Serbian sharpshooter commits to Indiana basketball
The Indiana basketball team picked up an intriguing commitment on Monday as Serbian guard Aleksa Ristic announced that he will come to the United States to play for the Hoosiers. Ristic was born in 2005, so his freshman year would've been back in 2023 if he started college at 18 like most college basketball players. Ristic has been playing professionally in Serbia in the Serbian KLS league, but he is now making the move to college basketball. This is a big get for new head coach Darian DeVries.
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'NEWS: Serbian 6-foot-4 guard Aleksa Ristic has committed to Indiana, @Agency55NIL tells @On3Recruits,' Joe Tipton said in a post. 'The 19-year-old will join the Hoosiers for the upcoming season. An elite shooter, Ristic most recently played for KK Dynamic, a top professional club in Serbia, where he averaged 13.8 PPG on nearly 39% from three.'
This is such an important pickup for Darian DeVries and the Indiana basketball team because of the experience that Aleksa Ristic brings to the table. This isn't like a typical high schooler coming in for a freshman season, this is a player with professional experience, and Ristic has excelled during his time playing in Serbia. He is the kind of player that can come in and make an immediate impact, and his three-point shooting ability will especially be big.
The pressure is going to be on DeVries during his first season at Indiana as this fan base is desperate to see some success. So far, he is having a good offseason as he has brought in some good experienced talent like Aleksa Ristic. Players like him should help alleviate some of the pressure that he will feel during year one.
Indiana didn't experience a lot of success under head coach Mike Woodson, and it was disappointing as the Hoosiers were always expected to be one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Now, a new era is underway for the program, and Indiana fans are hoping that it goes a lot better.
Related: Khaman Maluach gets real on how Duke prepared him for NBA Draft
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