Luka Bogavac Adjusting Well, Helping Prove Value of Overseas Recruiting for UNC

Leslie Davis, Hubert’s wife, bakes Luka Bogavac a batch of brownies before every game. 

The Montenegrin native claimed he didn’t like sweets when he arrived in Chapel Hill, but now he cherishes the homemade treats. It’s a simple act that has helped Bogavac feel at home in a new environment and assimilate off the court just as much as on it. 

“I remember, in the NBA, I got traded three times, and when you get traded in the NBA, you have to actually go to the next team in 48 hours,” Davis recalled. “I was grown, and that was difficult… Then, Luka comes from Montenegro, and new teammates, new coaching, new country, school and everything and the way that he’s handled it has been incredible.” 

During the season’s first installment of the Hubert Davis Live radio show on Monday night, the head coach took time to sing Bogavac’s praises for his ability to adjust quickly to a transition from overseas while still performing well for the No. 14 Tar Heels in Seth Trimble’s absence. Davis also commended the two other European talents UNC acquired this season, and spoke to the importance of searching for talent overseas in today’s college basketball. 

Along with adjusting well to American culture, Davis has been impressed with Bogavac’s play this season. After a late clearance by the University, the 6-foot-6 guard tallied double figures in his debut off the bench against Central Arkansas. But since Trimble’s injury following the win over Kansas, Bogavac assumed the starting role at shooting guard and has posted double-figure scoring ever since. 

He’s drilled a 3-pointer in all nine games for the Tar Heels this season, and is shooting 32.7 percent from deep — a number that UNC expects to get better as the season rolls along. Bogavac has been a valuable fill-in for what North Carolina lost from Trimble’s production of 14.5 points and 3.5 assists, tallying a similar 12.2 points and 3 assists per game in a different fashion. 

How the two guards will play together when Trimble is likely to return later this month will be a champagne problem for Davis to figure out. 

“On the floor, he could do a number of different things,” Davis said. “Obviously, he can shoot the basketball, but he gives us another ball handler, another playmaker. He’s a big guard that’s physical, and he can defend, he can rebound, and he’s just been a huge addition for us.”

As the landscape of college basketball continues to evolve, the influx of overseas talent — largely scouted from European clubs — has become a new normal. This season, three Tar Heels in Bogavac, Henri Veesaar and Ivan Matlekovic are European-born players who came to America to play for collegiate programs. 

While Matlekovic has only played a handful of minutes this season, Veesaar has solidified himself as a massively impactful addition to this season’s roster. Brought in to help UNC’s struggles in the post this season, the seven-footer has done that and more with averages of 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds. 

And although Arizona was the program that originally recruited Veesaar from overseas, the impact both he and Bogavac have had on the early season is proof for Davis and the Tar Heels that recruiting internationally is worth the extra effort.

“It’s not just recruiting here. You’ve got to go international,” Davis said. “We’ve got to take a look because there are really good basketball players over there. As long as they’re a great fit for us and want to be a part of this program and this university, then it’s somebody that we will continue to recruit.”