UConn Huskies add pair of international players to basketball roster

UConn Huskies add pair of international players to basketball roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports.The college basketball season is less than three months away and most programs have a completely set roster as they prepare for games to get underway in early November.That's not the case for Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies, who made a pair of international signings official on Monday in 7-foot-2 Turkish center Rrezon Elezaj and 6-foot-4 Serbian guard Uros Paunovic.Hurley cited the new rules expanding the roster to 15 - stemming from the House Settlement in July - as a key reason they added the two international players for the upcoming 2025-26 season.With rosters expanding to 15 this year, we look at it as a great opportunity to further roster construction, focusing on growing our teams depth and competitiveness, Hurley said in a press release by the team.

We feel like Rrezon and Uros help us do that.NEWS: 7'2 center Rrezon Elezaj has committed to UConn, a source told DraftExpress.

The Kosovan-born, Turkish national played at the FIBA U17 and U18 junior levels, spending this past season at Besiktas.

High-major development piece with strong mobility and length.

pic.twitter.com/sTvAsRCoLS Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) August 18, 2025NEWS: Serbian guard Uros Paunovic has committed to UConn, agent Matija Mihailovic told DraftExpress.The 6'4, 22-year-old played 22 minutes per game in ABA League 2 and the Serbian KLS for KK Zlatibor, representing Serbia at the FIBA U20 level.

pic.twitter.com/6QuiJe2IGE Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) August 18, 2025Elezaj recently turned 18 and already has extensive international experience through the Turkey national team program.

He helped lead Turkey to a bronze medal at the 2024 U17 World Cup, averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in about 17 minutes per game.

He spent last season with Besiktas, averaging 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 20.2 minutes.

Hurley called Elezaj a "legitimate lob threat in the ball-screen game" and praised his instincts as a shot blocker.Paunovic is 22 years old with experience competing in Serbia's top division (KLS) dating back to the 2021-22 season.

He played last year with KK Zlatibor, averaging 8.8 points and 2.2 assists while shooting 34.8% from three.

Hurley praised his emotion on the floor - a hallmark for this UConn program - as well as his age and experience.The two new additions put UConn at 15 players, 10 who are new to the team joining the five returners as the Huskies look to get back to national championship contention following a down season last year.This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared..

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