Tag: Zvonimir Ivisic

Former Kentucky guard joining John Calipari in Arkansas

Former New Jersey guard DJ Wanger has committed to Arkansas.

After a solid freshman season for the University of Kentucky, D.J. Wagner will have a new home next season. One of the top guards to emerge from New Jersey over the past decade, Wagner will follow John Calipari to Arkansas out of the transfer portal.

In his only season at Kentucky, Wagner averaged 9.9 points and 3.3 assists per game. He was also named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and was a member of the All-SEC team. While. Wagner now has to adjust to a new team; he will not be the only player with Kentucky ties on the roster.

Wagner, a consensus five-star recruit, could have been an interesting fit at Rutgers. But Arkansas is a stronger pathway to playing time given how deep the Rutgers backcourt is currently.

Wagner will be joining two former Wildcats in Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic. Since Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas, three players entered the transfer portal after Calipari left Kentucky for a new program.

DJ Wagner has committed to Arkansas, per @ArRecruitingGuy pic.twitter.com/n52T1SYSIo

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) May 27, 2024

 

As Wagner looks to take his game to the next level, he will have a head coach to rely on who he is comfortable with. Even though Wagner struggled at times last year, Calipari continued to give him chances. Towards the end of the season, he rewarded his coach’s faith, scoring at least 10 points in three of his final six games.

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In that span, Wagner made 10 three-pointers. 

In his first year with Arkansas, Wagner will need to be consistent as with Kentucky, he struggled to score at times. In the first round of March Madness, Wagner did not score a point in Kentucky’s 80-76 loss to Oakland.

If he can take a developmental leap in his second season in the SEC, then Wagner could be a very good fit with Arkansas.

Former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić to follow John Calipari to Arkansas

Ivisic scored in double figures four times with the Wildcats, including a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks on Feb. 24.

Former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić announced he will join head coach John Calipari and transfer to Arkansas after spending one season with the Wildcats.

Calipari announced on April 9 that he was departing as head coach at Kentucky, ending a 15-year run with the program. He guided the Wildcats to a national championship in 2012 and an overall record of 410-123 during his tenure in Lexington.

The Hall of Famer was named head coach at Arkansas the following day after agreeing to a five-year contract with a salary beginning at $7 million per season. Calipari takes over for Eric Musselman, who took the same position at USC.

Ivišić was the first Wildcat to enter the transfer portal after Mark Pope was hired to succeed Calipari. He was also the first player to follow Calipari to Arkansas.

Ivišić, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, played four seasons with SC Derby in Montenegro before committing to Kentucky in August 2023. He was limited to 15 games with the Wildcats after awaiting NCAA clearance to play.

The 7-footer averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 57.7% shooting from the field. He scored in double figures four times, including a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks on Feb. 24 in a win over Alabama.

Ivišić projects to have the opportunity to log extended minutes next season with the Razorbacks. He is highly touted for his ability to run the floor, pass, protect the paint and spot up from 3-point range after converting 37.5% this past season.

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Zvonimir Ivisic first transfer portal addition for John Calipari at Arkansas

Former Kentucky sophomore big man Zvonimir Ivisic is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

The first big domino of the Kentucky coaching change fell on Monday afternoon when Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic announced he is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

Ivisic entered the transfer portal over the weekend and has now become the first player to leave the Wildcats following the hiring of Mark Pope as head coach, and the first Kentucky player to officially follow Calipari to Fayetteville.

“I made the lifetime decision to come to college for [a] few reasons,” Ivisic wrote on social media. “Main ones to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to coach Cal and Arkansas Razorbacks.”

‘Big Z’ didn’t suit up for Kentucky until January 20 due to NCAA issues, but in his first five minutes of college basketball action the 7’2 big man dropped 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while going 3/3 from the three point line against Georgia.

He never quite found that level of dominance again, finishing his freshman campaign averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks.

It’s no surprise to see Ivisic follow Calipari, who recruited him overseas and tirelessly worked to get him eligible last year. He becomes Cal’s first addition at Arkansas and should play a big role for the Hogs in his second season.

Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to see defections following Calipari’s departure and the hiring of Pope, although the new coach has been active in trying to rebuild a roster that earned a three seed last year before once again losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky basketball loses Zvonimir Ivisic to John Calipari and Arkansas

Former Kentucky basketball center Zvonimir Ivisic will transfer to Arkansas.

Several players from last year’s Kentucky Wildcats basketball team have entered the transfer portal in the days since Mark Pope replaced John Calipari. Now, we have our first official defection from Kentucky to Arkansas, as Zvonimir Ivisic commits to the Razorbacks.

Ivisic had a delayed start to his Freshman season as he waited for the NCAA to declare him eligible to play. That didn’t happen until mid-January. In his first game, he burst onto the scene with a game full of highlights against the Georgia Bulldogs.

The seven-footer’s playing time was inconsistent all season. His offensive game was clearly solid, but he struggled on defense and at rebounding at times. The amount of time he spent on the court varied from game to game.

Ivisic averaged 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in the time he did get in Lexington. He’ll head to Arkansas to re-join Coach Cal, and will see if he can develop under him.

It seems like staying at Kentucky, and working under Mark Pope would have been a good option, but the fan favorite will follow his former coach instead. Big Blue Nation will miss him.

Arkansas lands first commitment of John Calipari era

That’s one thus far, Shooter.

New Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari has his first scholarship player.

Former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivisic entered the transfer portal on Saturday and committed to Arkansas on Monday. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 11.7 minutes per game over 15 games for the Wildcats last year.

Calipari was officially named Razorbacks coach on Wednesday after 15 seasons at Kentucky. Several of his players entered the transfer portal shortly thereafter.

Ivisic has some of the highest potential of any such player. A 7-foot-2 big man, Ivisic played pro basketball in Montenegro before signing with Kentucky in August. He missed the Wildcats’ first 16 games while waiting to be cleared by the NCAA.

As of Monday night, Ivisic was the only scholarship player on the Arkansas roster after every player from last season’s team either entered the transfer portal or exhausted eligibility, save Trevon Brazile, who declared for the NBA Draft.

Arkansas went 15-17 in 2023-24, its worst record since the 2009-10 season when John Pelphrey, who was an assistant at Kentucky, was head coach.

Three Wildcats chosen in way-too-early ESPN 2025 NBA mock draft

Three Kentucky players are in ESPN’s way-too-early 2025 NBA mock draft.

The 2023-24 college basketball season is winding down for the Kentucky Wildcats, and some fans are already talking about this year’s NBA Draft. Mock Drafts have begun to circulate, and it appears as though multiple Wildcats will be chosen.

Taking a look at 2024 mock drafts is always fun, but one ESPN analyst has taken it a step further, and is looking ahead to 2025. Jonathan Givony has taken a stab at next year’s NBA Draft (story requires subscription) and Kentucky is represented.

To complete the exercise, Givony ruled out any players he had in his 2024 mock draft. Then he put his prediction together with the names on his “available” list.

The first Wildcat on Givony’s list is forward Adou Thiero at pick 27. A guard last season, Thiero shot up and is now a physical specimen. His game is still developing, but he has untapped potential and could go much higher.

Zvonimir Ivisic was up next at pick 40. “Big Z” wasn’t declared as eligible until conference play had begun, and defensively, is still a work in progress. However, his offensive skill-set may get him drafted this year.

The third player from Kentucky on the list is center Aaron Bradshaw at pick 44. He’s another hugely talented player who needs refinement, especially on defense. He also needs to simply get stronger.

As the 2024 Draft gets closer, and we find out who is going pro and who is staying, it becomes easier to make 2025 predictions. For now, it’s just an exercise, but even so far away, it is fun.

Predictions: Which Kentucky men’s basketball players will return next year

The Kentucky Wildcats have several talented Freshman players who could be drafted. Here’s a prediction of who could leave.

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is a very young one. There are six Freshmen in the rotation regularly, and another two Sophomores playing nightly. They’re young, but very talented as well.

When this type of convergence happens, the talk inevitably turns to their NBA prospects and fans begin to wander who will leave early, and who might stick around. With the season’s end approaching, many Cats fans are looking ahead to next year, and guessing at who may be back.

There’s no way to be sure what players are being told by people about their NBA prospects, but here are predictions on what might happen, and what should happen with Kentucky’s Freshman group.