Arizona’s Filip Borovicanin, Kylan Boswell open play in FIBA U19 World Cup

Arizona is set to take an overseas tour in August, but before then several of its players will be representing their countries in international competition.

Kicking things off are sophomores Filip Borovicanin and Kylan Boswell, who will be playing for Serbia and the United States, respectively, in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary, which begins early Friday.

Team USA opens at 3:30 a.m. PT Saturday against Madagascar, while Serbia faces Egypt at 5:30 a.m. PT. Both games, and all FIBA U19 World Cup competition, can be watched on YouTube.

“These are awesome opportunities to represent your country in a really well-respected event,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said. “These guys have a chance to get an experience and make memories of a lifetime. I think both guys are looking to be contributors on their team. I might even like to try some Hungarian food in the next week or so.”

For Boswell, who made the cut for Team USA a week ago, this tournament wraps up a whirlwind of a year that saw him go from high school senior-to-be to reclassifying college freshman rehabbing a broken foot and eventually becoming a key contributor during Arizona’s run to another Pac-12 Tournament title.

“He really obviously took off towards the on the second half of the season and he continued to make that progress in the offseason,” Lloyd said.

Boswell averaged 8.2 points and made 11 of 15 3-pointers over the final six games of 2022-23, but before that went through a low of growing pains, both literally and figuratively, but Lloyd thinks that made Boswell into the player he’s become.

“Struggle is part of the development process,” Lloyd said. “He went through it early in and he got through it well. I just think have that struggle in your back pocket puts him a step or two ahead of most other kids his age coming into college.”

Borovicanin and Boswell aren’t the only UA players in international competition this summer. Sophomore Henri Veesaar (Estonia) and incoming freshman Paulius Mauruskas (Lithuania) are both trying to make their country’s squads for the FIBA U20 European Championship, which is set for July 8-16 in Crete, while incoming freshman Conrad Martinez is expected to compete for Spain in the FIBA U18 European Championship July 22-30 in Serbia.