heard of the UAA Rookie of the Year award.

But really, it was just the reaction of a player who shies away from personal acknowledgments at all costs.

Ask Rexhepi how he thinks he will do this season and you receive a run down of every player's expectations. The only player you won't hear about is the rookie sensation from Macedonia.

Even his favorite NBA player passes more than he shoots.

"Jason Kidd can see the whole court," Rexhepi says. "He makes the players and the team a lot better. He understands that you don't always win the game by shooting the ball."

Rexhepi may be humble and a team player, but a brief look at his numbers says what he won't. He was second on the team in scoring, assists, three-point shots and tied for team leader in steals in his rookie season.

"[Rexhepi] is a guy who can make a big play at any time, whether it's hitting a three-pointer or making a big steal or making a really exciting drive to the basket," coach Brian Meehan says.

Rexhepi's journey to Waltham was further and more difficult than that of his teammates. Born in Skopje, Macedonia, Rexhepi first earned a spot on the Macedonian National Team at 15. He moved to the U.S. and made the varsity team at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, followed by a post-graduate year playing at Philips Exeter in New Hampshire.

"It's definitely hard to live far from home," Rexhepi said. "It's difficult to wake up and not see your family in your house. It's hard, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices. You have to give a little bit to be able to receive in the future."

Meehan says Rexhepi's determination is what makes him so successful.

"Florian is a leader by example on the court," Meehan says. "He's the kind of guy who wants to win every drill in practice."

But while Rexhepi is a willing passer, don't count him out with the game on the line.

"[The other players] look to him to score in crucial times during the game," Meehan says.

Living in the conflict-imbedded nation of Macedonia, Rexhepi points to one experience that "changed my life": attending the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine in 2001. The camp teaches youth from conflicted regions to overcome the ingrained hatred.

"When you go to camp you realize, we're the same person, there's no point in trying to kill each other," Rexhepi says. "We have similar childhoods, we eat the same food, and the only difference is our language."

Don't expect the added pressure from a stand-out rookie season to weigh on someone who's experienced as much adversity as Rexhepi, who acknowledges the pressure, but still shies away from recognition.

But whether it means scoring titles or more UAA awards, Rexhepi says he'll do whatever it takes to make the Judges stronger this season. That's just the kind of selfless player he is.

"There's more pressure for me now because I need to follow up on that season," Rexhepi says. "My concern is to make the team better and whatever I can do to take part in that, whether that's passing all the time, shooting all the time, or whatever else it is to make the team better.