UNC, Other ACC Contenders Tap New International Talent Pipeline
By David Glenn
There have always been four main sources of talent for college basketball programs: high school prospects, junior college products, major college transfers and international players.
The first few weeks of the 2025-26 season offered a tidal wave of evidence that Atlantic Coast Conference teams have embraced a truly revolutionary change on that international recruiting scene in a highly impactful manner.
Professional basketball players — yes, professional, often meaning young men in their early 20s — from Europe, Africa and other parts of the globe are considering their American college basketball options in a manner that was previously unavailable.
For decades, if an international prospect wanted to play NCAA hoops, it was because he wanted to take advantage of the unique American blueprint that combines high-level athletics with a college education. In virtually every other part of the world, that’s an either/or proposition; an 18-year-old athletic prodigy in Europe, for example, typically dives into his sport via an apprenticeship with a professional club, and if he pursues higher education, he does so on his own time and in a manner that’s secondary to his athletic/professional responsibilities.
This past summer, for the first time in NCAA history, that same type of international prospect — even if he’s a few years into his professional career — was able to contemplate the basketball/education combination available in the United States while also taking advantage of the brand-new financial opportunities available via revenue-sharing (being paid by his own university), plus third-party Name-Image-Likeness cash, a concept now in its fifth year.
Sure enough, the international floodgates have opened.
In fact, every single ACC basketball contender this season has at least one rotation player who previously played professional basketball in a foreign country.
At Duke, freshman guard/forward Dame Sarr fits the description. A 19-year-old native of Italy, he played three seasons in Spain with FC Barcelona, one of the top professional clubs in Europe. After two years competing for the organization’s lower-tier squads, he was promoted to its top team in 2024-25. A projected first-round NBA draft pick, he has started every game this season for the Blue Devils, ranks fourth on the team in scoring (9 ppg), leads the team in steals and has connected on 42 percent of his 3-point attempts.
At Louisville, the starting center is 6-foot-11, 250-pound Sananda Fru. The 22-year-old played four seasons for Loewen Braunschweig in his native Germany, including as a full-time starter last year in that country’s top league. Listed as a junior in his debut season with the Cardinals, he’s averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game and leading the team in blocked shots.
At NC State, one of the top players off the bench is 6-10, 235-pound freshman forward Musa Sagnia. A 22-year-old native of Gambia, he played the past four seasons for Baxi Manresa in Spain, including as a backup with the organization’s top-tier team. In just 20 minutes per game, he’s averaging about four points and a team-leading seven rebounds for the Wolfpack.
At Virginia, both starting big men — one is the Cavaliers’ best player — are first-year European imports. Thijs de Ridder, a 6-9, 238-pound forward from Belgium, played the past two seasons for Bilbao Basket, in Spain’s top league. The 22-year-old leads the Cavs in scoring (17.3 ppg), ranks second in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and is hitting 54 percent of his field goal attempts. Johann Grunoh, a 7-0, 238-pound center from Germany, played the past two seasons for RASTA Vechta, in Germany’s top league. The 20-year-old is averaging about 10 points per game while leading the team in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and blocked shots (4 bpg).
UNC’s key international player, of course, is 22-year-old guard Luka Bogavac, from Montenegro. In the absence of injured guard Seth Trimble, the 6-6, 215-pound Bogavac has entered the Tar Heels’ starting lineup and now ranks as their fourth-leading scorer.
After a long and winding journey, Bogavac finally was cleared by UNC officials just as the team’s regular season got underway. He’s listed as a junior on the team’s official roster.
“He’s somebody, obviously coming from Montenegro, that has always — since the first time I talked to him — had a burning desire to be a part of this team, this program, this university and this community,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “To be able to see him run out of that tunnel with a uniform on, and to be able to check him in and see that smile, it’s something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
“There was a lot of extra stuff, outside of basketball, that was in my head, so for some time I couldn’t really relax and think just about basketball, because everything in my life changes,” Bogavac said. “But now I’m really happy to be playing, to be with the team, and I’m just trying to win every single game.”
Bogavac played the past two seasons for SC Derby in the Adriatic Basketball Association, which is one of the top half-dozen leagues in Europe. His shooting numbers overseas often approached 40 percent from 3-point territory and 90 percent from the free throw line.
During the Tar Heels’ 5-0 start, Bogavac didn’t shoot quite as well as expected (33 percent on threes, 72 percent from the foul line), but he averaged 12.6 points per game and showcased his ball-handling skills, with 15 assists against only four turnovers. He also became a fan favorite.
“We talk every day about our crowd and our fans,” Bogavac said. “It’s amazing how they’ve shown me love in such a short time. I just have one thing in my head when I step on the court — to give that love back. They’re like our sixth man. They push us all year, and I just want to give them something back every single game.”
David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.
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