When Ivisic originally committed to UK on August 1st, there was plenty of excitement around the program for the 7-foot Croatian to be a key piece on this year’s team.

Ever since then though, it’s only gone downhill as every single day we are hearing less good things about Ivisic’s situation. This is reportedly because of an English equivalency exam, so he still has not been accepted into the university’s admissions.

While the optimism was still he would end up on the team, a lot of the believer’s hopes took a big hit when 247Sports national recruiting analyst Travis Branham had an appearance on KSR’s Sources Say podcast.

Branham had a tough quote saying, “To be honest, I’m not banking on him being on this roster next year. I think it’s a very longshot bet”. Hearing this from a person as connected to recruiting as Branham is very concerning.

He goes on to talk about how it’s not very cut and dry on why he wouldn’t end up at Kentucky calling it a “Hail Mary” that Kentucky would have to connect on to even get the Croatian admitted to Kentucky.

Ivisic is projected as a potential first-rounder in the 2024 NBA draft and averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks for Croatia at the FIBA U20 European Championships in Greece in July.

The 7-footer’s skills would be a big help to this year’s Kentucky basketball team with the injury of Aaron Bradshaw this offseason, the depth in the frontcourt is much needed for the Wildcats right now.

If they are unable to figure out this situation and get him in a Kentucky jersey this upcoming season, it will be a huge mistake by UK admissions.

One of the top players in the class of 2024, Tre Johnson recently made the move to Link Academy in search of high-level competition on a big stage, which is a reason he says is why he will wait until the Spring before making a decision.

The top five guard possesses all of the scoring tools, and is a player that Kentucky really wants. He still has a few visits to take, with Alabama and Arkansas visits coming soon, plus another visit to Kansas, and another visit to Baylor. Johnson previously visited Kentucky back in late January.

Johnson has a final list of Kentucky, Baylor, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, and pro options. The Wildcats are rumored to be a top-three option long with Baylor and Texas. This delay may give Kentucky a better chance. With that said, he is not in a big rush to decide, as he is more focused on getting acclimated to his new home at Link Academy, as well as improving as a player.

Tre Johnson is one of the best pure scorers in all of high school basketball, and is certainly being prioritized by multiple top schools. Current intel suggests that Baylor and Kentucky are the top contenders, but with him pushing back his decision, there is more time to tell.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Kentucky received a commitment from Croatian seven-footer, Zvonimir Ivisic, finalizing their 2023 roster. Despite being halfway across the world, Ivisic says Kentucky was the place for him.

Speaking with NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and ESPN, “I always liked college basketball, but this summer finally I finished high school and started seriously thinking about it,” Ivisic said. When he started thinking about coming to the United States to play college basketball, one program that stood out from the rest, Kentucky.

“I decided to come to Kentucky because it’s the best spot in the US for talented basketball players,” Ivisic said. “Coach Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach that sent more players to the NBA than anyone else.”

Given the Kentucky basketball prestige and John Calipari’s reputation, Ivisic says the decision was an “easy” one for him to make. Withdrawing from the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts, Ivisic will look to develop and make that jump to the next level with the help of the staff this season. Ivisic is expected to arrive on campus later this month.

With the international basketball talent pool growing, and the talent level at an all-time high, expect Kentucky to continue to expand the borders in their recruiting. Just take a look at the NBA, where five straight MVP awards have been won by international players.