Marko Pecarski | PF | Serbia
The son of Marist alum Miroslav Pecarski, 17-year-old Marko Pecarski was a force at the FIBA youth level for the third consecutive summer, averaging 23.1 points and 15.1 rebounds per 40 despite playing up a year, helping Serbia win the European Championship for the first time since 2009.
Pecarski is a physically mature big man who scored prolifically from all over the floor, bullying weaker players with his back to the basket, knocking down a handful of 3-pointers and throwing in smooth, turnaround jumpers out of the post. Despite not being particularly long or explosive, Pecarski is an outstanding rebounder who gravitates naturally toward the ball with soft hands and excellent instincts.
Somewhat of a throwback big man, Pecarski's biggest challenge in transitioning to higher levels of basketball will come on the defensive end, where he really struggles to bend his knees, move his feet and contain opponents both on the perimeter and inside the paint, often looking highly indifferent. He's a little bit of a tweener, since he's not much of a rim protector and doesn't have the ability to guard pick-and-rolls or quicker big men at a high level. Improving as a passer will also be a priority.
Pecarski's scoring and rebounding instincts will bode well moving forward, reminding some scouts of Domantas Sabonis, but he'll have to round out the rest of his game as the competition stiffens. Pecarski is being recruited by a number of high-level NCAA programs but also hasn't ruled out the possibility of continuing to play in Europe at the professional level. He is rumored to be joining Adriatic League team Partizan Belgrade next season but will need to settle his contract with Bayern Munich, where he moved to midseason last year after leaving Serbian prospect factory Mega Leks.
4. Filip Petrusev | PF | Serbia/Montverde Academy (U.S.)
Petrusev was utilized in a backup role but nonetheless flashed intriguing two-way potential for U18 champions Serbia. He sat out all of this past season with a stress fracture and played up a year as a 2000-born prospect.
Fluid and agile for a 6-11 big man, Petrusev covers ground extremely well, particularly on the defensive end, where he impressed with his ability to step out onto the perimeter and recover for well-timed blocks. He also has a high skill level offensively, with polished footwork, soft touch, developing ballhandling ability and shooting range extending out to the 3-point line. He needs to continue to get stronger, tougher and more explosive around the basket, but it's difficult to find players his size who can play both the power forward and center positions on both ends of the floor.
Currently not ranked by any of the major services, Petrusev will play out his senior year at prestigious Montverde Academy in Florida and is likely to shoot up recruiting boards once more people in the States get eyes on him. It wouldn't be surprising at all to see him start to get offers from some of the NCAA's biggest programs, as he stacks up very well with many of his peers in the 2018 big-man class.
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