Gonzaga competing with Kentucky, UCLA for 17-year-old Barcelona prospect

Nikola Kusturica is considered a top prospect in the 2028 NBA draft cycle

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are hard at work putting the finishing touches on what is shaping up to be a young, talented, and international-heavy roster for the 2026-27 season.

The return of Mario Saint-Supery and additions of Spanish big man Izan Almansa and Arizona State transfer and former Real Madrid big man Massamba Diop have put more international presence back in Spokane, a trend that could continue as the team tries to fill out its final four roster spots this summer.

The latest target for the Zags, according to a report from Jack Pilgrim of KSR+, is 6'9 Serbian Nikola Kusturica. The 17-year-old currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain and is drawing interest from Gonzaga as well as Kentucky and UCLA, among others.

While Kusturica could return to FC Barcelona, he is working toward finishing school so he can enroll early at the collegiate level, where he'd need to stay at least two years before being eligible for the 2028 NBA draft.

NEW -- Mark Pope and Kentucky pursuing Serbian star for 2026-27, multiple sources tell KSR+

INTEL: https://t.co/IJ1A96IIUs
JOIN: https://t.co/yDpOSjrg7C pic.twitter.com/fiRxmPjXgC

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 12, 2026

Who is Nikola Kusturica?

Kusturica is a big guard who averaged 11 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals across 34 international games this past season as a 17-year-old. That included 11 appearances with FC Barcelona's top club, where he averaged 1.9 points in 4.8 minutes per game.

Kusturica helped Barcelona capture the Adidas NextGen Finals championship earlier this year, dropping 20 points with 10 rebounds in the title game against Real Madrid. He averaged 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across six total games.

The Serbian has excelled against similarly aged competition, winning MVP of the 2025 FIBA U16 EuroBasket tournament last summer - averaging 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 steals in seven games, including 18 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists in the championship over Lithuania.

Fit at Gonzaga

Although he'd be among the youngest players in college basketball, Kusturica is an incredibly polished player for his age and could impact Gonzaga right away next season.

He offers elite positional size and rebounding, defensive versatility, and an advanced offensive game. For a team that has zero guard depth at the moment, Kusturica would immediately slot into a role as the team's backup wing, assuming Isiah Harwell and Davis Fogle slot in at the two and three, respectively.

Gonzaga has been all over Spanish basketball this past year with Saint-Supery, Diop, and Almansa, and Kusturica's time with Barcelona gives the Zags an in on his recruitment. It likely doesn't hurt that Gonzaga has also succeeded with players from Eastern Europe - including Serbian forward Filip Petrusev, who earned All-America honors at Gonzaga in 2020.

Gonzaga has more roster spots and promise of playing time than either Kentucky or UCLA, giving them a real chance at snagging a very promising young player with real NBA upside in Kusturica.