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Serbia’s Nikola Kusturica lands at UCLA, boosting 2028 NBA draft buzz

By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nikola Kusturica of Serbia is joining UCLA’s basketball program this fall, along with Gunars Grinvalds of Latvia, the school announced Thursday.

They join center Javonte Floyd of Atlanta and guard/forward Joe Philon III of Tampa, Florida, in the Bruins’ freshman class.

Kusturica turned 17 in April and is already an early prospect to be the No. 1 pick in the 2028 NBA draft. He’s two years from being eligible for the league.

Kusturica, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward, has played with FC Barcelona’s youth team since 2023. He helped the team win the U18 Adidas Next Generation tournament championship in May, averaging 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in six games. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in an 85-77 win over Real Madrid in the title game.

Competing in Spain’s U22 league during the 2025-26 season, Kusturica averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 19 games. He scored in double figures in 16 contests.

Grinvalds, a 6-7 forward, most recently competed for Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga ACB. In May at the U18 Adidas Next Generation tournament, Grinvalds averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in six games with Real Madrid. He shot 51% overall and 37% from 3-point range while averaging at least 25 minutes per game.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

NCAA Division II panel pushes shift to age-based eligibility starting in 2026-27

By The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NCAA Division II athletes would move immediately to the age-based eligibility model adopted in Division I under proposed emergency legislation announced Tuesday. The Division II Management Council recommended the division's executive board adopt the model that would create a five-year period of eligibility, effective for the 2026-27 academic year. Under the proposal, an athlete's eligibility would begin upon initial full-time enrollment or the regular academic year immediately following the student-athlete’s 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier. The model was approved in Division I last month and would replace the current Division II model giving athletes four seasons of competition to be completed within their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of full-time enrollment. “As we continue evaluating the future of Division II eligibility, our focus remains on creating legislation that is not only easy to understand but is also equitable and centered on the student-athlete experience,” said Ben Cherry, faculty athletics representative at Cal State San Marcos and chair of the management council. “This age-based model simplifies the rules structure by providing clarity and consistency while continuing to support academic success and student-athlete well-being.”
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