One of the more unique players on the team, Mihailo Boskovic is a 22-year-old first-year college basketball player.
The 6-foot-10 prospect from Uzice, Serbia, is the tallest person in the rotation and has a smooth shooting stroke, a massive bonus to this BYU team. Boskovic left his professional team, KK Igokea, in Serbia to come to BYU. Boskovic is listed as a junior and is expected to be a contributor immediately.
Boskovic’s style of play is the perfect fit for how BYU wants to play stylistically this season.
“Stylistically offensively, I just think what I am used to in the NBA,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young on ESPN’s Big 12 Tip-Off Show. “Which is five-out basketball, getting into our actions, really quickly, you know, playing with the great pace, with great spacing and moving the basketball.”
Boskovic is the prototypical stretchmark big man who can space the floor, connect the offense at the top of the key, and be a three-level threat in screen-and-roll situations. He can screen and pop out to the 3-point line, catch in the short roll and pass or score, and is athletic enough to finish at the rim.
Boskovic with his second 3 of the game. Big fella can stroke it. pic.twitter.com/sPsCiOHATF
— Church Ball: A BYU Hoops Pod (@churchballpod) October 10, 2024
What makes Boskovic so intriguing this season is that he can play the four with Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore or the five without either of them on the floor. He is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches because his shooting ability will pull their bigs away from the basket, freeing up driving lanes for BYU’s guards to get downhill and attack.
“[Boskovic] plays extremely hard, knows how to play versatile,” said Young. “You know, I see him as a guy that can play multiple positions, can give us a different look as a stretch five, he's athletic [and] protects the rim.”
So why is Boskovic only nine on the list?
First, as everyone reading this knows, this roster is very talented. Second, Boskovic was a late arrival to the team and will be playing catch-up compared to everyone else who practiced all summer. Third, Boskovic played for Igokea in the Bosnia-Division 1 and the ABA league last season. Combining his 2023-24 3-point-shooting percentage with Igokea from those two leagues, he shot 16 of 55 from 3. That is only 29% from 3, which is inefficient at best.
If Boskovic shoots over 36% from 3 and can fit in seamlessly with his late arrival, his importance this season will be much higher than ninth. But given his late arrival and inconsistent shooting last year, someone had to go in the ninth spot.