Grayslake North sophomore Uros Mitrovic is feeling right at home.

Mitrovic, a native of Serbia, was already fluent in English when he moved to the United States in spring 2022. But he was proficient in another language too.

“Basketball is worldwide, and if you know about it, anyone can identify with you,” he said. “It’s part of life to me, and once people saw me playing, we were speaking the same language, and I found people pretty fast.”

Some of Mitrovic’s new friends pointed him in the direction of formal competition.

“When I came here, I didn’t have a team to play with, but some of the guys told me to sign up with an AAU team,” he said. “I also went back to Serbia for part of that first summer before high school and worked on my game.”

Once school started, Mitrovic was ready, whether he realized it or not. The 6-foot-4 forward cracked Grayslake North’s starting lineup during his freshman year and hasn’t looked back.

Mitrovic, one of the team’s three captains this season, was averaging 13.4 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds through seven games and then scored 20 points during the Knights’ 65-48 Northern Lake County Conference loss to Grant on Wednesday.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I started high school, especially to be on varsity so early,” he said. “I was surprised at first.”

Mitrovic, whose father, Milosh, has worked in the oil and gas industry, is from the town of Trstenik in Serbia. His family also lived in the Spanish Canary Islands for five years, and that’s where his mother, Biljana, encouraged him to try basketball.

“He had always played soccer, but she pushed him into basketball, partly because he was much bigger than the other Spanish kids,” Milosh Mitrovic said. “He wasn’t very happy about basketball at first. But he’s become very passionate about it, and he works very hard. We’re proud that he’s doing so well.”

Grayslake North coach Josh Feinzimer first heard about Mitrovic during informal workouts last fall.

“One of the players came up to me and told me that there’s this 6-3 freshman from Serbia,” Feinzimer said. “That fall, he showed right away that he could really shoot the ball. So we figured we’d start him on the sophomore team.”

But after Mitrovic scored upward of 20 points in his first two games, he was promoted to the varsity team. Once he recovered from a rolled ankle, he didn’t leave the starting lineup.

Mitrovic, who shot 38% from 3-point range last season, said he’s still getting used to the American style of basketball.

“I don’t like dribbling as much as people do here, and there’s a lot more one-on-one,” he said. “I was used to people passing the ball a lot more in Europe, and the pace is faster. It took me a while to get used to it.”

Lake County News-Sun

Twice-weekly

News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday

Mitrovic’s work ethic has made his adjustment easier, however. He recently texted Feinzimer after a two-hour practice to ask whether he could stay to work out with some friends from the sophomore team.

“He’s a guy I literally have to kick out of the gym,” Feinzimer said. “He would be there shooting day and night if he could.”

Mitrovic has been trying to add new layers to his game. He focused on his midrange shooting and driving to the basket over the summer and also set out to become a more versatile defender.

“Last year, I guarded a lot of bigger guys, but now I can guard almost anyone,” he said. “Improving my speed was my main concern coming off last year.”

Junior guard Jayden Hunt recognizes how much Mitrovic means to the Knights and their future. So much so that he invited Mitrovic to join him at his 6:00 a.m. workouts with his trainer in Northbrook each Wednesday.

“He’s made so many strides already, and he’s got a ton of potential,” Hunt said. “By the time he’s a senior, he’ll have a lot on his shoulders.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.