Croatian 7-footer commits to LSU basketball, per report
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Will Wade and the LSU Tigers are building one of the most unique college basketball rosters the game has ever seen.
Michael Ruzic, who spent the past 3 seasons playing overseas, committed to play for the Tigers on Wednesday. Ruzic, who is 19 years old, has been eyed by NBA Draft scouts for a few years and has shooting and scoring upside while standing at 7-foot. Ruzic played for Joventut Badalona in Spain this past season and averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds across 16 minutes per game.
Kentucky and BYU both expressed interest in Ruzic earlier this offseason. And of all the players LSU has landed so far, he perhaps brings the highest upside to the table. Here’s a quick look at what LSU is getting in the international prospect:
The Tigers roster has ballooned from 1 on May 1 to 10 as of May 20 with the addition of Ruzic. Kind of.
Abdi Bashir, Austin Nunez, Mo Dioubate and Divine Ugochukwu are all on board out of the transfer portal, with Ruzic, Marcio Santos, Saliou Niang and Brice Dessert having all committed from the international route. Israeli prospect Yam Madar has also been linked to the Tigers (he has not yet signed or officially committed), and former St. John’s star RJ Luis Jr. signed with LSU yesterday.
Several of the players listed above are pending NCAA eligibility for the 2026-27 season. Niang and Madar were both previously drafted in the NBA and Luis has signed 2 NBA contracts after going undrafted in 2025. On top of that, Dessert and Santos both played in the EuroLeague and are each 23 years old.
The average age of all players listed above is 22.2 years old. Ruzic is the youngest of the group at 19.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
