Huskers sign Croatian star Bozan for 2024-25 – University of Nebraska
The Nebraska women’s basketball team has secured a key addition for the 2024-25 season with the signing of Croatian Petra Bozan, head coach Amy Williams announced on Monday, August 26.
Bozan, a 6-foot-3 forward/center, arrived in Nebraska on Sunday night just in time for the start of the fall semester on Monday after a strong performance for her home country at the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship in Matosinhos, Portugal (Aug. 3-11).
Bozan was Croatia’s best player in both points (113) and rebounds (70) through seven tournament games. She ranked sixth among all players in the 16-team tournament in scoring (16.1 points per game) and third in rebounds (10.0 rebounds per game). She averaged 1.6 blocks and 1.3 assists.
“We are thrilled to add Petra to our Husker women’s basketball family,” said Nebraska coach Amy Williams. “Her size, skill and experience make her a perfect addition to our current roster and we are excited to see her growth and development in the Husker uniform.”
Against Turkey (August 8), Bozan had 25 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in 36 minutes, hitting 10 of 16 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 three-pointers. She posted a second double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Poland (August 4), before posting her first of two 20-point performances of the tournament, with 21 points and nine rebounds, against Belgium (August 5).
During the tournament, Bozan made 48 percent of her field attempts, including 27.3 percent (6 of 22) of her three-pointers, and sank 72.2 percent (13 of 18) of her free throws.
During the 2023–24 season, Bozan played for KAZL Split of the Croatian Premier League, averaging 15.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocked shots in 22 games, earning her second-team All-Premier League honors. She made 54.5 percent of her field goals and 73.6 percent of her free throws, helping KAZL Split to a 17-5 record. Her performances included a season-high 31 points on 14 of 21 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and seven steals in a win over Zagreb (October 28, 2023). It was one of her 17 double-doubles during the 22-game Premier League regular season. Against Brod na Savi (November 4, 2023), she achieved a season-high 19 rebounds.
Last summer, Bozan averaged 12.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Croatia at the 2023 FIBA Europe U18 Championship. Her performances in Sofia, Bulgaria included double-doubles against Greece and Macedonia before adding a third double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the title game win over Luxembourg. She earned a spot in the tournament’s All-Star Five, helping Croatia to the Division B championship title.
She also represented Croatia at the 2022 FIBA U16 Europe Championship in Portugal, averaging 13.6 points and 15.0 rebounds in seven games, which was a tournament-best. She led Croatia to a third-place finish, including a 16-point, 13-rebound performance against Spain in the semifinals. She posted six double-doubles, including a 19-point, 15-rebound performance in a win over Italy and a great 14-point, 23-rebound performance in a win over Finland. She also averaged 2.4 blocks and 1.7 steals.
Petra, the daughter of Darko and Stanka Bozan, was born on February 10, 2006. She also played basketball for WBC Akademija Zana Lelas. She plans to study business administration in Nebraska.