Kentucky viewed as the favorite to land Serbian star Nikola Kusturica

Is Mark Pope on the verge of another massive recruiting win?

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim broke news late last week that Kentucky was among the frontrunners to land Nikola Kusturica, a 6-foot-8 Serbian wing with NBA lottery pick potential. Fast forward to Tuesday night, and word began to spread that UK might actually be the leader. Pilgrim wrote on KSBoard that Pope’s Wildcats “may have taken over as the favorite” in this recruitment. Almost immediately after, Travis Branham of 247Sports logged a prediction in favor of Kusturica committing to Kentucky.

It’s all moving quickly, but Bearded Mark Pope might be about to land his 15th player for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

[Bio Blast: Serbian wing Nikola Kusturica]

Here’s what you need to know about Kusturica. He just turned 17 years old on April 30, meaning he’s not eligible for the NBA Draft until 2028. That gives him two years of playing at the college level, which would start with the upcoming 2026-27 season. He currently suits up for FC Barcelona in the Liga ACB, known as the top domestic league in the world outside of the NBA. He set records for being the youngest to ever play and score for Barca.

There are international scouts who view Kusturica as one of the top high school-level players in the entire world. He was a star in the 2025 FIBA U16 EuroBasket last summer, leading Serbia to a 99-86 championship victory over Lithuania while averaging 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks in 25.6 minutes per outing. He was named tournament MVP.

Next, Kusturica will represent Serbia in the FIBA U17 World Cup from June 27 to July 5. He’ll have plenty of eyes on him for that run. A college decision could come before then. Barca will try to keep him around, but the idea of playing in the United States — and the money that would come with it — might be too much to pass up.

Kentucky sure seems to be in a good spot as his next team if he leaves Spain. After bringing in Milan Momcilovic and landing Ryan Hampton, Pope’s recruiting streak is red-hot.

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