Boise State adds guard with international experience; Mountain West may expand schedule
The Boise State men’s basketball team has signed Pavle Kuzmanovic — a 6-foot-5 guard from Loznica, Serbia — Broncos coach Leon Rice announced Tuesday evening.
Kuzmanovic was a member of the Serbian U18 and U19 National Teams, and he spent last season playing for ABS Primorje 1945 in the top professional division in Montenegro. The 19-year-old plans to enroll at Boise State this summer as a true freshman.
“Pavle has great international experience, playing with national teams and against high-level competition night in and night out in Montenegro,” Rice said Tuesday in a press release. “He is a tough kid and has a great desire to work and get better. That’s one of the main things that lets me know he’s going to be a great fit with our program and be a guy who can come in and have a great career here.”
This season, Kuzmanovic averaged 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists a game, and he shot 37.7% from beyond the arc. Last season, he shot 44.8% from 3-point range for OKK Beograde in KLS, the top league in Serbia. On the international stage, he helped Serbia win the gold medal at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championships.
Next season, Boise State has to replace its top 3-point shooter in Justinian Jessup, who hit a team-high 98 threes, and RJ Williams, who led the team with 8.9 rebounds a night.
The Broncos may also have to replace leading scorer Derrick Alston Jr., who declared for the NBA Draft but has the option to withdraw and retain his eligibility.
The NCAA announced May 13 that it has extended the deadline for players to withdraw from the draft, and a new deadline will be set once a firm timeline for the pre-draft process is in place. The NBA Draft remains scheduled for June 25.
Conference schedule may expand
Pending approval from university presidents, the Mountain West is preparing to expand from 18 to 20 conference games in men’s and women’s basketball, according to a story from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The expanded schedule won’t begin until 2022-23, according to the Tribune, after the Mountain West-Atlantic 10 Challenge series expires. The Mountain West didn’t respond Tuesday to a request for a statement.
Mountain West teams played a 14-game conference schedule during the first six seasons it was in existence, and then 16 until BYU, Utah and TCU left in 2011. They’ve played 18 conference games since 2013-14.
This winter, Boise State went 11-7 in Mountain West play.
