I reported back in August that Jakub Urbaniak was facing eligibility questions, and he will officially not join BYU this coming season. Jakub has officially signed with CB Gran Canaria, the team announced this morning.
Back in May, the NCAA set more scrutiny on the professional league in which international players participated in and how much money they made before coming over. Jakub had issues around getting NCAA clearance, and ultimately decided to return to Europe rather than going through an appeals process. Urbaniak was expected to be BYU’s starting center when he initially committed in July, but would have been in a bench role after the signing of Jaxon Kohler. Kohler is facing his own eligibility questions.
Petar Ostojic
Urbaniak is gone, and BYU will fill the void with another big man. Sources tell me that 7-foot-1 Serbian big man Petar Ostojic has committed to BYU and is currently on campus. He arrived earlier this week.
Ostojic is 19 years old and is listed at 215cm by his club team, which translates to 7-foot-1. Ostojic got onto the radar of teams last summer in the FIBA U18 Euro Basket. In a game against North Macedonia, he recorded 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocks.
Petar’s role this season will depend on what happens with BYU’s Jaxon’s eligibility. As I wrote in late August, big men Jaxon Kohler and Jakub Urbaniak are both facing eligibility questions. There’s little concern Ostojic will be eligible due to the low level he has played at. Everyone in his same situation has been cleared by the NCAA.
Kohler is currently eligible, but his status could be in flux as fifth-year player eligibility is debated in state courts. Kohler is on campus and has been practicing with the team.
The ideal scenario for BYU would be for Petar to be a development type big this year and potentially get some minutes when BYU is going against bigger frontcourts. If Kohler is eligible , Kohler would be the starter and I’d anticipate Mboup to be the primary backup five with Petar getting minutes depending on opposing frontcourt size and BYU foul trouble. If Kohler is ineligible, Petar would be thrust into a bigger role as the backup five behind Mboup.
At a minimum, Petar gives BYU additional depth, size, and some insurance in the front court, all things that BYU needs. You can watch highlights below.
With the addition of Petar and departure of Jakub, BYU has one scholarship opening. Two sources have told me that BYU may keep that open for a mid-year international addition, similar to what BYU did with Abdullah Ahmed last season.
