Aleksej Kostić is no stranger to high-level competition.
Kostić, the sixth transfer addition for Northwestern men’s basketball this offseason, began his professional career at 17 years old with the Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian Basketball Superliga. After four seasons in Austria, Kostić transitioned to the college game at BYU. He appeared in 27 games as a three-point shooting threat and started the final five contests of the season, playing 21 minutes in the Cougars’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Texas.
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Now, Kostić is set to play in Evanston, hoping to take on an even bigger role during his sophomore campaign.
“At BYU, I was just spacing the floor, shooting, catch-and-shoot,” Kostić said. “Here, I really want to develop my game so I can also play more versatile, put the ball on the floor and show that I can do that as well.”
Kostić, who turns 21 in October, has played against numerous high-level opponents in his playing career so far. With the Wildcats, he will have an opportunity to progress further, seeking to build on past experience while becoming an important piece of a new-look roster.
Kostić’s professional career began in late 2021, as he joined a Lions squad that had no other players below 19 years old at the time. Surrounded by veterans, Kostić played alongside former Western Kentucky standout Taveion Hollingsworth, ex-Middle Tennessee forward Karl Gamble and even previous Northwestern forward Aaron Falzon, who spent four seasons with the Wildcats between 2015 and 2019.
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Kostić and Falzon only played one season together with Arkadia, but they remain good friends to this day. When Kostić talked to Falzon about Northwestern, Falzon spoke highly of Northwestern head coach Chris Collins and the school. Kostić said that conversation played a big role in his transfer portal decision.
While Falzon moved to play in France in 2022-23, Kostić stayed with the Lions, gradually developing into a high-level player. He spent four seasons with Arkadia and found the most success in 2024-25, averaging 13 points per game in 32 contests while shooting 46.4% from the field and 36.3% from three. Kostić also played in seven FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers for the Austrian men’s national team between Feb. 2024 and Aug. 2025, averaging 5.7 points per game and shooting 9-of-20 from distance.
Kostić said his overseas experience helped him avoid difficulties that a typical high school player might experience while transitioning to college.
“Playing pro basketball, you already play in an environment where winning is super important, and if you don’t win, people actually get fired,” Kostić said. “So it was already a very serious environment, and I think that really helped me to adjust to the big stage of college basketball.”
BYU basketball has been on the rise in recent years, as the Cougars have made the NCAA Tournament in each of their last three seasons. Despite a first-round upset loss at the hands of Texas, BYU put together one of its most memorable teams in 2025-26, highlighted by the performances of potential No. 1 NBA Draft prospect AJ Dybantsa.
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“It was surreal at the beginning, coming from Austria, a really small basketball market, to BYU playing with AJ Dybantsa,” Kostić said. “He had so much gravity towards him, so it also opened up the game for me a lot as a shooter spacing the floor.”
Dybantsa was the engine for the Cougars’ offense, allowing players such as Kostić to step up in complementary roles. Initially, Kostić’s minutes were scattered in Big 12 play. However, after Richie Saunders suffered a torn ACL against Colorado on Feb. 14, BYU sought new scoring options to replace the superstar guard’s 18 points per game.
The Cougars promptly lost four of their next five games, but Kostić began carving out a major role, playing 27 or more minutes against UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati while knocking down four threes against each. His standout performances prompted BYU coach Kevin Young to make a lineup switch for the team’s final regular season game. On March 7 against Texas Tech, Young put his upstart first-year into the starting five for the first time.
During his stretch as a starter to end the season, Kostić’s results were mixed. He shot well in the Big 12 Tournament against Kansas State and Houston but struggled against the Mountaineers, the Red Raiders and the Longhorns, shooting 9-of-30 from distance in that five-game span.
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Still, Kostić ended the year with a solid 36.7% mark from beyond the arc. Throughout the season, he gained the trust of the coaching staff, earning his five end-of-season starts as a result.
“It was an amazing opportunity to share the court with some of the best and just learn and experience and get better,” Kostić said.
In the transfer portal, Kostić received interest from a lot of schools, but Northwestern quickly stood out.
“I had some options to go to an A-10 school and be the main guy there, but I really wanted to stay at the high-major level,” Kostić said. “As soon as Northwestern came into the conversation, I already felt something different. I felt more interest and that they really, really want me.”
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Upon arriving at Northwestern, Kostić will have to adjust to a new-look roster, one that includes three returners, two first-years and six transfers as of April 27. At 6-foot-4, Kostić seems likely to slot in as a shooting guard, the position that he played during his time with the Cougars.
Kostić said he enjoyed talking with the coaching staff about how he would fit into the Wildcats’ plans for next year. He said that although Collins didn’t make any promises regarding playing time, the Wildcat coach indicated he wanted his prospective guard to be a major factor.
“Obviously, I have to prove whatever I want,” Kostić said. “But he said they want me to have a big role.”
Among Northwestern’s six transfers so far, Kostić is the only one coming directly from a Power Five school, and his extensive professional experience also elevates his prospect profile. So far, his primary competitors for playing time appear to be Northeastern transfer LA Pratt, incoming first-year Jayden Hodge and returners Jake West, Angelo Ciaravino and Phoenix Gill.
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Barring an unexpected shift, West’s role as the starting point guard appears set in stone, meaning Kostić will likely have many opportunities to play alongside his fellow sophomore.
“I don’t know him personally yet, but I watched some film on him,” Kostić said of West. “Every shooter’s dream is to play with a point guard like him that can find you wherever you are.”
West projects to be Northwestern’s centerpiece of the future, but the Wildcats will need production from many incoming players to make up for their transfer portal losses and a graduating Nick Martinelli. In adding Kostić and Pratt, Collins has responded by securing more guard depth to build around West. Size also appears to be a priority to make up for last year’s rebounding woes, with the other four incoming transfers all standing at 6-foot-7 or taller.
Looking at next year’s roster, Kostić said he views the Wildcats as a team that can make life difficult against anyone, even when facing juggernauts like Michigan.
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“I think we have a group of very hungry players coming from a mid-major level and playing in the Big Ten, which is probably the best conference in the country,” Kostić said. “I feel that mentality in our team.”
Over the past two seasons, Northwestern has faced plenty of Big Ten obstacles in its quest to return to the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Wildcats’ chief task is replacing Martinelli, who averaged 23 points per game during his final season in purple.
In an ideal scenario for the ‘Cats, Kostić’s professional success and Power Five pedigree would elevate their chances at returning to the glory days. As Northwestern seeks to pull off a quick rebuild, Kostić’s aspirations for the Wildcats remain high.
“We definitely want to make the tournament,” Kostić said. “That’s my main goal for the team and myself, and then I just want to improve, take a step forward from last season and keep building on that.”
