Proven scorer Filip Rebraca transferring to Iowa from North Dakota

The 6-foot-9 Serbian was sought by many programs after entering transfer portal

Apr. 22, 2021 4:08 pm, Updated: Apr. 22, 2021 4:42 pm

Filip Rebraca is sandwiched by Minnesota defenders, including Liam Robbins (right) during North Dakota’s 76-67 loss to the Gophers in Minneapolis last Dec. 4. Rebraca, who is transferring to Iowa, scored 23 points. (Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press)

Filip Rebraca, a 6-foot-9 senior-to-be, announced Thursday afternoon he is transferring from North Dakota to the Iowa men’s basketball program.

He gives the Hawkeyes a needed experienced frontcourt player after Jack Nunge announced he was transferring from Iowa. He’ll have two years of eligibility at Iowa if he chooses to use the NCAA’s free year rule of the past season. He will be a college graduate this summer and wants to earn an MBA.

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Rebraca is from Sombor, Serbia. He attended Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts before joining the UND program. He is the son of Zeljko Rebraca, who played in the NBA from 2001 to 2006.

Rebraca played 87 games and started 74 over his three-year North Dakota career. He was UND’s leading scorer and rebounder in the 2020-21 season with 16.8 and 7.6 rebounds per game for the 9-17 Fighting Hawks.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Rebraca told South Carolina newspaper The State last week. “In the post, I can play back to the basket, I can face up, I can face up and shoot, I can short-roll and shoot, I can drive and I can shoot 3s. I feel like my game is really well-rounded. All my skills can improve, but I’d say I can do a little bit of everything.”

He was a second-team All-Summit League selection. He had eight games of 21 or more points last season, and scored at least 11 in all but one contest. He scored 23 points in UND’s 76-67 loss to Minnesota last Dec. 4 in Minneapolis.

Rebraca became the second player in UND history to accumulate 1,000 points and 500 rebounds before his third season was over.

He also was fourth in the Summit League in rebounding and field goal percentage. He had 17 blocked shots last season, made 60.7 percent of his free throws, and sank 15 of 41 3-pointers for 36.6 percent.

“I had to basically choose between choosing an education that I maybe don’t like the most and staying here and playing, or going to get the masters education that I really desired somewhere else,” Rebraca told The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead when he announced he was entering the transfer portal.

Several other programs reportedly expressed interest in him, including Minnesota, South Carolina and Stanford. Rebraca had a pair of Zoom conferences with new Minnesota coach Ben Johnson, and had Zooms with Virginia Tech and Tulsa as well.

Iowa had to shore up its center situation with national Player of the Year Luka Garza going to pro ball and Nunge transferring to Xavier. Freshman Riley Mulvey and sophomore Josh Ogundele will be the Hawkeyes’ other post players.

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