Dayton trip paved way for center Vuk Lazarevic to commit to Ohio State

It was a two-game trip to Ohio that first put Vuk Lazarevic on Ohio State’s radar. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Lazarevic’s interest in playing in the United States led to a senior season at Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy. There, the 7-foot-1 center played his way into the starting lineup while the Tigers played a national schedule as part of the Nike EYBL Scholastic league that included an appearance at the annual Flyin’ to the Hoop event in Kettering, Ohio.

There, Wasatch played two games and defeated both Glendale (Arizona) Dream City Christian and Cleveland St. Ignatius. Against the former, Lazarevic had 6 points, seven rebounds and a block in 16:53, while against the latter he had 7 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes.

The performance came with Ohio State coaches in the stands, and that mid-January event started a process that led to Lazarevic committing to the Buckeyes in the 2026 class. “Ohio State started following me back in January when we had a tournament in Dayton,” Lazarevic said. “They started talking to my agent about me and everything, and because of that, mostly, I have the best connections with the coaches in Ohio State.

They showed the most interest about me, and because of that mostly I chose Ohio State. ” It was the latest step in a long line of growth both on and off the floor. An unranked prospect in the 247Sports.