Baylor Basketball Scores a Big Visit from a Professional Big Man
In this story:
The Baylor Bears are about to host a big visit to make a major addition to their frontcourt, and this one comes from Serbia.
The 7-foot professional Lazar Stojkovic from Serbia has scheduled three official visits, according to On3’s Joe Tipton via his agent, Stevan Petrovic.
Where He Plays
Of the three visits, Baylor is second in line behind conference rival, the Kansas Jayhawks. After his visit to Waco on February 25-26, he’ll head to Columbus to take in the view of Ohio State.
Stojkovic currently plays with both Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet and BKK Radnički in Serbia.
Each of those teams have separate goals and philosophies.
Crvena Zvezda competes in the Serbian League, ABA League, and the EuroLeague, while Radnički focuses on developing young talent.
Serbia has put together some impressive NBA talent in recent years, most notably, arguably the best player in basketball with Denver’s Nikola Jokic.
While Stojkovic is unlikely to get near the impact of someone like Jokic, he could be a big addition to Baylor’s front court, which has struggled for most of the season.
Frontcourt Struggles
James Nnaji, who has been termed the most polarizing player in college basketball, has not had the impact anticipated when Scott Drew was able to get him to return to college after a brief stint as a professional.
He’s averaging less than two points-per-game, and his defensive impact has not been what the Bears anticipated either.
He was recently benched for the team’s loss to TCU
"Well, I think the cramping part is something that we've got to figure out," Drew said of Nnaji’s lack of time on the court. "Eating, hydration. I know Dan got dizzy. I don't know if he's getting sick or just didn't eat properly. But the best ability is availability.
"We all know that. We all preach that. We have tough guys. They've been available for most of the year. This hadn't been an issue. But today, it was. James, since he's been here, he's not been right. Meaning he's still in recovery mode and trying to put multiple days together. And he's trying."
Another player in the front court who has struggled was forward Michael Rataj. Recently, we discussed the impact or lack thereof and the relationship between that and Baylor’s relationship with the scoreboard.
Essentially, when Rataj puts the ball in the basket, Baylor wins. When he doesn’t, they struggle mightily.
In terms of scoring, Baylor’s frontcourt could get a boost in that department if they were able to get Stojkovic to commit to them.
Stojkovic played 12 games for BKK Radnicki between Oct. 4 2025 and Feb. 1 2026, averaging 5.5 points on 48.6% shooting and 2.3 rebounds in just under 14 minutes per game. His per-40 minute average stats are 16.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 blocks and 1.5 steals.
He averaged 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks at the 2025 Euroleague Next Generation Tournament as well.
More from Baylor on SI
- Baylor's Leading Scorer is a Finalist for Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award
- Ranking Baylor Football's 2026 Opponents from Easiest to Hardest
- Baylor Football Recently Added Fourth Commitment to 2027 Recruiting Class
- Bears Have a Heartbeat: What We Learned about Baylor Hoops in Win Over West Virginia
- Three Baylor Bears Make CBS Top 100 Transfer Portal List
Jacob Westendorf is a contributing writer for Baylor Bears on SI. He is also a writer covering the Green Bay Packers for Packers on SI. Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.