College basketball has steadily become more global over the last decade, but the 2025-26 season will witness an explosion of international imports. Players who have excelled overseas are taking advantage of the opportunity to make money in the States, and the schools that are recruiting them are taking advantage of the ability to buy out their pro contracts.
The heavy dose of international flavor makes it harder than ever for fans to keep track of which new players will have an impact next season. Once again, Hoops HQ is here to clear things up. Today we are presenting a list of the top 10 international newcomers in the Big East for the 2025-26 season, and over the next several weeks we will be breaking out rankings for all the power conferences as well as the mid-majors.
1. Eric Reibe, 7-foot-1 freshman center, UConn (Germany)
Probably the single most NBA-ready center in the 2025 recruiting class, Reibe will fit right into the Danny Hurley scheme that allowed Donovan Clingan to flourish. Riebe is just one inch shorter and five pounds lighter than Cling Kong was when he arrived at UConn. Reibe left Germany at 17 and came to play his senior year at The Bullis School in Maryland. There, the southpaw won a state championship and was selected to the 2025 McDonald’s All-American team, ultimately being classified as a high 4-star recruit and the No. 2-ranked center by 247 Sports.
This summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup, he was a key player in Germany’s historic silver-medal run, the highest finish in German history. Riebe averaged an impressive 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists, shooting 58.7 percent from the field. Riebe can shoot from range, as a quarter of his shot attempts in the U19 World Cup came from three-point distance.
Reibe often switched to a power forward role when fellow big man Hannes Steinbach was on the floor, and many scouts have wanted to see Reibe get more physical with his mammoth frame; however, this may not be the best idea. At Bullis, he suffered an ankle injury that led him to miss two months of playing time. Returning from the U19 World Cup, Riebe reported a foot injury, spending two weeks nursing it before UConn gave him the okay to play.
If he can stay healthy, Riebe will be a beast for Hurley’s Huskies, possibly making an All-Big East roster as a freshman.
2. Jacob Furphy, 6-foot-6 freshman guard, UConn (Australia)
There is a reason UConn’s recruiting class again ranked inside the nation’s top 10. Jacob Furphy, like his distant cousin and current Indiana Pacers guard Johnny Furphy, is another top-notch talent from Australia and the best guard in the country’s 2025 class. Coming out of Tasmania, Furphy attended the NBA’s Global Academy in Canberra, a breeding ground for elite oceanic talents such as Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Alex Condon. There, he grew into an outstanding combo guard who excels with his shooting stroke, court vision and confidence.
Furphy was crucial to Australia’s success in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, leading the tournament with 34.4 minutes played per game. He was the spoke at the center of Australia’s offense, averaging 16.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while routinely playing the point for the Emus.
Shooting is what sets Furphy apart from his contemporaries; you can routinely see him lining up from NBA range fearlessly with his picturesque jumpshot. Furphy should be a valuable addition to the UConn roster.
3. Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor, 6-foot-6 freshman forward, Butler (Canada)
Butler’s incoming 2025 group is the highest-rated recruiting class in school history, and Efosa Oliogu-Elabor is a big part of that. The 4-star forward out of Markham, Ontario, has terrorized Canadian high schools for the past four seasons, racking up four All-Canada selections which culminated in a senior campaign that saw him average 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a whopping 3.5 steals per game at William Academy in Toronto. Oliogu-Elabor spent the 2023-24 season with the Overtime Elite training alongside an all-star team of high-school talent.
In the U19 World Cup, he impressed with 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals on just 21 minutes per contest. Oliogu-Elabor stole the show, however, with his athleticism, performing a jaw-dropping put-back dunk on Team Germany which currently has more than three million views on social media. His blend of athleticism, passing and perimeter defense makes Oliogu-Elabor one of the most slept-on incoming freshmen in Division I this season.
4. Imran Suljanovic, 6-foot-8 freshman forward, St. John’s (Austria)
It is no stretch to say Imran Suljanovic is one of the most accomplished youth athletes in Austrian history. It is not every day that you get a Naismith Hall of Fame coach to travel across the world to see you play, but that’s what happened this spring when Rick Pitino trekked to Bologna, Italy, to watch Suljanovic suit up for Pallacanestro Reggiana. Pitino reported being “even more impressed in person.”
Suljanovic is the whole package, an All-Tournament selection and leading scorer of the 2024 U18 EuroBasket Division B. In the Italian NextGen Cup, he put up 20.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In an appearance for Austria’s senior national team, he put up 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in his senior debut. He made 3.3 three-pointers per game in the U18 EuroBasket at a 39-percent rate. He passes with precision and has a deep bag of dribble moves with a quick step on the drive and fast break. If he can keep up his production at the D-I level, St. John’s could have a future Big East POY on its hands.
5. Aleksa Dimitrijevic, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Creighton (Serbia)
The departure of three-time Big East DPOY Ryan Kalkbrenner is a significant blow for the Blue Jays, but Greg McDermott thinks he may have found his replacement in Aleksa Dimitrijevic, who is praised for his rim-protection, paint scoring and work ethic. The Serbian giant has professional experience for Partizan of the Serbian KSL, winning the 2025 Serbian league and ABA championships.
Dimitrijevic is a bit on the thinner side for a center, weighing in at 225 pounds, but is ripe for the same Omaha metamorphosis that saw Kalkbrenner enter college at 235 and graduate at 270. In the 2024 U18 EuroBasket, Dimitrijevic showed off his talents by averaging 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1 steal and 2.7 blocks per game (good for second-most in the tournament). Patience will likely be required as Dimitrijevic learns the system and grows into his frame, but Bluejays fans should be excited for their future inside the paint.
6. Ilija Milijasevic, 6-foot-3 freshman guard, DePaul (Serbia)
The final addition to DePaul’s recruiting class, Serbian professional Ilija Milijasevic is among the growing group of 20-something freshman European imports. Milijasevic comes from KK Mega Basket in Serbia, the club known for developing top Serbian talents such as Nikola Jokic and Filip Petrusev. Milijasevic is heralded by PDT scouting as “one of the best shooters in Europe,” and his 44.3 three-point percentage across 32 ABA games last season backs this up.
Milijasevic is a serviceable passer, able to execute basic ball movement within a scheme, and he is capable of operating pick-and-roll action. Leaning on his shooting touch, he thrives on the perimeter, weaving through traffic to set up catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Milijasevic will be a 21-year-old freshman this fall, so he doesn’t have much further to develop, but will be a very good role player and the guy who you want taking the final shot.
7. Stefan Vaaks, 6-foot-6 freshman guard, Providence (Estonia)
Hailing from the seaside town of Tabasalu, Stefan Vaaks is one of the most promising Estonian prospects at the moment. Vaaks is a tall three-level guard with spot-up shooting ability from anywhere and a solid dribbling package. Think Baylor Scheierman, but more raw.
Playing in the Estonian/Latvian top division for BC Kalev-Cramo, Vaaks averaged 15 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 2024-25. Vaaks even got called up to the Estonian senior national team for EuroBasket qualifying matches, where he put up 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal per game.
The biggest news surrounding Vaaks since he arrived in Providence, unfortunately, has been a partial MCL tear. Vaaks underwent surgery on June 1 to repair two of his MCL ligaments, with recovery set for three months, meaning he could begin practicing for the Friars in early September at the earliest.
8. Peteris Pinnis, 7-foot sophomore power forward/center, Providence (Latvia)
An under-the-radar addition to the Friars’ class, Peteris Pinnis figures to be a large part of Kim English’s interior plan going forward. Pinnis can be summed up as an agile, traditional 90s-style center, and his selling point is his size and quickness, as he has the ability to get back and run the fast break. In the 2023 U20 EuroBasket, Pinnis averaged 9.9 points and 10.3 rebounds for Latvia, shooting 60 percent from the field and 75 percent from the foul line.
The vast majority of Pinnis’ points are scored with 10 feet of the hoop, where he uses his 260-pound frame to move opponents and set up easy put-backs. He also utilizes a signature hook-shot to score whenever the rim is out of reach. I wouldn’t expect Pinnis to be a threat from deep as his shooting form is a bit clunky, but he has the potential to finish lobs and play bully ball down low as a solid role player.
9. Nico Onyekwere, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Villanova (Nigeria)
Perhaps the biggest project on this list, Nico Onyekwere is a physical specimen with a muscular, super-sized build, best described by head coach Kevin Willard as “an old-style center.” Onyekwere began his teenage journey in Germany, spending 2022-23 playing for Bayern Munich 2. After catching some attention and wishing to pursue a college basketball career, Onyekwere moved to the States to play for Long Island Lutheran High School, where he caught the attention of Villanova.
Onyekwere is regarded by most scouts as a 3-star prospect with a ways to go. The fundamentals are there: He has coordination, a solid hook shot which he can employ using both hands and he does a good job managing pick-and-rolls. His vertical leap is impressive and allows him to close out and block shots around the rim. If he improves his dribbling, shooting and feel for the game, Onyekwere has all the tools to become a star one day.
10. Casper Pohto, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, St. John’s (Sweden)
Rounding out the list is Casper Pohto, a Swedish guard who should be a great fit for Rick Pitino’s style of play. Described as a physical downhill scorer, the Sunrise Christian graduate has shown considerable promise through his tenacity and craftiness. Pohto put up standout numbers in the 2024 U18 EuroBasket, averaging 13.6 points, 6 rebounds and 2.4 assists to help Sweden to finish eighth in the tournament.
Pohto has no problem creating offense; he has a top-notch layup package and great spatial awareness in traffic. His fast twitch and high motor should allow him to get the most out of his time at St. John’s, eventually carving out a role.
Honorable mention:
Fotis Konstantinidis, 6-foot-2 freshman guard, St. John’s (Greece)
