| UConn Adds Two International Prospects for 2025-26
(From: uconnhuskies.com and courant.com) |
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Uroš Paunović became the Huskies first recruit from the world's #2 team in FIBA. The Serbian comes in as a 22 year old pro with a 6-4 frame and the ability to play both guard positions. This provides
value for coach Hurley, having a seasoned player that can impact the game at either spot when needed.
It's a buzzing basketball scene in Serbia and Paunović turned heads with a triple double. He showed some maturity at the mic afterwards. 'I am very glad to have played a game like this and it is a really nice feeling to be the MVP of the round. But, above all, the most important thing is that my team continues to record victories. In this kind of atmosphere, as in our team and in Zlatibor, it is beautiful to play and live in Zlatibor, because the conditions are ideal', the great Paunović said and added: 'We are expecting an extremely hard pace of playing games. The final of the ABA 2 league is ahead of us and we will play every three days matches. It is not easy to play in such a rhythm. However, it is up to us to recover as soon as possible, in order to achieve the goals we set before the start of the season.' He most recently averaged 9.2 on 57% shooting, 35% from three. He can also take it strong. What separates Paunović from most guards is his rebounding. At 6’4″ and with years of professional action under his belt, he can pull down boards and instantly lead the break when the starters need a breather. 
Rrezon Elezaj becomes UConn's first player from Kosovo, though he's made his basketball bones in Turkey. He is coming in to fill out the 2025-26 roster and checking in at 7-1 as an 18 year old.
As developmental as it gets, coach Hurley is intrigued. 'Rrezon is an interesting prospect, a true 7-footer, who just turned 18. We’re looking forward to bringing him into our program and getting to work on his development. He has really solid instincts and timing as a shot-blocker and is a legitimate lob threat in the ball-screen game. Rrezon has experience coming through the ranks as a Turkish youth national team player, and we’re excited to add him to our group up front with Tarris, Eric, and Dwayne.' More of a developmental piece, RRezon played at the FIBA U17 and U18 junior levels and spent this past season with the prestigious club Besiktas in Turkey’s U19 league. A Turkish national, Elezaj averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. He also played in the FIBA U18 Eurobasket in 2024 (3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds per game) and in 2025 (5.4 points, 5.4 rebounds per game). We'll learn how to roll those 'R's. |
More Breaking News items: 08-18-2025 UConn Lands Two International Prospects 05-06-2025 Early Departures: McNeeley, Mahaney, Nowell, Abraham, Singare, Adams (theuconnblog.com) 05-05-2025 UConn plans to fill out 2025-26 roster (Courant) 04-29-2025 Alex Karaban To Return for Super Senior Season (courant.com) 04-29-2025 Stephon Castle wins NBA Rookie of the Year 04-14-2025 Huskies Land Transfer Malachi Smith (uconnhuskies.com) 04-03-2025 Huskies Ink Top Transfer Silas Demary Jr.(uconnhuskies.com) 04-01-2025 Liam McNeeley declares for NBA Draft (espn.com) 03-23-2025 Men's Basketball vs Florida on 3/23/2025 - Box Score (uconnhuskies.com) 03-21-2025 Record 13th straight NCAA Win over Oklahoma (uconnhuskies.com) |