Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Adds Austrian Guard Aleksej Kostic
4/29/2026 1:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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.
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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."
From 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.
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.
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) April 29, 2026
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.
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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