A few months ago, Fedor Žugić was set to spend the 2024-25 season with Spanish club Bilbao Basket in the ACB League, continuing a professional career that stretches back six years and nearly 250 games.
However, the Montenegrin wing saw an opportunity to achieve a childhood dream, and he took a leap of faith. Žugić backed out of his contract with Bilbao and pursued collegiate options in the America, committing to Creighton men’s basketball in late August.
“The dream was to play in the United States, and then the window for the European players opened and I just took advantage of it,” Žugić told Hurrdat Sports. “Obviously, as I said, the dream was to play in the States, and I love everything about the basketball you guys play.”
That dream was born from watching the NBA growing up in Podgorica, Montenegro — particularly Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić. The Slovenian guard is roughly four years older than Žugić, who watched his rise to stardom as a young pro overseas before heading to the NBA. Žugić called himself a “big NBA guy” and is hoping to follow in Dončić’s footsteps at some point.
Committing Creighton was the next step on that path. Žugić cited Coach Greg McDermott as the primary reason he and his parents felt comfortable with the decision. The speed with which the process played out — from a couple meetings, to a visit to campus, to a commitment — is an indication of how sure he was about choosing Creighton.
“Obviously my staff knows a lot of people in the recruiting world, and agents are a big part of that now,” McDermott said. “We got a call from an agent that we know in the summertime, and we had a scholarship available, and we felt, in evaluating him, that it was certainly a good idea for us to try to bring him into the program and work through the NCAA process. But he can really shoot the basketball. He’s obviously played at a high level for a long time, and we’re just hopeful that if we continue to work with the NCAA, we can come to a resolution and get him on the floor at some point.”
His path to college is different than most international recruits with his extensive professional playing history overseas. McDermott said at the beginning of preseason practice that Creighton still had a lot of steps to take to ensure his eligibility and that it would take time as lawyers worked with the NCAA, and they’re still in a holding pattern on that front. Knowing it wasn’t an open-and-shut case made Žugić’s decision to pursue playing in college as a 21-year-old first-year player a big risk.
“I don’t think people understand how big of a risk it was, but just talking with Coach Mac and Coach Miller and Merf and DK and Loo reassured me that they believe in me and that everything is going to work out,” Žugić said. “Then the group of lawyers that are working with me, they assured me that they can get it done. I love basketball here at Creighton. I watched a lot of games and I think it’s the right fit for me. I think Coach Mac’s philosophy of how the game should look like aligned with mine. I just wanted to be here, and I took that risk and I think it’s going to pay off.”
Žugić has been running with the second team in practice and did not participate in Creighton’s closed-door scrimmage with Iowa State after an ankle tweak. Despite his positive attitude, he said it is frustrating having to wait for news with just two weeks remaining before Creighton’s season-opener.
“It’s frustrating not knowing the exact date, because I want to know,” Žugić said. “Everybody wants to know. But it doesn’t work like that. My lawyers and the school’s lawyers are working on it, and everything is going good so far. They’re telling me there is no reason to worry. I’m just being positive and everything is going to work itself out.”
Jamiya Neal, another newcomer to the program by way of Arizona State, gets an up-close look at what Žugić is capable of every day in practice, and he believes the fans are going to like what they see when he hits the court.
“All I’ve got to say is they’ll see when they see,” Neal said. “He’s nice. He definitely pushes me every day. I guard him every day and he makes me better, because he can he can shoot really well, he can pass, he’s athletic. That’s what I didn’t know coming in, he can actually jump. He’s got some bounce, too. So he’s just great and hopefully we get him really, really soon, because he’s going to be a great piece for us.”
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard showed promise early while playing at home in Montenegro, such that he got called up from the U18 team to the senior club with Buducnost Podgorica in the Montenegrin league during the 2018-19 season. He made history on Feb. 22, 2019, when he checked into a EuroLeague game with Buducnost, becoming the youngest player ever to do so at 15 years and 157 days old.
“I was scared, but it was amazing,” Žugić said. “It’s one of those things that you look back on and you’re like, ‘Wow, that really happened.” … My family and I are very proud of it. And then, obviously, even after that, putting a lot of records on the Eurocup and Adriatic league levels, I think I’ve accomplished a lot, and I’m proud of it.”
Žugić played two more seasons in Montenegro before moving on to German club Ratiopharm Ulm, capturing a German championship title in 2022-23. Last season, he played for BG Göttingen, another German club, and put up 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 35.8% from 3 across 47 games.
Baylor Scheierman was one of the better shooters in college basketball last season, and his departures left a big hole in the Creighton lineup. McDermott highlighted Žugić’s ability to hit shots off movement, making him a natural fit to step into Scheierman’s spot.
“They told me all about Baylor,” Žugić said. “I’ll try to leave my own my own mark, but Baylor is definitely one of those guys that I watched a lot of film on to see what’s the role that I’ve got to fill, what’s the type of stuff that I need to do. I’m not saying that I’m going to do it the same way he did it, but I’m going to do my best to fill that spot. Baylor is obviously a hell of a player, so it’s going to be a tough task.”
Playing basketball in the United States was Žugić’s dream, but it’s requiring an adjustment to the different rules and style of play, one that he said has been tougher than he anticipated. His late arrival also gave him a short amount of time to acclimate to the Creighton men’s basketball system and way of doing things.
“I’m getting better every day, just learning from my coaches, absorbing whatever they’re telling me, just getting used to everything,” Žugić said. “Every coach has his own philosophies on offense and defense. I’m trying to learn all of those things but I think I’m good doing a pretty good job right now.”
While adjusting on the court has been a challenge, Žugić said the off-court adjustment to living in Omaha hasn’t been difficult at all. It already feels like home.
“I love it,” Žugić said. “It reminds me of my hometown. It’s not too big, but not too small, and the people here are very friendly. So I’m loving it so far.”
