Robert Jurkovic is still in the middle of the kind of adjustment that comes with crossing an ocean and stepping into a new basketball world, but he says the early signs have been encouraging.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the NC State big man said the move from Europe to the United States has meant getting used to “a whole different culture, different foods, different everything.” Even so, he believes he has settled in well enough to keep building from here.
“It’s definitely been a pretty big adjustment. A whole different culture, different foods, different everything.
But I think I’ve adjusted pretty well. I’ve gotten into the rhythm, and I’ll just go up from here.”
Food has been part of that learning curve, too. Jurkovic said he likes most American food, while making sure not to sound too harsh on the home cooking he left behind.
“I like most of the food. I wouldn’t say it’s better than back home. Please don’t hate me, people.”
Basketball, though, has required an even bigger shift. Jurkovic said the main difference between playing overseas and working in Justin Gainey’s program is the pace.
“I feel the biggest transition and the biggest difference is the speed of play. I feel the speed of play here is a lot quicker.
We want to get up and down the floor a lot quicker than in Europe. We kind of get over half court, set up a system and then play.”
That faster tempo is part of what makes Jurkovic a fit in Raleigh. He described himself as a player who can bring a high basketball IQ, a reliable jumper and the kind of frontcourt spacing that can open things up for the Wolfpack.
“I would say I have a pretty high basketball IQ. I have a good jump shot, so I can stretch the floor from the big spot, and just a kind of veteran perspective, I guess. I don’t know how to phrase it better.”
For Jurkovic, the decision to choose NC State came down to how the staff handled the process. He said Gainey and his assistants stayed engaged throughout the recruitment, kept communication open and made the whole experience feel comfortable.
“They were really involved. Every time we wanted to get on Zoom, they were like, ‘Yeah, let’s set it up. When does it work for you?’
“We’ve had talks. The energy that I felt from not just Coach Gainey but the whole staff, and how they presented it all, just felt really, really great.”
Jurkovic’s arrival gives NC State another experienced piece in the frontcourt, and he sounds ready to keep settling into a system that asks its players to move faster and think on the fly.
In Other News...
Nebraska Faces A Big Defensive Line Worry Before Indiana
Nebraskas defensive front has a new concern heading into the Indiana game, with tackle Riley Van Poppel landing on the questionable list. He is part of a Husker injury report that also saw tight end Carter Nelson and linebacker Gage Stenger move up to questionable, while several other Nebraska players remain unavailable as the matchup approaches.
Indianas report carries its own uncertainty, with wide receiver LeBron Bond listed as questionable after missing previous games. The Hoosiers also expect to have cornerback A.J. Harris and defensive end David Ndukwe back in the mix after earlier injuries, leaving both teams with some late-week personnel questions to monitor before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Suddenly Has A Chance To End One Brutal Drought
Nebraska suddenly has a rare opening to change the tone of its season, and it comes with some national buzz attached. On ESPNs Get Up, analysts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan both pointed to the Cornhuskers as a team that could make things interesting against No. 7 Indiana, a matchup that already has plenty of attention because Nebraska has gone years without beating a ranked opponent.
That drought has stretched all the way back to 2016, and Nebraska heads into this one as a 7.5-point underdog, which is why the outside belief matters at all. Compton and Lewan pointed to the fan base and the players as reasons the Cornhuskers might finally be positioned to snap the skid, setting up a test that feels as much about belief as it does about rankings. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas First Test Will Reveal Plenty About This New-Look Team
Fridays exhibition against Saint Louis will be Nebraskas first real chance to show what this new-look group can do under game conditions. College basketballs preseason tuneups are often more about feel than results, but they still offer a useful snapshot, especially for a team trying to sort out its rotation and see how new pieces fit together before the games start counting.
The Cornhuskers are part of a loaded October 9 exhibition slate that also includes North Carolina meeting USC and Richmond visiting Virginia, giving fans an early look at several programs with fresh faces and new directions. For Nebraska, the focus is less on the final score than on how the roster responds, how the coaching staff deploys it, and what the first test reveals about the teams early identity. [Read more 🡒]