Arkansas and newly hired coach John Calipari on Monday received a commitment from Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivisic, who entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 13.
Ivisic, a 7-2 and 234-pound center from Croatia, played his freshman season with the Wildcats in 2023-24. He saw the floor in only 15 games as a result of the NCAA’s lengthy examination of his eligibility.
According to The Athletic, because Ivisic played for a professional team in Europe, he needed to provide sufficient proof that he maintained amateur status by not receiving compensation beyond necessary expenses.
On3.com considered Ivisic the No. 37 player in the transfer portal.
More on Ivisic: Freshman year highlights | Shot chart
Ivisic finished with a season-high 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks in 20 minutes in Kentucky’s 117-95 win over Alabama in late February. Two games later, he had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal against the Razorbacks in a 111-102 win in Rupp Arena.
The mobile center’s college debut was electrifying. Ivisic recorded 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals in just 16 minutes against Georgia in a 105-96 win in Lexington, Ky.
Ivisic averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 11.7 minutes per game last season. He shot 57.7% from the field and knocked down 6 of 16 three-point attempts.
According to CBB Analytics, he made 7 of 11 non-rim attempts in the lane and was 15 of 21 at the rim. The site also shows he had a block rate of 11.4%, which placed him in the 99th percentile nationally.
Ivisic is the first player from Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster to join Calipari at Arkansas.
So it took Coach Muss leaving to finally sign a true 5…
Is there a chance he could still go pro, Curtis?