Matej Bošnjak, the final addition to men’s basketball’s 2024-25 roster, has arrived in Wichita, and, for the past two weeks, has been adjusting to life in the United States both on and off the court.

“You can see him making strides every single day,” head coach Paul Mills said. “His best attribute right now is, one, he wants to learn and then, two, he works his tail off.”

Adjustments on and off the court

Bošnjak, a Zagreb, Croatia, native, had never been to the United States prior to committing to Wichita State. From learning what food to eat to operating American appliances, Bošnjak said he has felt plenty of culture shock so far.

“The guys in the staff, the guys in the team, especially (Ognjen Stranjina), have helped me a lot,” Bošnjak said.

Ognjen Stranjina is the men’s basketball director of recruiting and has helped Bošnjak get through language barriers and offered a hand in Bošnjak’s transition in the States.

Bošnjak said he and Stranjina can speak to each other in Croatian, Bošnjak’s native language, making Bošnjak’s transition to American culture easier. 

“When you move from Europe to the States, it’s kind of a culture shock all around,” Stranjina said. “It just means a lot for him that he has somebody that can just guide him through the process, you know. Because I didn’t have nobody from Europe to guide me when I moved here.”

“We’ve talked about … the stuff for me about adapting to the play style, adapting to the culture,” Bošnjak said. “But, you know, of course, when you come over here, it’s different … I was able to visualize some of that stuff. So I came, like, a little bit more prepared than maybe some other guys do.”

Not only has Bošnjak had to adjust to American culture, he said he also had to adapt to American education.

“I’ve only been here for two weeks,” Bošnjak said. “Over here … in class, you have quizzes, you have multiple exams. You need to do a lot of seminars, essays, stuff like that. In Croatia … in a whole academic year, you have maybe one seminar, or maybe one essay, and … you have a little window of two weeks when you have your exams and it’s all based on the exam.”

Bošnjak said the biggest adjustment on the court for him will be the shot clock.

“Players over here are much quicker, more athletic,” Bošnjak said. “So that’s going to be a little bit of an adjustment, but that’s the least of my worries. But, I mean, the shot clock is 30 seconds. That’s a big, big difference. I can already feel it after three practices.”

The shot clock Bošnjak is accustomed to is 24 seconds. He said the extra time on the clock in America messes with his muscle memory.

“In my mind, I know what 24 seconds is, in the time period,” Bošnjak said. “So when we’re on defense, I can feel 24 seconds pass in my mind. It’s like ‘OK, the play is kind of over now,’ and then you look at a shot clock and it’s seven or six more seconds. I think I’m going to need a little bit of time to adapt to that.”

Recruiting process

When recruiting Bošnjak, Mills said that his physicality and skill set stood out to him the most.

“If you know anything about European basketball, the one thing you’ll take away is how physical it is,” Mills said. “This is a situation where I just loved his physicality, his ability to play through (contact).

Mills praised Bošnjak’s passing, ball-handling ability and skills on the perimeter, comparing him to the NBA’s reigning MVP, Nikola Jokić. 

“You’re looking at a guy who could play out of short roles and play in the high post. But, you can give the ball to (him) one-on-one around the rim and feel very comfortable with (him) being able to make the right decision.”

The feedback and energy that Wichita State’s coaching staff gave Bošnjak during recruiting ultimately helped him decide to take his talents to Koch Arena.

“I saw it as a place where I have all the tools to get better and to further my basketball career to the highest level I can be, to grow as a person,” Bošnjak said. “This is my first time leaving home. So to grow to be more independent, that’s what I saw.”

Once cleared and eligible to play, Bošnjak had to enroll in classes and go through transfer paperwork. Mills said the men’s basketball director of athletic academic services, Gretchen Torline, and Stranjina were by Bošnjak’s side to guide him through the process.

Bošnjak is majoring in international business and said he’s taking classes in operations management, business management and math.

“And I have one history class, in World War II,” Bošnjak said. “That’s the class I’m most, like, happy to go to.”

Role with team

Because of Bošnjak’s age, Mills said this is not an adjustment year for him as his development has already happened.

“He’s a 22-year-old who plays against older players,” Mills said. “Because of that, you understand that this isn’t somebody who’s adjusting (from) high school to college. This is a guy who’s played against other guys his age or a bit older … he’ll be able to make an impact.”

The impact he’ll make, Mills said, will be in his ability to shoot, especially around the perimeter.

“Very respectable in that regard,” Mills said. “But his ability to handle, his ability to see and his ability around the rim as well. I would tell you he has a ton of versatility on the perimeter as well as the interior.”

Mills said fans of Shocker basketball will be excited to see Bošnjak play.

“I think Wichita State fans appreciate good basketball players,” Mills said. “Guys who are really invested, who care about making an impact on the school during their time here. And you’re going to get everything out of Matej. Matej is a full-fledged Shocker. He has embraced everything.”