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Scouting Report: BYU International Commit Petar Ostojic

How does the Serbian center play and how will he fit into BYU's system this upcoming season?
Aaron Mendoza|
BYU head coach Kevin Young against Arizona
BYU head coach Kevin Young against Arizona | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

A few weeks ago, Serbian center Petar Ostojic committed to BYU. After playing for a few different clubs in Serbia over the years, the 19 year-old big man is set to start the next chapter of his basketball career with the Cougars.

Let’s look at what Ostojic could bring to Provo and how he’ll fit into Kevin Young’s system.

Player Profile

At 7-foot-1, Ostojic has great length and a nice frame that any team would love to have. He’ll need to get stronger to handle the physicality of the Big 12, but considering he’s just a freshman, he’ll have plenty of time to do that as he settles into the program.

Many bigs his size cannot run the floor well but Ostojic has shown an ability to do that in transition. He isn’t as comfortable with handling the ball, so that’s an area where he’ll need to improve to take his game to the next level.

Style of Play

When it comes to how he plays, Ostojic is very much the mold of the traditional center. He is a back-to-basket big who lives in the paint and hasn’t quite developed much of a midrange or perimeter shot yet. However, he has good footwork that allows him to get nice looks at the rim.

He also uses his size well in the pick-and-roll to open up lanes for himself as he slashes towards the basket.

Ostojic loves to crash the glass and finish putbacks. On the other end of the floor, he has shown flashes of being a rim protector, but that’s something he’ll need to improve on and be more consistent with his timing. His shot blocking potential was on full display last summer, when he had six blocks for Serbia against North Macedonia in the U18 European Championship.

Production and Efficiency

In the 38 games he played last season across multiple teams and competitions, Osotjic averaged 3.8 points and 2.6 rebounds a game while shooting 54% from the field. Those stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, but he only averaged close to three field goal attempts a game and played 12.2 minutes a game.

In other words, he had a low volume of shots and played limited minutes but still found opportunities to contribute on both ends of the floor.

Projected Role

It’s expected that this upcoming season, Ostojic will be a depth piece in year one behind Jaxon Kohler, who is still currently eligible and would project as BYU’s starting center, and Khadim Mboup.

That would mean Ostojic will likely play limited minutes for the Cougars as a freshman. If Kohler ends up being ruled ineligible for the season or even parts of it, then that would give Ostojic a bigger role in the rotation.

Fit at BYU

It’s no secret that Young likes to run a high octane offense with guys who can stretch the floor and move the ball around. Ostojic will fill a different need for the Cougars as a rim runner. He won’t be expected to create his own offense but rather to create second-chance opportunities with rebounds and finish above the rim.

Defensively, he may be asked to provide some minutes as a paint protector and disrupt opposing bigs in different game situations.

Ostojic is still a raw prospect but has potential to be a contributor and make winning plays by doing the little things when he is on the floor. His development will be something to monitor all season long as he adjusts to college basketball and Young’s system.

You can watch his highlights below.

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Aaron Mendoza
AARON MENDOZA

Aaron Mendoza started his writing career as an independent writer and the founder of Full Court Cougs, a Substack publication focused on BYU basketball roster construction, player analysis, and the NCAA tournament outlook. His work emphasizes data-driven analysis and long-term program trends.

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