Luka Bogavac Speaks About First Start, Adjusting At UNC & More

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Last Monday, Luka Bogavac didn’t know when he’d take the court for North Carolina while waiting on clearance from the school to play. But in his third collegiate game on Tuesday, he led his team in scoring.

Bogavac started Tuesday’s game to the sound of “LUUUUU” coming down from the crowd, as Tar Heel fans warmly welcomed the Montenegrin guard before tipoff. Bogavac scored 19 points in his first start at North Carolina in an 89-74 victory against Radford. He missed his first six shots of the game, but by the game’s end, he shot 7-18 from the field, 3-11 from three and 2-4 from the free throw line.

Bogavac scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half.

“I feel like today was just a little scrape of what he could do,” Jarin Stevenson said after the game. “In practice, he’s amazing. He makes plays and knocks down threes. He’s a great player, so he’s going to be a big part of his team coming up.”

Bogavac, 22, missed UNC’s exhibition games against BYU and Winston-Salem State. He received clearance to play from the NCAA to take the court last month, but he still needed the OK from the institution to take part in games. He was cleared roughly 30 minutes before the team’s opener against Central Arkansas.

Along with his scoring, he dished out five assists with no turnovers, and he came away with two steals on defense. Bogavac played a season-high 31 minutes, starting in place of the injured Seth Trimble. He came off the bench in his first two games of the season, scoring 10 points in 20 minutes against Central Arkansas and five points in 19 minutes against Kansas.

Bogavac continues to look for his rhythm, as he’s shooting 36.4% from the field. He’s shown the ability to get his teammates involved, though, as he is second to Kyan Evans in assists with 11 through three games.

“I think he’s always a very confident player, and somebody that’s very sure of himself out there on the floor,” Hubert Davis said. “I really felt like what got him going was getting to the basket. Getting to the free throw line, getting a layup in transition. When your shot isn’t going in, you always try to get a little bit closer and try to find that rhythm. And I felt like it did. But as you can see, Luka has tremendous confidence in his game, and he continued to play and play well.”

UNC made Bogavac available for the first time to speak following the win, as he was quickly met with a swarm of reporters in the lounge area by the home tunnel inside the Smith Center.

Read and watch what Bogavac said when speaking with the media for the first time, as he discusses his performance against Radford, his transition to the U.S. and life at UNC so far.

Adjusting To A New Setting

How comfortable are you now with everything?

“I think I have the space to be more comfortable. I think that, maybe, I was a little bit nervous, which is why I missed a lot of shots tonight. So I think with time, we’ll adjust better. And for me, I’ll feel more comfortable, because everything is new for me. I just spent (30) minutes with the guys on the court together. Also, this pace, this style is kind of different from what I played last year. With more time on the court, I’ll get more and more comfortable.

You’ve been practicing with the team, but missed the exhibition games. What’s been the process of finding your shot within the offense in games?

“I think there’s a lot of stuff, also. I didn’t play the exhibition games, so I didn’t have the time to get prepared for the season. But in my head, it doesn’t matter. Now, it is what it is, so I just have to adjust really quickly to help my teammates, to lead them through everything with my experience. I don’t have time to think a lot about that, I just try to be better every single game.”

What’s this whole experience been like for you?

“There’s a lot of extra stuff outside of basketball that was in my head. So for some time, I couldn’t really relax and just think about basketball, because it was also my lifestyle outside of basketball. Everything was changed. But now, I’m really happy to be on the team and can play, and just trying to win every single game.”

What were the cultural, non-basketball adjustments you had to make coming to the U.S.?

“A lot. Like, just to go now and be a student. Just my outside life, about everything, the food, everything. But now, I’ve spent two months here. So I think I’m pretty good.”

What made you want to be a student on top of playing basketball?

“I think it’s good, also, because you’re improving in class. It also helps you on the court. I think you get more focused with following classes and stuff like that. I think, honestly, it helps you to maintain your focus on the court, so I think it’s also a good thing for us.”

Assessing Performance Vs. Radford

Did you get more comfortable as shots started going in on Tuesday?

“I think from game to game, I will just get more comfortable, and it will help me and my team, for sure.”

How were you able to get in a groove on Tuesday after starting 0-6?

“I don’t think a lot about that. I just take the role I have when I step on the court. I don’t think about the role or stuff like that. Just think about my performance, the performance of my team.”

Can you talk about the defensive part of your game?

“Honestly, I think I could do a better job on defense. I think I showed some good things, but I think that I should and I must play better defense than tonight.”

You have point guard skills, do you see yourself as a point guard in the NBA?

“Maybe not like point guard, because there are a lot of small guards who guard me, but for sure, the guy who can lead a team in assists and stuff like that. But I love, honestly, the playmaking to create for others to put them in a good spot. With time, it will just grow.”

Can you take us through your creative passes, like the hooking lob pass to Caleb Wilson for the dunk?

“It’s just good for me that now, just with time, I can get more comfortable with the guys. I just try to find them and know how they play, what they like, what they feel comfortable with. I think I can contribute a lot, and also, I can be better.”

What got you going in the second half?

“I think just the adjustment to their defense. They played zone, so we didn’t have a lot of zone defense against us until now. So for me, I think we understand what they will play, and for sure, they slowed us down in the first half. And we just found a rhythm in the second half.”

Embracing Life At UNC

What’s the biggest adjustment from European basketball to college basketball?

“I just want to understand the philosophy of our coach, what things he likes on the court. I think I’m still in the process of everything. So it’s really different, because I think there are more halfcourt sets where I played before in Europe. So now, it’s more freedom, more open court. So I have to adjust in the games to come.”

What are the different parts that you like?

“I like this freedom. Also, I like the crowd. We have a fantastic crowd, like, amazing. So when they push us, it’s just amazing to play.”

Your mother has been here for a few weeks, she was here when you checked in for the first time. What was that like for her and for you for the first time?

“We spoke every day about our crowd, our fans. It’s amazing in just this short time how they love me, how they show me the love. I just have one thing in my head when I step on the court, just to give back to them. They’re our sixth man. They push us, and they will push us during the whole year. So I just hear, in my mind, to give back this love and thanks to them because I saw it everywhere, and how they love me, and they’re cheering my name.”

Were you surprised that you got that type of reaction from the fans?

“I was surprised by, in this short time, that they really love me like I’ve been here for couple of years. So I just try to give it back. They know why they come to our games, just to give them this taste of winning.”

Does it help having two other European guys on the team, with Henri Veesaar and Ivan Matlekovic?

“For sure. Ivan, it’s his second year here, so he knows a little bit about how things go. So for me, in the first or second month, I was just asking everything about the practices and the style of how we practice. Everything is kind of different than where I played before, and in general when I played in Europe. So now, I think I’m more comfortable. And with time, I’ll be more comfortable.”

How do things change with Trimble out of the lineup?

“Seth is a really good defensive player. I think one of his main qualities is defense. He’s a really great player on both ends of the floor. So we should step up. We’ll miss him, but I think we have enough quality to just continue with him. And once he gets on the court, we’ll just get better with him.”

Do you see this as an opportunity for you to have a bigger role and more minutes?

“I just take what Coach tells me. I don’t look at that. For me, in every game, I don’t always look at the opponent. I just try to do my best. No matter the conditioning, I just try to be the best.”

You have some of the most overall basketball experience on the team. How do you use that as a leader on the court?

“With my experience, I can help the guys when we have tough moments. But also, in the good moments. I’ve been through moments with teams when we were not really good, and also, when we were up. I’m one of the most experienced players here, so I just try to lead the team and try to bring them together, bring guys together to have one goal: to win every single game.”