IU Basketball Lands Serbian Sensation Aleksa Ristić: A Program-Changing Commitment
Bloomington, IN – June 18, 2025 — Indiana University basketball has secured a major international coup, landing a commitment from Serbian guard Aleksa Ristić, the 6’5” playmaker who has been drawing comparisons to a young Goran Dragić with shades of Manu Ginóbili. The commitment, announced early Tuesday morning via a joint video featuring Ristić draped in an IU flag at the Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade, sent shockwaves through the college basketball landscape.
Ristić, 18, was widely regarded as one of the top European prospects in the 2025 class. A combo guard with elite vision, silky footwork, and a killer step-back jumper, Ristić turned down overtures from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to pursue his dream of playing college ball in the United States. IU head coach Mike Woodson and his staff had been recruiting Ristić quietly for months, making multiple trips overseas to build trust with the Ristić family and to attend games with his club, Mega Basket Belgrade.
“He’s not just a scorer or a passer—he’s a savant,” said IU assistant coach Yasir Rosemond, who led the European recruitment push. “Aleksa sees angles most guys don’t. He changes the tempo of a game without even scoring a bucket.”
During the 2024–25 season with Mega Basket’s U19 team, Ristić averaged 16.4 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game against top competition in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. He was named to the All-Tournament Team and caught the eye of NBA scouts with a 29-point performance against Zalgiris, including six threes and a game-winning floater over a 7-footer.
IU’s 2025 class was already one of the most promising in the Big Ten, but Ristić’s commitment rockets it into elite territory. He’s expected to slot into the starting lineup as a freshman, likely sharing backcourt duties with returning junior Gabe Cupps. Together, they could form one of the most cerebral and dynamic guard duos in the nation.
“He plays with a maturity beyond his years,” Woodson said in a statement. “Aleksa makes everyone around him better. That’s the kind of Hoosier we want—selfless, sharp, and fearless.”
For Ristić, the decision was about more than basketball. “Indiana is not just a school,” he said in his announcement video, first in Serbian and then in fluent English. “It’s a cathedral of basketball. I want to wear that candy-striped warmup and make Assembly Hall shake.”
Already, IU fans are dreaming big—some whispering about a Final Four return, others comparing this recruitment to the moment when another European, Sasha Stefanović, elevated Purdue’s backcourt. But make no mistake: Aleksa Ristić is carving his own path.
And that path now leads through Bloomington.
