EVANSTON, Ill. — Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins announced the addition of Aleksej Kostic to the Northwestern roster ahead of the 2026-27 season on Wednesday. A 6-5 guard, Kostic played his first year of college basketball at BYU.
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"We are excited to announce the addition of Aleksej Kostic to our Northwestern basketball family," said Collins. "Aleksej brings high-level experience to our program, not only from his year at BYU on an NCAA Tournament team, but also from his time at the international level. He is an elite-level shooter with good size who will bring toughness, competitiveness, and a high basketball IQ to our team. He possesses a top-notch work ethic and character, which will help elevate our culture. We are looking forward to seeing the kind of immediate impact Aleksej can have on this year's team."
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Kostic appeared in 27 games for the Cougars, starting five. He averaged 4.4 points per game on 36.8% shooting and canned 36.7% of his 3-point attempts in 2025-26. Kostic posted double figures in five games, scoring a career-high 15 points against UC Riverside on Dec. 13, 2025.
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A Pfaffstätten, Austria, native, Kostic competed for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of Austrian Superliga. He averaged 6.5 points per game, shooting 36.3% on triples. He recorded 20 games in double figures, including a pair of 24-point displays.
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In 2023, Kostic led Austria to a fourth place finish at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, Division B, averaging 19.1 points per game. He dropped 34 points in the third place game against Montenegro.
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The European talent hails from a decorated basketball lineage. Kostic's father, Zoran, represented Yugoslavia's national team in his playing career and has long served as a coach.
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"We are excited to announce the addition of Aleksej Kostic to our Northwestern basketball family," said Collins. "Aleksej brings high-level experience to our program, not only from his year at BYU on an NCAA Tournament team, but also from his time at the international level. He is an elite-level shooter with good size who will bring toughness, competitiveness, and a high basketball IQ to our team. He possesses a top-notch work ethic and character, which will help elevate our culture. We are looking forward to seeing the kind of immediate impact Aleksej can have on this year's team."
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ÂFrom Austria ?? Evanston ????
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) April 29, 2026
Aleksej Kostic is officially a 'Cat ?? pic.twitter.com/JPNg9W0nbu
Kostic appeared in 27 games for the Cougars, starting five. He averaged 4.4 points per game on 36.8% shooting and canned 36.7% of his 3-point attempts in 2025-26. Kostic posted double figures in five games, scoring a career-high 15 points against UC Riverside on Dec. 13, 2025.
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A Pfaffstätten, Austria, native, Kostic competed for the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of Austrian Superliga. He averaged 6.5 points per game, shooting 36.3% on triples. He recorded 20 games in double figures, including a pair of 24-point displays.
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— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) April 29, 2026Â
In 2023, Kostic led Austria to a fourth place finish at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, Division B, averaging 19.1 points per game. He dropped 34 points in the third place game against Montenegro.
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The European talent hails from a decorated basketball lineage. Kostic's father, Zoran, represented Yugoslavia's national team in his playing career and has long served as a coach.