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C Vuk Lazarevic

ScriptOhio
DZ83CK said:
Late "surprise" addition to the team, 7'1" C Vuk Lazarevic. He will be basically an ordinary freshman. My guess is he will be groomed to fill Ivan Njegovan's role in the future. Doubtful he will see meaningful PT this upcoming season, but with the new NCAA 5 for 5 rule, there will no longer be any point to sitting out completely.
https://www.dispatch.com/story/spor...vuk-lazarevic-college-basketball/89990739007/
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At 7-1, Serbian import Vuk Lazarevic will bring more size to Ohio State's front line​

We caught up with Ohio State men's basketball signee Vuk Lazarevic as he wraps up his time at Wasatch Academy. The 7-1 Lazarevic is a native of Belgrade, Serbia.​

The most recent addition to the Ohio State men's basketball roster will be one of the tallest players in program history.

Vuk Lazarevic, a 7-1, 215-pound center from Belgrade, Serbia, became the third freshman in Ohio State's 2026 recruiting class. Ohio State announced he had officially become a team member on May 11.

"I'm looking forward to Vuk joining our Buckeye family," Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. "His combination of size and skill fit our system, and he adds good depth to our front court. I can't wait to watch him grow and develop in our program."

The 18-year-old Lazarevic joins a pair of Ohio natives in forwards Anthony Thompson and Alex Smith in the 2026 recruiting class. He spent this school year playing in the U.S. at the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah.

In Serbia, Lazarevic played for one of the top clubs in Europe in Red Star Belgrade. At Wasatch, Lazarevic earned a starting role playing for coach Paul Peterson. Going against top competition in the EYBL Scholastic League, he averaged 8.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists and a team-high 1.2 blocks per game. He shot 67 percent from the floor (60 of 89) and 75 percent at the foul line (15 of 20). He helped Wasatch earn a No. 7 seed in the Chipotle Nationals at the end of the season.

He had 15 points and six rebounds in a win over Tennessee Christian Academy. He had 16 points against Long Island Lutheran. He had nine points and 10 rebounds vs. Iowa United.

He will be one of seven newcomers for coach Jake Diebler and the Ohio State men's program for the 2026-27 season. In addition to the three freshmen, OSU added four transfers in power forward Andrija Jelavic (from Kentucky), combo guard Justin Pippen (from Cal), shooting guard Jimmie Williams (from Duquesne) and point guard Curtis Givens III (from Memphis).

Lazarevic will join the forward/center group that also includes the 6-11 Jelavic, 7-2 center Ivan Njegovan, 6-10 forward/center Josh Ojianwuna and 6-8 forward Amare Bynum.

We were able to catch up with Lazarevic as he finishes up his time at Wasatch Academy and plans to come to Ohio State in June. Here was our interview with Lazarevic.

Q&A WITH VUK LAZAREVIC​

Q: What was the level of play when you were in Belgrade playing with the Red Star team? How would you describe it?
Lazarevic: "That was like their 18-U team, so it was a pretty good level of play."
Q: What was your plan coming to America? What was the thought when you decided to do that?
Lazarevic: "Oh, I wanted to choose the American type of basketball. I think that I can play better in American-style basketball. I can improve my physicality more in the United States. And I chose to come to America most because of that."
Q: The year that you were at Wasatch Academy out there just what did that give you to be able to play at that level against the best U.S. high school teams?
Lazarevic: "Wasatch Academy is a great school. I have a great connection with my coach, Paul Peterson. He really believed in me. We practiced really hard at the start of the season and because of that, he gave me the opportunity to play on this level."
Q: How do you feel you got better? How did you improve in the year that you were there?
Lazarevic: "I think my coach mostly prepared me for the American type of basketball because it's more physical. It's like tougher play with bigger guys and everything. And I think that's the biggest area where I wanted to improve when I came here."
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Developed Here

ScriptOhio
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At Ohio State, 'Developed Here' absolutely includes transfers​

Ohio State has perhaps the best reputation in college football when it comes to developing players they recruit out of high school. But what does not get talked about enough is how the Buckeyes are also doing a great job of developing players they get via the transfer portal. We have much more.​

One of the mottos of Ohio State's football program is "Developed Here." You can find it written in massive letters throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The Buckeyes are very proud of their reputation of developing excellent football players, and why shouldn't they?

When people hear the term "Developed Here" they likely think of players OSU recruited out of high school and stayed in Columbus for 3-5 years.

However, Ohio State has also become a program known for developing transfers as well. Will Howard had by far the best season of his career during his lone season in Columbus in 2024. Same deal for Seth McLaughlin. Josh Simmons, anyone? Davison Igbinosun is another good example and there are more, such as Will Kacmarek and others.

Caleb Downs likely would have been a stud anywhere he went – and in fact was as a true freshman at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State for his final two seasons – but you can include him if you'd like. Same deal for Quinshon Judkins.

Head coach Ryan Day was asked about this topic at his press conference earlier this week and gave an insightful response.

"Well, I think when you talk to guys like Davison or Will (Kacmarek), Quinshon, guys who have been in the program for a year or two, they can kinda do the talking for you as opposed to a coach. My son (RJ) is being recruited by some of these schools and I go on these visits and I kinda tell our staff, all coaches sound the same. They say the same thing over and over again.

"I think the thing that's different about Ohio State is we have the testimony to actually back it up. And we have the statistics to back it up. When you talk about the winning record, you talk about the stability, you talk about the development and what goes on here. We're very proud to say that I think we major in developing the elite athlete and preparing them for what's next, not only on the field but in life, but on the field as well.

"And maybe there's another team out there that has both coordinators who are former NFL head coaches, I don't think they do. (There is in fact no other program in college football history that has had two former NFL head coaches as its coordinators. This is a first.) And that's a tribute to (athletic director) Ross (Bjork) and our board to be able to go get the best people here and bring them in and pay them because they're pouring (knowledge) into our players.

"And so, when you come into Ohio State, you're gonna be surrounded by the best. You're gonna be on the biggest stage, you're gonna be surrounded by great people. Surrounded by players with the same mindset, and I think that matters as well. If you wanna know where you're going, just look around at who you're hanging with. And if you're trying to keep pace with these guys every day, it's only gonna make you better.

"So, guys like Davidson and Will come in from other programs, they just get a feel for that. And I love asking them, and I think it's always a good question to ask some of the guys who come from different programs, even for you guys. 'So, what's the difference between Ohio State and where you were?' It's always good to get that feedback and perspective back.

"But we're proud of that and how we set it up and excited to see where those guys end up here in a couple weeks (in the NFL Draft)."
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