Arizona and international recruiting are becoming synonymous. What began as a trend under Sean Miller has continued with Tommy Lloyd now leading the Wildcats, and Tuesday the team added its latest prospect from overseas.
Versatile 6-foot-8 wing Filip Borovicanin is leaving Serbia to move across the globe to Tucson where he will become part of Arizona's 2022 class. The big guard is capable of scoring at a high level, which should help the Wildcats replace some of the production lost with leading scorer Benn Mathurin deciding to enter the NBA Draft last week.
"First of all I want to thank everyone who participated in my development path and who helped me become the best version of myself," Borovicanin wrote in a post made to Instagram on Monday ahead of his announcement. "Special thanks to [Košarkaški Klub Beko] for the unforgettable years behind us. I would also like to thank all my teammates for an unforgettable season, but I have to continue my path and achieve my goal."
Borovicanin averaged 20 points and nine rebounds for KK Beko, which is based in Belgrade, giving UA another scoring option on the perimeter.
Lloyd has built his international connections over many years while at Gonzaga while the Wildcats are no stranger to dipping into the European pool of players as well. Associate head coach Jack Murphy and assistant coach Riccardo Fois have plenty of ties overseas as well making it a natural fit for international recruits.
Though Lloyd said he would not solely focus on international recruiting while at Arizona, it is going to continue to be a big part of how Arizona builds its team each season.
Borovicanin, who also had interest from Xavier and others, is the latest piece to the puzzle for UA as Lloyd looks to build his roster for the upcoming season.
The Serbian wing joins four-star in-state recruit Dylan Anderson as the two members of Arizona's 2022 recruiting class. So far UA has lost two players to the NBA Draft after center Christian Koloko announced his plans Monday to leave school early in favor of a pro career.
As it stands now, the Wildcats will have seven international players on the roster for the upcoming season with the addition of Borovicanin. Adama Bal (France), Pelle Larsson (Sweden), Azuolas and Tautvilas Tubelis (Lithuania), Oumar Ballo (Mali) and Kerr Kriisa (Estonia) make up the rest of the group.
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