(2025) - C Andrej Acimovic to INDIANA

[Class of '66 Old Fart 93,207]

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/indiana-basketball-has-added-6-11-bosnian-center-andrej-acimovic-to-the-25-26-roster/

https://www.on3.com/teams/indiana-hoosiers/news/indiana-basketball-adds-bosnian-center-andrej-acimovic-to-2025-26-roster/

https://www.insidethehall.com/2025/07/28/iu-basketball-adds-bosnian-center-andrej-acimovic-to-2025-26-roster/

[Unexpectedflash 1,759]

Don’t know a single thing about this kid but I love that we’re looking at the international route for players to fill out the roster

[sirhoosierlot 3,955]

1 hour ago, IvanRenkosillegitimatechild said:

The daily Hoosier posted a video and he’s got a nice jump shot and moves well without the ball. He also has a nice little fadeaway shot that at 6 ft 11 is almost impossible to guard lol

that fadeaway was so nasty 

[GloryDays 6,232]

54 minutes ago, sirhoosierlot said:

that fadeaway was so nasty 

This makes me happy!

[Hardwood83 5,122]

I was hoping for someone to defend the post this year....BUT this is a positive step and helps for the future. Can't see any down-side to it, unless he robs a liquor store or something. 

[HoosierHoopster 8,854]

From one of the links

"Averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the U19 ABA League, the top league in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia region… during competition in the second Bosnian division, a senior level league, he posted 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game… shot 65.3% from the floor and 39.0% from the 3-point line… member of the U16 and U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina National Team….born on March 15, 2006."

I know nothing about him either,  but I like this writeup and at 6'11 with shooting? Yeah, sounds good to me.

Que @Stuhoo with yeah but it was just the U19 ABA League somewhere in the Eastern Block, probably still at war, opponents were refugees! :)

[Pagoda 5,376]

39% from three.

CDD’s commitment to bring in shooters is great, even guys like this who are developmental.

[68Hoosier 1,351]

1 minute ago, Pagoda said:

39% from three.

CDD’s commitment to bring in shooters is great, even guys like this who are developmental.

Hopefully they can all shoot Free Throws as well.  The last few years have been hard to watch.

[HoosierHoopster 8,854]

Also from one of the linked - DeVries:

“Andrej is a talented big man that we are excited to get in our program and develop,” DeVries said. “He has good size and is able to score the basketball in different ways. He is strong on the glass and has good defensive instincts and timing when blocking shots.”

Looks like a guy who can both bang and step out and hit mid-range and 3's, good instincts. Love seeing pickups for development like this, lots of upside and a Euro pipeline.

[Stuhoo 90,774]

19 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

 

Que @Stuhoo with yeah but it was just the U19 ABA League somewhere in the Eastern Block, probably still at war, opponents were refugees! :)

FWIW -- WayneFleek has deemed me a lovable but unshakable sunshine pumper.

Will much appreciate if the two of you get together to decide whether I am irrationally optimistic or pessimistic. Maybe I'm simply "irrationally irrational!"

:)

[Home Jersey 16,778]

5 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

39% from three.

CDD’s commitment to bring in shooters is great, even guys like this who are developmental.

I think (or hope) that, to a certain degree, with DDV we can expect IUBB to largely be a developmental program for a core set of players on each roster, then use the portal or land a few McDAA guys to bring in instant impact talent for each team. Even if they don't get a ton of run the first year, filling the roster with shooters and playing them situationally / teaching them the other stuff seems like the right idea. I know we're calling the two euro guys developmental players - and they very likely will be - but I also won't be shocked at all if they play over some other guys thought to be in the rotation more. If we have expected rotation players struggling with the step up in competition, I could easily see some of the Euro kids with professional experience being more ready to contribute, even if in a limited role / with some glaring weaknesses. It's a building year, I think I like the direction, just can't wait to see it in action at this point.  

[ebridges24 2,773]

was really glad to see this, especially if he is actually 6'11". seems pretty skilled offensively with a nice shot.

[Dave from Dayton 4,090]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

FWIW -- WayneFleek has deemed me a lovable but unshakable sunshine pumper.

Will much appreciate if the two of you get together to decide whether I am irrationally optimistic or pessimistic. Maybe I'm simply "irrationally irrational!"

:)

I don't know about any of that.  What I do know is that Old Fart and you are really pulling for IU to succeed in athletics.  For that we fans and readers and posters on this site thank you.  (And thanks for pumping sunshine. Pumping that other 54!+ gets really sucky quickly.)  We are fans not critics in the summer.  You do help us look forward to Hoosier HYSTERIA!  

I'm generally optimistic.  But I get in the doldrums sometimes.  And IU basketball really has been off of it's feed more often than not in the last 25 years.  Can't help but feeling puny about that.

A new coach hire and new roster is a great thing to be optimistic about. Reinventing oneself is sometimes a really good option.

Reality may just bite us again.  But this is the time for hype leavened by some sense of just how things seem to go when meeting an opponent on the basketball court knowing that they also have a roster of youngsters and veterans that really have put a lot into their skills and the game.  A sense of perspective is always a good idea.  

 

[Dave from Dayton 4,090]

27 minutes ago, ebridges24 said:

was really glad to see this, especially if he is actually 6'11". seems pretty skilled offensively with a nice shot.

I guess that I'm surprised that anyone would actually believe that a new recruit might actually be measured to be as tall as some say before arriving on campus.  Tall, yes.  Can do lots for his level of opponents, most probably.  Those are highlights.  6'11" and possibly work into the mix during B1G play?  How would we even tell.  Looks pretty slender to me.  He is going to get really banged up underneath.

[ebridges24 2,773]

SIAP - if i'm, looking at it right, it looks like he played against Davis Bertans who was in the league until last year

 

Never mind, he played 0 games in that league, but was on the roster.

[RaceToTheTop 31,587]

6 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

All the other sites list him at 6'9".  Wonder which is more accurate.  He doesn't "look" 6'11'' in the highlight package.  

The 6'9" listing I saw for him was for the 23-24 season.  Given that he would have been 17 at the time, would not be surprised if he had grown an inch or two.

[jermhoosierfan 425]

7 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

The 6'9" listing I saw for him was for the 23-24 season.  Given that he would have been 17 at the time, would not be surprised if he had grown an inch or two.

The one website had him at 206cm which comes out to about 81" which is 6'9".  He might have got that 2 extra inches in about 18 months.  Just get some muscle on it to bang underneath, and let's get him ready to give up those 5 fouls and hit the occasional 3.

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,784]

Now we can officially start the Mbiya vs Acimovic watch and compare. lol.  
 

y’all know my opinion.  But we  probably saved 200-300k.  

I wish there was more video to watch  sounds like he played in the B league and stats were great.  Not sure much about the B league.  Eye test says very slow and really lacking any explosiveness.  Which in my opinion won’t bode well on defense at all, which is what this roster needs.  Seems like another big that can run 5 out offense which seems like a staple DeVries values.

Again, glad we at least have a safety valve, but I’m hoping based on our roster Bailey can play 30 minutes every game and stays healthy.  
 
Im curious about Alexis.  I don’t have a great judge on his skill set to play the 5 against big boys. He will be vastly important to this roster.  

 

Edited July 28 by WayneFleekHoosier

[go iu bb 9,987]

1 hour ago, jermhoosierfan said:

The one website had him at 206cm which comes out to about 81" which is 6'9".  He might have got that 2 extra inches in about 18 months.  Just get some muscle on it to bang underneath, and let's get him ready to give up those 5 fouls and hit the occasional 3.

So instead of a 3 and D we're getting a 3 and 5? :)

[RaceToTheTop 31,587]

1 minute ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Now we can officially start the Mbiya vs Acimovic watch and compare. lol.  
 

y’all know my opinion.  But we  probably saved 200-300k.  

I wish there was more video to watch  sounds like he played in the B league and stats were great.  Not sure much about the B league.  Eye test says very slow and really lacking any explosiveness.  Which in my opinion won’t bode well on defense at all, which is what this roster needs.  Seems like another big that can run 5 out offense which seems like a staple DeVries values.

Again, glad we at least have a safety valve, but I’m hoping based on our roster Bailey can play 30 minutes every game and stays healthy.  
 
Im curious about Alexis.  I don’t have a great judge on his skill set to play the 5 against big boys. He will be vastly important to this roster.  

 

FWIW, Acimovic did average 2.2 blocks/game in the U19 league which is encouraging.

Put up 17.5/7.5 in the U19 ABA league which is the top slavik league for U19 and then put up 17.3/7.7 in the B level senior league, so his scoring and rebounding didn't drop against older players.