Andrija Jelavić will play against his former teammate in the SEC next season

Andrija Jelavić (left) looks to pass the ball to Filip Jovic - Dragana Stjepanovic, ABA League

Mark Pope isn’t the only head coach in the Southeastern Conference adding international talent this offseason.

On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Serbian big man Filip Jovic has committed to Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers. A 6-foot-9 forward who turned 20 years old back in February, Jovic suits up for KK Mega Superbet. If that team name sounds familiar, it’s because Mega Superbet (the same club that produced three-time NBA MVP winner Nikola Jokić) also rosters future Kentucky forward Andrija Jelavić, who will join the program as a college freshman for the 2025-26 season.

Jovic and Jelavić have been teammates in the ABA (Adriatic) League for the past two seasons now. Jovic averaged 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this past season on shooting splits of 56.1/20.8/68.6. Meanwhile, Jelavić posted per-game averages of 10.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on splits of 48.5/30.5/69.1. Both appeared in 29 games for Mega Superbet and finished among the team’s top five scorers.

NEWS: Serbian big man Filip Jovic has committed to Auburn, agent Misko Raznatovic told ESPN.

The 6'9, 20-year-old averaged 12.2 points (65% 2P%), 3.9 rebounds in 22 minutes for Mega SuperBet in the Adriatic League.

Experienced, physical, SEC-ready body for Bruce Pearl. pic.twitter.com/ZGMKo909sl
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 28, 2025

The two play different styles, with Jovic better suited at scoring around the rim and using his physicality to his advantage. Jelaivć, on the other hand, can stretch the floor and make plays for others. But now, they’ll gear up to go head-to-head as opponents in 2025-26 when Kentucky hits the road to face Auburn during SEC play.

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Jovic and Jelavić are also teammates on Mega Superbet with 6-foot-7 forward Timotej Malovec, who is committed to playing college ball with Jai Lucas at Miami (FL), and 6-foot-3 guard Mihailo Petrovic, who is headed to Illinois. Another SEC program, Ole Miss, is also adding an international prospect to next season’s team, 6-foot-4 guard Ilias Kamardine out of France.

Jelavić, who is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA, expects to join the rest of his future Kentucky teammates in Lexington in the coming weeks