I'm looking forward to seeing Sujanovic play this fall. I think he will be an immediate impact player.

DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball has signed Omer Suljanovic, a 6-foot-8 forward from Austria with professional experience in Italy's Serie A2, head coach Jim Les announced Friday.

"Omer's game is built for today's style of play," said Les. "He stretches the floor, initiates offense, and competes with the physicality and pace you expect from someone who's faced high-level competition across Europe. He's ready to contribute from day one."

"He brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and basketball IQ that positions him to make an immediate impact," Les added. "A true modern-day forward, Omer's ability to handle the ball like a guard at 6-foot-8, combined with his strength and touch in the paint, makes him a matchup nightmare. He can create his own shot, finish through contact, and score at all three levels – with his perimeter shooting standing out as a major threat."

Suljanovic spent the 2024-25 season with UCC Assigeco Piacenza in Italy's Serie A2, a highly competitive league featuring seasoned professionals. During the 2023-24 season, he led Italy's U-19 league in scoring at 24.2 points per game for Pallacanestro Reggiana. He also competed for NGT Belgrade in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds against Europe's elite youth prospects.

Internationally, Suljanovic made his senior national team debut at just 17 years old – becoming one of the world's youngest players at that level during the 2025 FIBA World Cup qualifying window. He averaged 23 minutes per game in his two appearances, demonstrating remarkable poise for his age. He has since been called again to perform for Austria's second FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers window this season.

Suljanovic's basketball pedigree runs deep: Fluent in four languages, he is the son of Ramiz Suljanovic – a 12-year professional veteran and Bosnian national team pioneer who was among the first Bosnians to establish himself in European basketball. His brother, Imran, will play at St. John's this season.

"Having competed internationally and trained in some of Europe's most respected development systems, Omer arrives with the poise and polish of a seasoned professional," Les noted. "We are confident he will strengthen our team and elevate the standard of play across the board. His presence is a significant addition to our program's culture."

Suljanovic will join the Aggies as a freshman for the 2025-26 season.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/5/30/omer-suljanovic-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

It feels like we’ve really improved, although I’m a bit worried about our center position. I expect a big leap up from Cooper, and I think Sevilla will be better with a reduced work load. Robeson remains the big unknown.

Signed now

I'm really happy to see that Noudjihidi is officially an Aggie. He has one of the longest wingspans in the country and appears to be very athletic. He's definitely has the potential to be a disruptive defender and rim protector. I think this is one of the best recruiting classes I've seen in a very long time. Can't wait to see this team in action this fall!

DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis men's basketball program has signed 6-foot-11 forward Jonathan Noudjihidi, a Chad native and interior force from Coahoma Community College, head coach Jim Les announced Friday.

"Big Jon brings a unique combination of size, athleticism, and work ethic to our team," said Les. "He's a true rim protector who plays above the rim on both ends and runs the floor as well as any big I've coached. His presence in the paint gives us a real edge. We're excited about the impact he'll make and the energy he will bring every day."

Noudjihidi broke out as a full-time starter this past season at Coahoma CC, averaging 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 57.8% from the field - the seventh-best mark in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC). His 2024-25 campaign featured a career-high 23-point, 12-rebound performance against Southeast Arkansas College on December 14, along with six double-doubles and 10 double-digit rebound games that showcased his consistency. The athletic big man also recorded a career-high seven blocks against Shorter College on December 11, one of his 12 multi-block performances in 25 games.

The Chad native more than doubled his scoring output from 4.8 to 10.9 points per game while increasing his rebounding average from 3.5 to 7.2 per contest between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He also demonstrated improved touch by raising his free-throw percentage to 72.4%, a near 10-point improvement from the previous year. His rim protection (50 total blocks) and finishing ability made him one of the conference's most impactful two-way players. Before his time at Coahoma, Noudjihidi developed his game at Our Saviour Lutheran in the Bronx.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/6/jonathan-noudjihidi-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

so Omer’s older brother, Imran, is going to be a freshman at St. John’s. My daughter’s boyfriend is a St John’s alumni and a big time Johnys fan and apparently they are all very worried that Imran will have visa troubles getting into the country. I don’t know if there are specific worries or just a general concern, but it’s something to keep an eye on for Omer.

That makes me wonder if Noudjihidi could end up with ICE problems since his home country of Chad is one of the countries included in Trump's recent travel bans. I'm assuming that since he has already been playing at a community college in Louisiana for 2 years, that the Chad travel ban would not affect him. I certainly hope that Suljanovic and Noudjihidi don't encounter any problems.

Easily the best recruiting class.

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2025/6/10/abdullah-amzil-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

It certainly seems like a step up in terms of talent. Notably Les is bringing in SIZE which hasn't been his MO

and it’s nice to see us getting guys over some bigger programs. Abdullah had offers from Utah, South Carolina and Wyoming

So our squad is probably set now:

Post: Jon Noudjihidi 6’11”
Isiah Chappel 6’9”

Wings: Ylan Esso-Essie 6’8”
Omer Suljanovic 6’9”
Abdullah Amir 6’7”
Marsalis Roberson 6’6”
Nils Cooper 6’5”
Jalen Stokes 6’5”
chase Rawlings 6’6”
Marcus Wilson 6’4”
Sione Lose 6’4”
Carl Daughtery 6’3”

Point: Braden Fagbeymi 6’0”
Connor Seville 6’0”

I think that’s everyone.

Amzil is a great recruit for the Aggies. I saw we had offered him back in mid-May and I watched some of his highlight videos and this kid can play! He is very versatile with good size and strength inside and a beautiful shot from beyond the arc. He had offers from South Carolina, Utah, Toledo and Wyoming also. This recruiting class is really impressive!

This is not about Ags recruiting but it's relevant. Eran Ganot, the Hawaii head coach has been under fire and it looks like he went all out to bring in a lot of great transfer talent.
https://hawaiisportsradio.com/2025/03/30/uh-mens-basketball-2025-offseason-recruiting-transfer-portal-tracker/

Probably not a coincidence that the two programs moving to the MW had good recruiting classes

Wow! What a recruiting class!

I am here to personally apologize. While I do think a large portion of this recruiting bump is due to our move to the MW coming and the hype associated/recruiting power that comes with that, Les has really been able to bring in some good folks. Looking forward to seeing what we will do in the coming seasons!

We still have to turn the strong recruiting into a strong on court product. We're going to have a pretty young squad so there might be some growing pains, but this definitely looks like a move in the right direction.

To be honest, I wasn't too far away from your point of view on Les. After watching the team implode late last season (and really look awful in Henderson), there was part of me that was ready for a new vision/direction. Hopefully the bump in recruiting will result in a more competitive team next year.

Well I figured our recruiting was about done, but I guess not

I think it's because you were including Marsalis Roberson in yor list, but who knows if he'll play ?

Looks like Franklin is a sophomore transfer from CC of Southern Nevada, 14 points per game per their website. Assuming this is the right Cyril Franklin Jr he's a guard about Roberson's height but only listed at 160 lbs.

yeah that’s him. Kind of interesting prospect. Good size but apparently plays a lot of point. Interesting to see if he makes an immediate impact or is someone that the staff develops.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's another new player to be announced, given the amount of attrition in the primary men's sports at UCD..

I think Roberson is probably done. He wasn't a great player at Cal, and now he has two years of rust on top of not-so-great.

Yeah every year I hope that we see the Roberson that was a big recruit out of high school. And every year something happens to him. I’ve tempered my expectations.

The folks over on t he Big West Boards are saying that teams are signing 15 players this year to their rosters.

I think Roberson is probably done. He wasn't a great player at Cal, and now he has two years of rust on top of not-so-great. — yolohw

Les is well known for bringing in players that he feels are diamonds-in-the-rough and developing them. Quite a few of them became outstanding players under his coaching. I don't know if Roberson will be back or not but I do know that Les was high on his potential to be a solid contributor prior to tearing his ACL in a pick up game 2 years ago. I trust Les' eye for talent so I hope Roberson is able to return this year and that we get to finally see him in action.

I got to know one of the parents a bit last season and talked often when we ran across each other at games. At Vegas, we were talking about the season and how early injuries (Borra and Roberson) effected the team and may have led to the late season collapse. He was saying his son felt Roberson was a ‘GameChanger’.

Hope for this sake (and ours!) he gets healthy and has a chance to show his potential