Wichita State basketball adds Croatian center. What to know about newest recruit

The mysterious final addition to the Wichita State men’s basketball roster finally bubbled to the surface on Wednesday.

After weeks of paperwork to ensure NCAA eligibility, 22-year-old Croatian center Matej Bošnjak is on track to join the Shockers for the upcoming 2024-25 season and has signed with the team. It was first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and confirmed to The Eagle by sources with knowledge of the program.

Bošnjak, a 6-foot-9 center, has been playing against professional basketball players in Croatia since 2021. He averaged 7.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing 21.6 minutes per game this past season for Cibona in the Adriatic Basketball Association.

Following the addition of Arizona State transfer Zane Meeks, a Kansas native, Bošnjak pushes WSU’s roster size to 15 players and it’s not immediately clear who will join Wichita native Henry Thengvall as the team’s other walk-on. Each program is only able to hand out 13 scholarships, per NCAA rules, but given the recent changes in the college landscape, NIL opportunities now exist that would allow a potential walk-on to earn money that equivalent of a scholarship.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Bošnjak is expected to arrive in Wichita just before the start of fall classes, which begin August 19 on WSU’s campus. His classification is still being determined by the NCAA, although WSU is hopeful he will be labeled a junior.

Given the limited details on Bošnjak, he makes for an intriguing late addition to Paul Mills’ 2024 recruiting class. According to a source, Bošnjak began as a Baylor target, but when its roster filled, the Shockers took over the lead for the big man’s services. He had been committed to WSU since May, but it was kept under wraps because few teams realized Bošnjak was available.

Scouting reports describe Bošnjak as the stereotypical European big man: a high-IQ player capable of doing damage in the pick-and-roll game as a shooter, roller or passer. And given he has three years of experience playing against grown men, the transition to playing in the American Athletic Conference shouldn’t be a steep one.

Bošnjak is capable of occasionally stepping out to hit a 3-pointer, but he prefers to do the bulk of his work inside. He made 51% of his post-up attempts for a tidy 0.93 points per possession for Cibona, while also scoring 1.33 points per possession as a roll man in the pick-and-roll game.

He also has an extensive history playing for the Croatian youth national team, averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 rebounds at the FIBA Under-20 European Championships in 2022. He excelled in Croatia’s home league, averaging 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds for Dubrava Furnir during the 2022-23 season before graduating up to the top-tier Liga ABA.

Bošnjak gives the Shockers three unique options at the center position, as he will be joined by returning starter Quincy Ballard and Meeks. Each one’s skill set can unlock a different version of WSU’s offense, as Ballard is the rim-runner who is the ultimate lob threat, Meeks is a stretch five who can pick-and-pop and Bošnjak offers a back-to-the-basket game.

All three players also have the versatility of sharing the court together, as Meeks’ shooting ability can easily pair with a more traditional center like Ballard or Bošnjak, while Bošnjak is accustomed to spacing and sharing the floor with a big man from his professional days in Croatia.