Heel Tough Blog: Luka Bogavac Cleared by NCAA, But Facing New Hurdle In Order to Play
- Anthony Pagnotta
- 19 minutes ago
- 2 min read
We have been waiting for an update on Luka Bogavac and on Wednesday, head coach Hubert Davis gave it to us.
According to Davis, Bogavac has been cleared to play by the NCAA, but still faces a new challenge when it comes to getting on the court.
Per Inside Carolina, Bogavac still must overcome “internal steps” before he is actually able to join the team on the court officially this season. It’s not that he has been admitted to the school; that step was completed two months ago. Instead the school must determine his playing eligibility, which is a separate step.
According to the Inside Carolina report, how far Bogavac is removed from being in school is what has been so complicated in trying to become eligible.
Because of that, there is a chance that the Tar Heels might not have one of their biggest offseason acquisitions for the start of the season. When asked if he would play on Friday in the team’s exhibition against BYU, Davis said “possibly”.
Having Bogavac would be a nice boost after he scored 14 points in the Blue-White scrimmage back just a couple of weekends ago. Bogavac, who came over from Montenegro, averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 45.1% from the field, 39.9% from 3-point range and 87.0% from the free throw line in 29.7 minutes per game this past season. That followed a season in 2023-24 where he averaged 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game while shooting 42.0% overall, 32.2% from three and 76.0% from the charity stripe in 18.3 minutes per game.
Without Bogavac, who is projected to be a starter, the team will have to turn to a backup plan on the wing. The team could turn to West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell, who averaged 8.3 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game and 0.7 assists per game in 30.1 minutes per game last year, or Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson, who averaged 5.4 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game and 0.6 blocks per game in 18.7 minutes per game last year.