Luka Bogavac officially arrived in North Carolina on August 13 after resolving visa complications that delayed his campus arrival. The 6’5″ Montenegrin guard is now on the Tar Heels campus and practicing with the team. However, college basketball insider Bill Robinson reveals the biggest challenge for the international newcomer still lies ahead.
What Is the Biggest Hurdle for Luka Bogavac’s Success?
Robinson, Milligan’s head coach and a longtime coach with UNC’s summer camps, shared his thoughts on Bogavac’s transition during the “Locked On Tar Heels” podcast.
“I think, as a coach, my biggest hurdle is to make sure that he feels comfortable and that he’s not homesick right away,” Robinson said during the interview.
The coach outlined his immediate plan for helping Bogavac feel at home in Chapel Hill. He wants to connect the newcomer with current players on campus and show him local spots, including IP3 on Franklin Street for pizza and wing places, to help him settle in.
But Robinson believes the real key extends beyond just food and casual hangouts. He wants to introduce Bogavac to Carolina’s special places so the guard truly feels like family.
“You’ve got to get him to all the places where he can get since he knows and has heard about Carolina tradition, but he needs that trip to Carmichael and to Sutton’s and to all the different places that the guys go to, to make him feel like he’s part of family,” he said.
The coach thinks these simple gestures will make Bogavac confident he chose the Tar Heels. “You know, just those little things that make him feel like, ‘Hey, I’ve made the right decision. There’s no reason for me to look back,’” he noted.
Robinson acknowledges that being far from Montenegro won’t be easy, but thinks Bogavac’s professional basketball background should help with the adjustment.
“You know, it is a long way from home and he is a professional. I don’t think it’s going to be as big a deal for him, obviously, than it would be for somebody else, but you still want to make him feel part of the family as quickly as possible,” he added.
Why Does Off-Court Adjustment Present the Main Concern?
Robinson expects Bogavac’s on-court situation should work out fine at UNC. Carolina runs a professional operation with great staff and established systems that should help with that transition.
However, his deeper, long-term worry emerges when practice and team activities end each day.
“I’m thinking about from the other way, you know, as a professional, when those guys leave the locker room, they’re going off to wives and kids, you know, maybe this should be different for him,” Robinson said.
The coach worries that Bogavac might develop the habit of going home alone instead of bonding with teammates during downtime.
“How can he maybe fight that because he’s probably used to being able to go home by himself to his apartment, and you know, playing video games by himself, and who’s his roommate? Is Ivan going to be his roommate? or his, all those things are questions that we just don’t know,” Robinson explained.
He stressed that Bogavac needs to approach off-court time like a professional would.
“But I think it’s important for him not to, off the court, treat it professionally because it’s got to be more like a college group. If they’re going to be successful playing the game, they’ve got to spend some more time off the court,” Robinson explained.
Robinson admitted having some doubts about how this adjustment will unfold throughout the season. “So I’m a little concerned more about that just to see how he fits, when it’s not the intensity of a practice or a game,” Robinson added.
While Robinson has immediate plans to help Bogavac avoid homesickness, his bigger concern centers on whether the international guard will embrace the college lifestyle off the court throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
