Serbian forward Filip Borovicanin arrives at Arizona looking to make a name for himself in the United States after joining the Wildcats earlier in the year.
The freshman earned attention from other schools such as Xavier, Georgia Tech and Texas Tech, but Borovicanin chose the Wildcats after being recruited by head coach Tommy Lloyd and associated head coach Jack Murphy going back to last fall.
Hailing from Belgrade, Borovicanin comes to Tucson having never lived outside of his home country and ready to face new experiences.
“I came here about two months ago and I have had a great experience here,” Borovicanin said Wednesday as he met local reporters for the first time. “I feel it’s really good. And I have fun.”
Having excelled for KK Beko of the Second Basketball League of Serbia, Borovicanin made the move to America to have a better chance of making it big in basketball which he feels is more difficult to do overseas as a young player.
Having the luxury of a long recruiting process, the 6-foot-8 freshman was able to build a strong relationship with the coaching staff leading up to his decision to play for Lloyd.
“Yeah, it was really great,” Borovicanin said. “I feel like I had a really great relationship with Tommy and Murph. They gave me space [to make up my mind].”
Arizona has become the home for multiple players from Serbia in the past, and Lloyd has recruited players from the country while at Gonzaga. So, Borovicanin comes to a program that will know how to make him feel welcome and utilize his skill set in an effective way.
“I think he helped me a lot,” Borovicanin said about meeting former Wildcats center Dusan Ristic this summer. “He prepared me with like how practices will be like here with [strength] coach Chris Rounds. He prepared me for everything here.”
Being an all-around type player, Borovicanin’s abilities make him an easy fit into Lloyd’s system and could even see him contribute as a freshman.
“I think I can fit great here because I can shoot, I can pass, I can play off the ball or on ball,” Borovicanin said. “And about role, I don’t know which role coach Tommy will give me this year. But whether if it’s going to be supporting the team from the bench or playing in the game scoring baskets and assists. I’ll try to do my best to help the team win games."
With European basketball being a different style of play as opposed to the type of basketball played in the the US, adjusting to the Arizona playing style and pace will be another transition that Borovicanin will have to make. That means certain parts of his game will need to be adjusted accordingly as well.
Lloyd has already helped Borvicanin make changes to his game to better fit the American style of basketball.
“When I first came here, I passed a lot of no-look passes and everything," Borovicanin said. "He tried to get me to play simple, more simple, or on two feet."
With basketball being popular in Serbia but not as intense as it is in America, Borovicanin grew up studying the game by spending time watching NBA games since it is not as common to watch college basketball overseas. His favorite teams to watch are the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks with Luka Doncic being the player he looks up to the most.
“I think basketball in Serbia, it’s not like athletic guys like here,” Borovicanin said. “Guys who are from Serbia play with a lot of IQ and they can show they can pass and they can dribble.”
Borovicanin will get his first opportunity to perform in front of Arizona fans later this month when the team hosts its annual Red-Blue Game on Sept. 30 at McKale Center.
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