Barcelona prospect Mathieu Grujicic, a Serbian-French talent raised in Germany, is leaving for Ohio State University. Like many young Europeans, he's choosing the NCAA route over EuroLeague, driven by NIL opportunities and a clearer path to the NBA.
One of the latest names stirring hope in Serbian basketball is Mathieu Grujicic—a rising star in FC Barcelona’s youth system.
Mathieu Grujicic
Mathieu Grujicic
Mathieu Grujicic
MIN: 1.23
PTS: 1.5 (50%)
REB: 0.5
As: 0
ST: 0
BL: 0
TO: 0
GM: 2
Although only a few have closely followed his growth in Catalonia, there’s been widespread anticipation around whether this Serbian-rooted prospect would choose Serbia over Germany, where he grew up, or France, the country of his mother’s citizenship.
Yet like many young European talents, Grujicic is headed to the NCAA, opting to leave Barcelona and join Ohio State University, following in the footsteps of Dame Sarr, who recently committed to Duke after a brief stint with Barcelona.
It’s a trend that's growing. Despite Real Madrid and Barcelona being among the few EuroLeague teams to actually integrate teenagers into their senior rotations, even they are losing talent to American colleges.
The financial power of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals is simply too great to compete with. The NCAA offers not just a more lucrative setup, but also a clearer path to the NBA and an educational fallback.
Grujicic, born in 2007 in Arles, France, has a multicultural background: a Serbian father and French mother. He moved to Berlin in 2012, where his mother worked at the French embassy, and rose through the ranks at ALBA Berlin, even scoring 52 points in a junior national final to help his team win the German title.
Despite his Serbian roots and obvious talent, it remains uncertain whether he will ever suit up for the Serbian national team.
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