Ante Brzovic grew up in Zagreb, Croatia as the son of Ivan and Ivana Brzovic. He played high school basketball for Zdravstveno uciliste Zagreb.[1] Brzovic also played two seasons in the Junior ABA League for the Cedevita Olimpija U19 Team, averaging 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the 2018–19 season.[2][3]
College career
Freshman year
Brzovic began his college career playing at Southeastern Oklahoma State in the Great American Conference at the Division II level. He helped lead the 2021–22 team to a regular season championship after averaging 17.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. After the season Brzovic was named GAC Rookie of the Year and earned spots on the All-GAC First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team.[4][5]
Sophomore year
For his sophomore season Brzovic transferred to the Division I Charleston Cougars, and he quickly made his mark on the team after scoring 15 points against No. 1 North Carolina on November 11, 2022.[6] He matched those 15 points one week later in the Charleston Classic Championship game, hitting back-to-back three's in the final moments of the game to defeat Virginia Tech and win the trophy.[7] Brzovic started 24 games throughout the season, helping to lead the 2022–23 Charleston Cougars to 31 wins, a record for the school's Division I era.[8]
Brzovic recorded three double-double's throughout the season, first at The Citadel (16 pts, 11 reb) on December 3, second at Towson (22 pts, 12 reb) on New Year's Eve, and third against Delaware (11 pts, 12 reb) on January 7, 2023. He scored a season-high 23 points against UNC Wilmington on February 8 and scored another 23 points five days later against Northeastern.[9] Overall Brzovic averaged 11.6 points, 0.9 assists, and 5.9 rebounds in 35 games, earning him a spot on the All-CAA Third Team.[10]
All three games of the CAA Tournament saw Brzovic score in the double-digits. He put up 15 points in the Quarterfinals against Stony Brook, 19 points in the Semifinals against Towson, and 16 points in the Championship against UNC Wilmington, all of which culminated in his being named to the CAA All-Tournament team.[11] He scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds against National Runner Up San Diego State in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.[12]
Junior year
Coming in to the season Brzovic was named to the All-CAA Preseason First Team.[13] He led the 2023–24 Charleston Cougars with 16 points in the first game of the season against Iona on November 6, and recorded his fourth career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Duquesne on November 10, 2023.[14][15] His fifth career double-double came on November 19 against Coastal Carolina, and he scored his 1,000th career point during a win against Rhode Island on December 10.[16][17]
Brzovic recorded three double-doubles in a week and a half, putting up 12 points and 12 rebounds against Monmouth on January 13, a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against UNC Wilmington on January 20, and a new career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds against Hampton on January 25, 2024.[18][19][20] By the end of the season Brzovic averaged 12.1 points, 2.4 assists, and 6.3 rebounds in 35 games, earning him a First Team All-CAA selection.[21]
Despite the departure of Head Coach Pat Kelsey, Brzovic decided to return to the Cougars for his senior season under the leadership of new Head Coach Chris Mack.[22]