Talented International Duo Joining Dan Hurley, UConn Huskies Roster
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The college basketball season is quickly approaching, but the UConn Huskies still found time to make two significant roster moves on Monday.
Dan Hurley and the program announced that two international players have committed and added to the roster for the 2025-26 NCAA season.
Uros Paunovic - Guard, Serbia
The first player the Huskies added to the roster is guard Uros Paunovic. The 22-year-old is a guard out of Belgrade, Serbia, who has been playing overseas in the KLS.
Last season, which was Paunovic’s third in the league, he averaged 9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent from behind the arc in 11 games.
If there is one area where Paunovic can improve on to get more minutes with UConn, it’s his decision-making when running the offense. He averaged 1.7 turnovers during his last season.
Still, Hurley views the international guard as an already well-rounded player who has a ton of experience playing against quality competition.
“Uros is a guy we liked on film. He's got a ton of experience as a 22-year-old; he's been a starter professionally in the top division in Serbia, a 6-3 guard who's pretty good with the ball, can shoot and pass, and plays with real emotion on the floor. We're looking forward to having him join the Huskies," said UConn’s head coach in a press release.
Rrezon Elezaj - Center, Turkey
The second player UConn brought into their program from overseas was Rrezon Elezaj. The 18-year-old is a center out of Turkey who has been playing for the Next Generation Team Istanbul in the Istanbul League.
Elezaj is definitely a work in progress. In his four games last season, he only averaged 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 12.4 minutes of work. The seven-footer does have a bright defensive upside and recorded 1.8 blocks in the Istanbul League.
In terms of Elezaj’s outlook with the Huskies, Hurley added, "Rrezon is an interesting prospect, a true 7-footer, who just turned 18. We're looking forward to bringing him into our program and getting to work on his development. He has really solid instincts and timing as a shot-blocker and is a legitimate lob threat in the ball-screen game. Rrezon has experience coming through the ranks as a Turkish youth national team player, and we're excited to add him to our group up front with Tarris, Eric, and Dwayne."
Hurley and the Huskies have done a solid job at developing center over the last few seasons. Tarris Reed Jr. looks like he’s in store for a big season, and Donovan Clinghan is making a name for himself in the NBA.
There’s a lot ot like about what Elezaj could grow into during his time at UConn.
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Tommy Wild has been primarily contributing across the Browns, Guardians and Cavaliers sites in the On SI network since 2022. Born, raised, and having graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Tommy knows firsthand how passionate the fan base is and he does his best to replicate that in his writing.