Luka Bogavac Explains Personal and Team Growth After Win

The overseas transfer has been an under-the-radar acquisition for the Tar Heels this season. The shooting guard explained his personal growth, while highlighting the team's development heading into conference play.

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) with the ball as Georgetown Hoyas center Julius Halaifonua (11) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Constructing a championship-caliber roster through the transfer portal is exactly what the North Carolina Tar Heels orchestrated this past offseason. The Tar Heels' current starting lineup consists of four transfers and an incoming five-star freshman.

It took some time for the roster to gel and play cohesive basketball, but the Tar Heels appear to be finding their rhythm at the midway point of December with conference play later this month.

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) brings the ball up the court as Georgetown Hoyas guard Langston Love (13) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

One of those transfer portal acquisitions is overseas guard Luka Bogavac, who is averaging 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 39.1 percent from the field and 32.7% from three-point range.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference availability, Bogavac spoke on his personal development, while explaining how the team has improved with conference play beginning later this month.

Bogavac's Thoughts

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) shoots the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

• "I try every single game to get more and more comfortable, to try to find my rhythm with this team," Bogavac said. "The pick-and-roll game is one of the things that I feel most comfortable [with]."

Bogavac operates as a catch-and-shoot guard. With Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar occupying so much attention, the 6-foot-5, 216-pound guard has been given more space along the perimeter. Although that has not led to efficient success, Bogavac's threat from beyond the arc will punish defenses that fail to recover in rotations after doubling either of the aforementioned players in the paint.

With conference play on the horizon, with North Carolina's first game against an ACC opponent occuring on Dec. 30 against the Florida State Seminoles, Bogavac explained the importance of winning each and every game leading up to that portion of the season.

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) shoots as Georgetown Hoyas center Julius Halaifonua (11) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

• "Our goal is just to learn from every single game to be more efficient [on] both ends of the floor, and so this is what we try to do every single night," Bogavac said.

While there have been a few notable games in the early part of the season - Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Georgetown - the Tar Heels have not faced formidable opponents each and every week. That will become the norm starting in January.

Rotations and learning defensive tendencies have been a challenge this season, specifically with the backcourt. Head coach Hubert Davis explained this during his postgame press conference.

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis watches the action across the court during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

• "I think that's huge," Davis said. "I mean, it's only nine games in. I don't know who I talked to before, but in the preseason, we didn't have Luka [Bogavac]. Then we had a full team for two games, and then we haven't had Seth [Trimble] for six games." 

• "So, it's trying to figure out rotations," Davis continued. "And then when Seth comes back, it's finding it again. Different combinations is one of the things that I was excited about coming into the season. That is the versatility that we have, that we can throw out a number of different rotations out there that can be really effective on the floor."

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