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Kentucky Adds Croatian Seven-Footer Zvonimir Ivisic to 2023 Roster

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Kentucky Wildcat commit Zvonimir Ivisic playing internationally for Croatia
FIBA Basketball

While it is the end of July, the Kentucky basketball staff is not finished adding to this season’s roster. On Thursday, KY Insider reported that the Kentucky staff had shown interest in Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic. By Tuesday morning, the staff had locked it up as they secured a commitment from Ivisic.

On Tuesday morning, at 6:00 AM EST (12:00 PM Croatian time), Ivisic posted a no-thrills, simply typed-out Instagram story announcing his commitment to Kentucky.

News of Kentucky’s interest in Ivisic had been intentionally kept quiet, as the staff has been reportedly working on this dating back to a trip to New York City with the new La Familia Club last weekend. There they gathered a NIL package for Ivisic, who has a buyout with his club in Croatia, SC Derby.

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With this news, two immediate questions have been presented: One, are there concerns about Ivisic’s eligibility? Two, does this suggest Aaron Bradshaw or Ugonna Onyenso’s injuries are worse than expected?

With international prospects, there is typically worry about eligibility, and rightfully so as we had seen with Enes Kanter in 2011. However, the Kentucky staff wouldn’t have pursued Ivisic had they not been confident he would be eligible. As for the injuries of Bradshaw and Onyenso, nothing has changed, they are still expected to return prior to the season. With that said, timelines can change with seven-footers and foot injuries.

Now, what kind of player is Ivisic? At 7-foot-2, 220 pounds, he is not your typical back-to-the-basket center. Instead, he is more of an outside-in player with a lot of potential, but he is seen as a “project” by the NBA.

Offensively, he is more developed on the perimeter, especially when shooting off movement. Ivisic is a lob threat in the pick-and-roll. On the defensive end, he can be an anchor, as he can protect the rim and even move to recover very well.

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One last thing to note, Ivisic is 19 years old (will turn 20 on August 8th) and has been draft eligible since the 2022 NBA Draft, but has withdrawn from both the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts. Now at Kentucky, he will look to develop and make that jump.

With the addition of Ivisic, Kentucky certainly got better and deeper. Familiarize yourself with Ivisic in this pre-draft workout interview with the Indiana Pacers, where he even went up against former Wildcat Oscar Tshiebwe.

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BB Recruiting

Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic

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ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.

Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.

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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market. 

Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr. 

His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance. 

With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department. 

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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons? 

There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats. 

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Four-Star Guard Acaden Lewis Suddenly Decommits from Kentucky

Amidst a recent wave of positive recruiting news for Kentucky, the surprising decommitment of Acaden Lewis is an unfortunate wrench.

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2025 four-star point guard prospect Acaden Lewis has decommited from Kentucky.
UK Athletics

In a shocking, late at night turn of events, four-star freshman Acaden Lewis has decommitted from Kentucky.

Lewis, a 6’3” point guard out of Washington, D.C. first committed to the blue and white in November of last year, following an in-person visit with Mark Pope in his hometown.

Since then, he’s made multiple appearances in Rupp Arena, been featured in photo shoots with his fellow incoming recruits, and spoken on multiple occasions about his excitement to join the team for the 2025-26’ season.

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To say this development is surprising would be a serious understatement.

Lewis released a statement following the announcement, “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I have to do what’s best for my future,” he said. “Thank you to Coach Pope and the whole Kentucky staff for all they’ve done for me so far.”

While the loss of Lewis is certainly disappointing, there is still much to look forward to next season for Kentucky, who maintain one of the highest rated transfer classes in the nation – and it likely isn’t finished.

To that point, if any reason can be derived immediately for Lewis’ decommitment, it may be found in the same place that Mark Pope and staff will be going to look for answers: the transfer portal.

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Top 10 Transfer Prospect, Former Wildcat Recruit Jayden Quaintance Commits to Kentucky

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2024 five-star big man Jayden Quaintance has commmitted to play basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats
UK Athletics

Two days into the week and two booms for the Kentucky Wildcats as Jayden Quaintance announced his commitment to Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

If the Quaintance name sounds familiar, it should. He was originally committed to play for the Cats out of high school last season as a five-star recruit. While he was interested in staying at Kentucky following John Calipari’s departure, even meeting with Mark Pope, he elected to play for Arizona State.

In his one season with the Sun Devils, Quaintance averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 2.6 BPG, and earned Big 12 All-Freshman and All-Defensive honors.

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The one concern for Quaintance is that he had surgery to repair a torn ACL, which could keep him out for the entire offseason and potentially into the season. That said, the expectation for a return is September, and at just 17 years old, there is so much untapped potential.

Get to know the newest Wildcat commit!

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