Here's why they want to play college basketball games in Croatia and Serbia

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It’s not exactly breaking news when a major college sporting event is scheduled to be played outside of the United States. Arizona State and Kansas are scheduled to play football in London this season. TCU and UNC will play in Dublin, and NC State and Virginia are scheduled to play in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (more on that game in a future EP newsletter).

And on the basketball side, we’re reportedly getting Villanova and Notre Dame to tip off in Rome, in what college sports internet will colloquially call the Pope Leo XIV Classic.

These events are great fundraising trips for donors, a great way to give athletes a unique experience, and an important step in turning American college athletics into a more global game.

But still, it’s a little unusual to see a press release for games outside of Western Europe or North America.

But earlier in March, Intersport and Rochelle Management Group announced a partnership that intends to bring college basketball to Zagreb, Croatia, and Belgrade, Serbia.

No disrespect to those storied European capitals… But why there?

Part of the reason, of course, is proximity to elite talent, a rationale that isn’t really the case for other major recent international athletic events. There are 44 current D1 players who list cities in Serbia as their hometowns, and another 14 from Croatia. The two countries produce some of the most competitive clubs in Europe and have become just as important basketball recruiting destinations as Atlanta, Chicago, or Houston. TCU football is not going to Ireland because they hope to find some new defensive tackles along the way, although that’d be a fun story.

But after talking to the event organizers, it’s clear that the event wants to be more than just a recruiting stopover.