Elmir Dzafic, a 7-foot Bosnian center who played his freshman season under John Calipari at Arkansas, announced his commitment to the UConn men’s basketball program on Monday. The news was first reported by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Dzafic joins a frontcourt group that was retooled completely through the transfer portal this offseason after the Huskies lost Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. to the NBA Draft, and both Jaylin Stewart (SMU) and Eric Reibe (USC) to the transfer portal. He will likely serve as a depth piece behind former Seton Hall center Najai Hines and former Stanford big Oskar Giltay.
The Huskies also added Nik Khamenia from Duke to fill Karaban’s spot at the four and Isaiah Shaw from Northern Arizona for added depth.
Dan Hurley and his staff will likely continue looking to add another power forward into the mix.
Dzafic, who goes by the nickname “EJ” and pronounces his last name “JAWF-ich,” played in seven games for Calipari and the Razorbacks last season. He scored a total of three points, all coming from the free throw line, where he went 3-for-6 on the year. He has yet to attempt a shot from the field at the college level.
Dzafic averaged 13.1 points and 10 rebounds in eight games at the 2023 U-18 European Championship Division B while representing Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The 2026-27 UConn roster, headlined by the trio of returners that includes Braylon Mullins, Silas Demary Jr. and Jayden Ross, began moving onto campus this week for summer classes and workouts. That does not include incoming freshman Colben Landrew, who is competing for the USA Basketball Junior National Team at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico this week.
