Arizona’s Maksim Brnovic adjusting to new life for second time since leaving Montenegro

For Arizona fans, Maksim Brnovic’s first season in Tucson is about more than learning a new offense or adjusting to college basketball. The freshman forward is adapting to life in the United States after already making a major international move just two years ago. He left Montenegro at 16, moved to Lithuania to pursue basketball, learned to navigate a new culture and became a captain at one of Europe’s most respected junior clubs. Now, as he works toward a role with the Wildcats, Brnovic is trying to turn that experience into an advantage.

Brnovic’s first transition began in the summer of 2024, when he left his home country for Lithuania and joined the junior program at Zalgiris. He attended an online high school connected to Montenegro, which allowed him to remain tied to home academically while living abroad. The move was difficult at first. Brnovic said the first two or three months were the hardest as he adjusted to being away from his family and familiar surroundings. He gradually learned some Lithuanian, made friends and found that English was commonly used during practices, making basketball an easier way to settle in.

The basketball opportunity was significant. Zalgiris is Lithuania’s most prominent club, and its senior team competes in the EuroLeague, the continent’s top club competition, as well as domestic contests. Brnovic compared joining the organization to moving to England to play soccer for Liverpool. During his two years there, he became the first non-Lithuanian captain in the history of the Zalgiris junior team, an indication of how quickly he earned the trust of teammates and coaches. He had expected to remain with the club and potentially work toward its senior team, but his development created another path.

That path led to Arizona, where the connections between the Wildcats and Lithuania helped make Brnovic’s recruitment possible. Associate head coach Jack Murphy saw him play at an Adidas Next Generation EuroLeague event and continued following him while communicating with Brnovic, his family and his agent. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd and Murphy have strong ties to Lithuanian basketball, and the program has welcomed several Lithuanian players over the years. Former Arizona standout Azuolas Tubelis now plays for Zalgiris’ senior team and the Lithuanian national team, while Motiejus Krivas and Ugnius Jarusevicius are current Wildcats centers.

Arizona’s relationship with Lithuania gave Brnovic a familiar basketball connection, even as the university presented an entirely different day to day environment. The Wildcats had attempted to arrange an exhibition trip to Lithuania in 2023, but that trip instead went to the Middle East before the team finally visited Lithuania this August. For Brnovic, the trip was an unusual homecoming. He returned to the country where he had spent the previous two seasons, saw former teammates and coaches, and watched them attend Arizona’s opening game there. He said it felt strange to be in Lithuania wearing Arizona colors rather than Zalgiris green and white.

The trip also brought an unexpected setback. Brnovic suffered a concussion late in Arizona’s loss to the Lithuanian national B team after taking a hard fall while driving to the basket. He landed on his chin and was unable to play in Arizona’s final two games in Lithuania. Concussion protocol also kept him out of the arena for the Wildcats’ second game, against Ukraine. Brnovic described the impact as disturbing and said he was disappointed, but he tried to remain calm and support the team. He attended Arizona’s final game, a victory over the Lithuanian national team, and returned to the court after roughly two weeks.

By the annual Red and Blue Showcase on Sept. 26, Brnovic was back in action and offered a glimpse of what Arizona could receive from him this season. He played 17 minutes, scored eight points, went 2 for 5 from the field, made one of two three point attempts and converted all three of his free throws. He also had three rebounds and an assist without committing a turnover. Lloyd has described Brnovic as both a talented prospect and a strong person, saying he expects the freshman to contribute while acknowledging that the season will include the normal ups and downs of a young player adjusting to a new level.

Brnovic’s role could require another change. Arizona has considerable depth on the perimeter, including point guards Derek Dixon and JJ Mandaquit, along with wings Caleb Holt, Ivan Kharchenkov and Cameron Holmes. As a result, Brnovic has mainly worked at power forward, a position that demands more physical play than he may have faced previously. His ability to provide depth there could become especially important if Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey remains ineligible while pursuing a lawsuit in Georgia, or if Godfrey encounters foul trouble. Many of Arizona’s other frontcourt options are centers or developing players.

Brnovic said he is prepared to play wherever Lloyd needs him. Since first visiting Arizona, he has added 25 pounds and now weighs 230 pounds, a deliberate effort to handle the strength and physicality of college basketball. His willingness to adjust reflects the path that brought him to Tucson. He began playing competitively at 8 and joined Montenegro’s respected KK Buducnost club at 9. His father, a Kevin Durant admirer, encouraged him to wear No. 35 because he thought his son resembled the NBA star. Brnovic has kept the number ever since, now wearing it for Arizona. Although he graduated from high school earlier than expected and once planned to pursue EuroLeague basketball with Zalgiris, he views the Wildcats as the right opportunity, environment and group of people at the right time.