Utah basketball announces signing of Lazar Stefanovic

[administrator]

It's been a weird recruiting cycle with no visits and hardly any evaluations, however, it's now national signing day for the Class of 2021. University of Utah men’s basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak announced the signing Lazar Stefanovic on Wednesday as the program’s lone signee for National Signing Day.

“We’re excited to have Lazar join us next season,” head coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “Lazar is a tremendous player with high-character and an elite student so it’s a great fit both for him and our program. His experience playing in some of the top leagues in Europe and FIBA will be a tremendous boost and brings maturity to both ends of the floor.”

Some fans may not have noticed yet, but the Utah basketball program has found a groove on the recruiting trail over the last couple of years. On the heels of the program’s best recruiting class under Larry Krystkowiak in 2020, Utah hoops went international to land their only commitment at the moment. With the early signing period for basketball opening up on Wednesday, UteZone takes a closer look at the lone commit in Utah basketball's 2021 class. 

Lazar Stefanovic, Combo Guard

6-foot-6 inches, 176 pounds

247Sports Rating - 86, Three-Star

247Sports Ranking - No. 70 SG

Utah has had a lot of success with international players in recent history, and have pulled yet another top flight prospect in Stefanovic. Standing at 6’5, Stefanovic possesses good size and length for the perimeter, particularly as a ball handling guard. The old cliche is sneaky athletic, and that is exactly how to describe Stefanovic's athleticism. He doesn't appear to have the body type but he is a pretty good athlete. He would benefit from added size and lean mass in the weight room. Stefanovic is a scorer and has a knack for creating opportunities to put the ball in the hoop. Whether it be driving to the basket, pulling up in the mid-range, or shooting from behind the 3-point line, Stefanovic appears to have very good feel for how to create scoring opportunities. He has an impressive shot from deep and has converted at high clip in recent competition but will need to continue developing his shot. 

The 6-6 guard will arrive at Utah with plenty of playing experience as well playing in his native country of Serbia. Before the pandemic shutdown Stefanovic helped Partizan U18 claim the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade and held his own against players in the top division, averaging 15.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In addition to playing with the national team, Stefanovic also made his debut with the Partizan’s top team and helped lead them to the national cup in 2020.

This past season, Stefanovic also saw action in 26 games with Mladost where he averaged 20.7 minutes in their top Serbian league and averaged 7.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. In 2018, the Serbian averaged 19.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists with the Partizan U16 squad in the Trophie Novog Grad Tournament.

https://247sports.com/college/utah/Article/Utah-utes-Basketball-signing-day-larry-kystkowiak-Lazar-Stefanovic-154597247/