Latest OSU Cowboys Basketball Signee Brings Vast International Experience

Oklahoma State can start planning for how they’ll use their latest transfer, who signed on Monday.

Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s latest transfer signing is from North Carolina, but he brings impressive international experience, too.

The Cowboys announced the signing of Tar Heels transfer guard Luka Bogavac, a 6-6 guard from Mojkovac, Montenegro. It’s the international experience that Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz hopes to lean into as he remakes OSU next season.

"Luka has grown up in high-level basketball and has performed on some of the world's biggest stages. It shows in his game—he plays with poise, confidence and purpose. Paired with his size and shooting ability, he has all the tools to be a very good player at OSU,” Lutz said in an OSU release announcing Bogavac’s signing.

He is the fourth transfer the Cowboys have officially signed, joining Georgetown center Julius Halaifonua, Sam Housotn guard Kashie Natt and Sam Houston guard Jacob Walker. The only committed transfer whose signing hasn’t been officially announced by OSU is former Arizona State forward Andrija Grbović.

Assessing Luka Bogavac’s OSU Fit

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Last season with North Carolina he averaged 10 points per game and led the team with 52 made 3-pointers. He only shot 35% from the arc last season, but he’s fired at a better clip internationally. Before he came to the U.S., he played two seasons in the Adriatic League with SC Derby and averaged nearly 15 points per game. He also shot 40% from the 3-point line.

He’s logged time with Montenegro’s senior national team, as he played in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and FIBA EuroBasket Qualifiers. Before he played for the senior national team, he fueled the country’s bronze medal run at the 2022 FIBA U20 EuroBasket.

Plus, while attending high school in Belgrade, Serbia, he played two seasons with KK Mega Basket, a basketball development program that in 2022 won the Junior ABA League title with him and future NBA first-round pick Nikola Jovic.

Bogavac gives the Cowboys a guard capable of being among the top 3-point shooters in the Big 12 next season. Considering what’s returning, he could be in the starting lineup, or he could be the first or second player off the bench, especially if his 3-point shot heats up right away in those situations. Returning guard Kanye Clary figures to be the most competitive player for Bogavac’s playing time among returning players.

Lutz has assembled a freshman class that is one of the best in the country and includes three four-star recruits in forward Latrell Allmond, a 6-8 forward who played at Petersburg High School in Richmond, Va.; guard Anthony Felisi, a 6-5 guard from Utah Prep in Orem, Utah; and forward Jalen Montonati, a 6-7 forward from Owasso, Okla.