To add to its offseason of significant turnover, the UNC men’s basketball program turned overseas for a sharpshooting creator.
Luka Bogavac — a 21-year-old, 6-foot-5 guard playing for SC Derby in the premier league of the Western Balkins in Europe — committed to head coach Hubert Davis and the team on Saturday, according to his representation. ESPN and Jonathan Givony first reported the news.
Bogavac is from Montenegro and comes from a basketball family, with his father playing for 14 seasons in the Adriatic League (AdmiralBet ABA League) where Luka has played professionally since 2021. While averaging few minutes in his initial two seasons, Bogavac saw significantly more playing time after joining SC Derby in Montenegro. For the 2024-25 season, he averaged nearly 15 points per game along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in more than 29 minutes per game — all career highs. The 21-year-old also averaged 39.9% from beyond the arc while taking more than five three-pointers a game, and shot more than 45% overall from the floor.
In addition to playing in the ABA League, Bogavac faced top European competition while playing for the Montenegro national team program. He competed in the FIBA U20 European Championship in both 2022 and 2023 before joining the roster of the senior national team for the 2024 FIBA Olympic qualifiers and the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers.
The commitment from Bogavac marks the first international transfer of Davis’ coaching tenure and since general manager Jim Tanner joined the program in the spring. In his introduction announcement, Carolina Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham included a mention of Tanner seeking not just the top talent within the United States but “throughout the international game.”
As of Saturday, all of UNC men’s basketball’s other offseason additions have primarily played stateside. Bogavac will join wing players Jonathan Powell (West Virginia) and Jaydon Young (Virginia Tech), guard Kyan Evans (Colorado State), forward Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), center Henri Veesaar (Arizona), and incoming freshmen Caleb Wilson, Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis.
Featured photo via Buducnost VOLI/Filip Roganovic and ABA Liga.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
Here's a List of Every Transfer to Join the UNC Men's Basketball Program This Offseason (2025)Several transfers have announced their intentions to join head coach Hubert Davis and UNC next season. Here’s a list of those incoming players: Ivan Matlekovic – High Point A seven-footer originally from Croatia, Matlekovic played in just five games during his only season with High Point. He joined the Tar Heels late in the offseason, […]
Virginia Tech Transfer Jaydon Young Commits to UNC Men's BasketballJaydon Young, who spent the first two seasons of his career at Virginia Tech, committed to head coach Hubert Davis and UNC out of the transfer portal Friday. He will have two years of eligibility in Chapel Hill. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jaydon Young (@jaaaydonn3) A six-foot-four guard from Goldsboro, […]
Chansky's Notebook: Final TransfersWith the college basketball transfer portal closing tonight, Art Chansky digs into who UNC will add and potentially lose this offseason.
UNC's Ven-Allen Lubin to Enter Transfer Portal With 'Full Intent' of Returning to UNCUNC’s Ven-Allen Lubin is expected to enter the transfer portal before it closes Tuesday night. However, according to a social media post from Lubin, the big man is entering the portal “with full intent on returning to UNC.” Before anybody jumps to the wrong conclusion, I am letting everyone know that I am entering the […]
Alabama Transfer Jarin Stevenson Commits to UNC Men's BasketballA former local standout is coming back home. Jarin Stevenson, a 6-foot-11 forward who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Alabama, committed to head coach Hubert Davis and UNC out of the transfer portal Sunday night. Stevenson will have two years of eligibility remaining. Stevenson’s high school recruitment saga stands as […]
UNC's Cade Tyson Will Leave Program, Enter Transfer PortalAfter just one season in Chapel Hill, Cade Tyson is moving on from UNC. Tyson entered his name into the transfer portal Friday afternoon, marking the junior’s second foray into the portal in as many offseasons. The former Belmont standout arrived at UNC with high expectations – he scored 16.2 points per game and shot […]
Here's a List of Who is Transferring Out of the UNC Men's Basketball Program (2025)The college basketball transfer portal opened March 24, and several Tar Heels have entered their names in. Here’s a list of which players have expressed their intention to leave Chapel Hill this offseason: F Ven-Allen Lubin Lubin announced his entry into the portal April 21, but with a catch: the big man said his “full […]
Colorado State Transfer Kyan Evans Commits to UNC Men's BasketballKyan Evans, who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career with Colorado State, committed to head coach Hubert Davis and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday evening. He will have two years of eligibility remaining in Chapel Hill. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kyan Evans (@kyan.evans) Colorado State […]
UNC's Ian Jackson to Leave Program, Enter Transfer PortalFreshman guard Ian Jackson will leave the UNC men’s basketball program. He officially entered the transfer portal Monday afternoon with three years of eligibility remaining. Jackson arrived in Chapel Hill as a heralded five-star recruit from the Bronx, the highest-rated player to sign with head coach Hubert Davis to that point. The freshman’s up-and-down season […]
Chansky's Notebook: Moves and MaybesHubert Davis must be conducting a detailed search to fill UNC's 2025-26 roster with championship skills and mettle.
›
