Syracuse men’s basketball had a surprise add late in the second summer session. Ace recruiter Brendan Straughn played a major part.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program had its roster set with 11 scholarship players well into the summer. But during that time the coaching staff was still looking to add one more player to its roster. On August 16 it was officially announced that the Orange would add 6-foot-8 forward Petar Majstorovic. From soup to nuts, the process of getting Majstorovic on board at Syracuse took about two months.
Majstorovic (pronounced: My-stor-uh-vich) was born in Sombor in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. He’s one of three children. He has two sisters, Mila and Sara. The Majstorovic family moved to France when Petar was just one year old as his father, Bosko, took on a professional basketball career.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Petar grew up to play professional basketball in France for three seasons. That began in the 2021-22 season as a member of AS Alsace U-21 for two seasons. Last season, Majstorovic played with ASVEL Basket Lyon-Villeurbanne U-21 where he averaged 9.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
Since committing to Syracuse and relocating to the United States, Majstorovic noted the different pronunciations of his first name. In the U.S., Petar is pronounced just the same as Peter. In France, it’s Pet-ah and in Serbia it’s Pee-tur.
His journey toward playing college basketball in the United States was somewhat unconventional and certainly unexpected. The journey began with his agent putting Majstorovic’s name in the transfer portal. Not long after, Syracuse assistant coach Brendan Straughn reached out to him and his family.
“The basketball community is small,” Straughn began. “In this day and era of college basketball, a lot of guys have agents. I was connected with a guy that represented him from Europe. From there we had a couple of conversations about an opportunity here. We got on Zoom, had a couple of conversations and with his family, his agent, his advisors. They felt like it was good fit and good opportunity and we’re glad Petar’s here at Syracuse.”
Straughn, Syracuse’s ace recruiter, had a presentation prepared for Majstorovic for one Zoom meeting in particular, which included background on the Syracuse program and how Majstorovic would fit within the system.
“I fell in love with the project, the facilities, the way people work here,” Majstorovic said.
Straughn presented on the way Syracuse wants to play, including how they played last year and what they hoped to do this current season. The play-style appealed to Majstorovic and coming from Europe it was one he was familiar with. He was excited about the opportunity to get an education in America and to have a chance to develop as a basketball player in a style of five-out offense that fits his game.
“I’m an unselfish player. I’m someone who is gonna grab the rebound, set the screens, create open shots for my teammates, make the right pass, make the right play. I think I’m going to bring the off-ball playing style,” Majstorovic said.
Other schools contacted him, but Syracuse was the only program to officially offer Majstorovic. He expects nothing in his first year, he says, and understands his playing time might depend on the matchup and what’s happening on that given night. In Syracuse’s most recent game against Texas Tech, he played in a big spot down the stretch in a tense game. Syracuse came up short, but he contributed with two points and six rebounds in 11 minutes.
“He’s a good player. He knows how to play. He’s very smart, he can move the ball. He plays for other people. He makes the game a little bit easier. I thought he gave us a good lift,” Head coach Adrian Autry said following the Texas Tech game.
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Growing up, Majstorovic never had dreams of playing college basketball or in the United States. He never really gave it much thought until his agent pitched him on potentially playing American basketball at the college level.
“I got the chance to play for college basketball and I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s try it.’ I’m over here because it’s the best development league. There’s people that are going to be in the NBA and they’re great players. It’s the best league to develop in,” Majstorovic said.
Majstorovic’s first time in New York was coming to Syracuse. In the time since he arrived on campus, big man Eddie Lampkin has helped him on the court and in practices. Lampkin, who has a knack for finding open teammates, has helped in communicating with the European forward where to be on the court, when to cut and to make himself available for open looks. They’re both part of a center group that includes the 7-foot-4 kaiju in Naheem McLeod. Each player brings a different skillset to the table.
“He’s relentless, man,” McLeod said of Majstorovic. “He’s always moving around. He’s always flying by trying to get rebounds, helping us with our scoring and things like that. He’s a very mature freshman. I’m starting to see why people are starting to draft European players.”
After last game, Autry touted Majstorovic’s work ethic.
“He’s a kid that gives you everything he has every night. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. He’s in the gym relentlessly and he’s going to get better for us,” Autry said.
Straughn has said he fits in with what Syracuse is trying to do on the offensive end.
“Petar has played high level basketball a lot of his life. One thing that really interested us is he’s very comfortable playing away from the basket, transporting the ball. He’s very unselfish, making plays for his teammates, whether it’s passing, screening, cutting. He’s a good fit to the influx of talent we brought in.”
Majstorovic began taking English classes when he was in sixth grade and being a professional player in France, teammates would speak English daily. He speaks the language clearly, of course with an accent, yet in a way that’s easily understood. When he’s away from the basketball court, he spends time talking to his family now that they’re operating in separate continents. Majstorovic has other interests outside of basketball.
“I like to read sometimes,” Majstorovic said. “I really need to find a book I enjoy. I like reading too and watching animes and series.”
While some have compared Majstorovic to former Syracuse forward Marek Dolezaj, the two have different skillsets and playstyles. Although both are willing passers and play a brand of unselfish European basketball, Majstorovic can operate in the low-post and has a bigger frame to him than Dolezaj. Where Dolezaj relied on tact, Majstorovic uses his strength. Though nobody could hold a candle to Dolezaj’s pizza consuming abilities, both European players share in that they compete hard in such a way that’s worthy of plaudits from the Syracuse fan base.
“I think eventually he’ll become a fan favorite,” Straughn said. “He’s a great kid, (comes from a) basketball family. He’s a hard worker. He loves everything about being in America. We’re happy that he chose to come here and now it’s about us pouring into him and getting him better and helping us win while he’s here.”