PF Andrija Jelavic, a top European prospect, commits to Kentucky

Top European prospect Andrija Jelavic commits to Kentucky

Andrija Jelavic, one of the top European prospects in his age group, has committed to Kentucky in the class of 2025, his agent Misko Raznatovic of Beobasket told ESPN.

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Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 power forward who possesses significant experience at the international level, turns 21 next month. He played 53 games for Belgrade, Serbia-based Mega Superbet in the competitive Adriatic League the past two seasons, averaging 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 minutes per game, shooting 62% for 2.

Jelavic possesses a 7-foot-2 wingspan, excellent mobility and the versatility and skill to slide all over the floor on both ends, making 52 3s in his 53 games the past two seasons.

Kentucky has been active in the transfer portal the past few weeks, adding Arizona State center Jayden Quaintance, Pitt guard Jaland Lowe, Alabama big man Mouhamed Dioubate, and Tulane forward Kam Williams. They also will enroll two highly regarded freshmen: shooting guard Jasper Johnson and big man Malachi Moreno.

Along with Tennessee and Duke, Kentucky is heavily involved with the top remaining uncommitted high school senior, forward Nate Ament, a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

Jelavic’s commitment continues a significant change that is underway in the college basketball world with the proliferation of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, which has allowed international players to sign seven-figure deals in some instances, completely altering the European basketball market and NCAA recruiting landscape.

Sananda Fru, a 21-year-old German big man heading to Louisville, and David Mirkovic, a 19-year-old Montenegrin big man enrolling at Illinois, and Dominykas Pleta, a 20-year old German center heading to Iowa State, are some recent examples, with many more expected in the coming months.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.