New head basketball coach Darian DeVries and his coaching staff were waiting on NCAA decisions on the eligibility status of Luke Goode and Anthony Leal. The two were attempting to gain a final season in Bloomington and would occupy scholarships 12 and 13. Anthony Leal’s waiver was denied and the Hoosiers added Serbian guard Aleksa Ristic to the roster. Luke Goode’s waiver was considered to have a legitimate chance but the coaching staff was not just sitting around and hoping for approval. Shortly after Luke Goode’s request was denied and he announced he was not going to pursue the effort any further, IU has added a 13th scholarship player, addressing a critical need for interior depth with 6’11” Andrej Acimovic from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Andrej Acimovic turned 18 years old this past March and he has four years of eligibility remaining. Most recently, he starred in the U19 ABA league (the top league in the Baltic region) and averaged 17.5 points per game with 7.5 rebounds per game. According to the IU website, Acimovic had multiple games of 20+ points and he featured for the U16 and U18 Bosnia and Herzegovina National Team.
A lack of interior options was one of the major concerns for IU fans entering the 2025-2026 season and Acimovic is nearly seven-feet tall and a legitimate center. Beyond the obvious addition of size, how does the Bosnian international fit on IU’s roster?
Let’s begin with what Darian DeVries had to say about the new addition:
“Andrej is a talented big man that we are excited to get in our program and develop. 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.”
Highlight films are only going to show a player’s strengths and must be taken in proper context but the available clips do show a lot to like. Acimovic appears to be able to handle himself well as the screener in screen and pop or screen and roll situations. He looks like he has good hands and showed good visions on multiple highlight clips with good passes from the high post. His shooting percentages are unknown but the form on his shot looks good and he’ll be at least a threat to operate from the perimeter. His best immediate skill is likely going to be rebounding, something IU is going to need from him quickly. The guess would certainly be that he would slot behind Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis but with a lack of true interior options on the roster, it seems highly unlikely that he’s being brought to Bloomington to redshirt.
During the most recent Youth Basketball Champions League, Acimovic played for Igokea m:tel and averaged 14.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and posted an efficiency rating of 20.5. Those numbers placed him 13th in points per games and second in rebounds per game in the competition. That’s impressive but caution is needed because it is difficult to know how numbers from that competition will translate to high-major collegiate basketball. At minimum, the Big Ten is going to be a more physical style than he’s used to playing. Other concerns from the highlights include what appears to be a general lack of quickness. That will make positioning, understanding defensive concepts and adding strength essential to become a plus-defender.
Projecting Acimovic’s Role
Barring a major surprise, IU is going to rely on seniors Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis to be the primary interior players for the 2025-2026 season. The Hoosiers will probably use some true small-ball lineups and forwards like Josh Harris (6’8”) are options for stretch fours but there is a real lack of legitimate centers on this roster and a definite lack of height locked into the roster for future seasons. Andrej Acimovic will, at minimum, provide IU with a big body that appears capable of fitting into Darian DeVries’ offensive system of having five players on the floor that are capable of handling the ball, passing the ball and being at least a threat to the defense on the perimeter. On defense, he’s not currently a true “rim protector” but he has the size to develop into that. Moving beyond this season, Acimovic has three further years of eligibility and his presence potentially means IU will not need to hunt for an expensive (and potentially rare) big man in the transfer portal. The Hoosiers will continue to pursue a good center in the 2026 high school recruiting class and they are in the thick of recruitments for some really good options (Ethan Taylor, Davion Adkins, Arafan Diane to name a few) but having a skilled near seven-footer already in the fold is a plus.
The Indiana Hoosiers want to begin taking advantage of an expanding international market and this is now the second prospect added from outside of the country. Assistant coach Drew Adams has several international connections and Darian DeVries uses a system that should be appealing to skilled foreign players so this is another encouraging step in that direction.
Indiana’s 2025-2026 roster is now set and the first glimpses of what it will look like can be seen very soon with a trio of exhibition games occurring in August 6, August 9 and August 11.