Indiana men’s basketball head coach Darian DeVries and his coaching staff have been busy on the recruiting trail, but they’ve yet to knock on Harun Zrno’s door.
Zrno originally committed to Indiana on Jan. 24 to play for previous head coach Mike Woodson but rescinded his pledge March 19, the day after the Hoosiers hired DeVries. The Bosnian wing hasn’t heard from Indiana since DeVries stepped foot in Bloomington.
Stevan Petrovic, Zrno’s agent at Agency 55, has reached out to DeVries four times — two texts and a pair of phone calls — but hasn’t received any response, Petrovic told the Indiana Daily Student in a phone call Monday. Zrno’s camp said they first reached out to DeVries on March 18. When the Hoosiers’ staff didn’t respond, Zrno decommitted.
“We waited for Indiana to come back to us and get in touch with us,” Petrovic said. “Never heard back from him. That was the only reason why we decommitted because at that point we had to go ahead and move on from Indiana. It’s nothing that Harun wanted to do — absolutely not — but we could not wait anymore on Indiana to get back to us, and they never did.”
Petrovic added he “just wanted to make things clear for Hoosier Nation — it’s not something we wanted to do.”
Indiana Athletics did not provide comment on the situation.
Zrno visited Bloomington for the Hoosiers’ 82-69 win over USC on Jan. 8. It was not only his first college visit but also his first time in the United States. He later visited Wisconsin, Creighton University and the University of Virginia, but Indiana left a lasting impression.
Over 5,000 miles away from East Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he played for KK Slavija, Zrno felt at home.
“The staff did a great job of recruiting Harun,” Petrovic said. “He felt welcome in Indiana. He had a good connection when he was at the game with Hoosier Nation, and a lot of fans come up to him. He introduced himself to everyone. So, it was kind of connection and atmosphere. He felt it would be a great place to play and he fell in love with everything Indiana had to offer.”
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Zrno averaged 17.5 points, 3.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds across 14 games for KK Slavija this past season. He shot 50% from the field, 43.7% from beyond the arc and 77.4% at the free throw line.
Petrovic acknowledged Zrno is a big-bodied shooter, but he played point guard at times this past season, culminating in a diverse skill set that’s generated significant Power Five interest.
“His main weapon is his shooting ability and creating his own shots,” Petrovic said. “But he can also play defense. He can play with the ball (as a) point guard, and he’s very unselfish. He loves passing the ball and getting his teammates involved, and he’s absolutely the hardest working player I have seen.”
The 20-year-old Zrno will visit the University of Miami and Villanova University over the weekend.
“Both schools did a great job of recruiting Harun, and both schools want him,” Petrovic said. “That’s why we feel both places would be a good fit for Harun to come in and play right away.”
Zrno and Petrovic once thought Indiana would be that fit. When Indiana Athletics announced Feb. 7 that Woodson would step down at the end of the season, Zrno remained committed to give the new coaching staff an opportunity.
DeVries and the Hoosiers didn’t pick up the phone — or at least not yet. But if they do, Zrno and Petrovic are willing to listen.
“I mean, the doors are still open,” Petrovic said. “We have not decided yet, but of course the doors are always open. Indiana had a real advantage in front of other schools. Of course, he would consider Indiana again if they reach out, but at this point, no one reached out.”
