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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note, Ivisic is 19 years old (will turn 20 on August 8th) and has been draft eligible since the 2022 NBA Draft, but has withdrawn from both the 2022 and 2023 NBA Drafts.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 Receives First Transfer Commitment From Top 25 Prospect, “Not Many People Get Opportunities Like This”

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Kentucky transfer Kam Williams prepares to shoot.

While all the attention is on Kentucky’s matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen, the transfer portal officially opened on Monday and the staff has been hard at work.

Already tossing a wide net, reaching out to nearly a dozen guys in the past few days, the Cats have reeled in their first commitment from Top 25 ranked (247Sports), four-star transfer Kam Williams from Tulane.

With a 6-8, 190-pound frame, Williams has good size. What caught the staff’s eye is his ELITE shooting ability, shooting better than 41 percent this past season and that includes 17 threes made beyond 25 feet. He excels best in catch-and-shoot situations, where he ranks in the 94th percentile.

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Williams received interest from many schools in addition to Kentucky, such as Florida, Louisville, and St. John’s among others. Why did Williams commit to Kentucky so quickly?

“Not many people get opportunities like this, so I wanted to pull the trigger fast,” Williams told ESPN. “More people are waiting to fill that spot, so I had to take advantage.”

“My dream is to play in the NBA. Kentucky’s culture and background shows that they care about their players, especially developing them into the best players they can be.”

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Kentucky Named a Finalist for Five Star, Top 5 NBA Prospect Nate Ament

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2025 top five prospect Nate Ament on his visit to Kentucky.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month… at least for now.

Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.

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Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to five schools earlier this week: Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Arkansas, and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them except Arkansas over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?

According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time, and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.

Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.

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“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.

Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?

Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.

Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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Kentucky Hosting Top Five Recruit Nate Ament

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Top five prospect Nate Ament will be visiting Kentucky in Rupp Arena as they take on Tennessee.
USA Basketball

After missing out on Caleb Wilson, Kentucky has shifted focus to its last remaining prospect, Nate Ament. The 6-foot-9 small forward prospect out of Warrenton, Virginia, is now the Wildcats’ last remaining prospect in the high school ranks for the 2025 class.

Ament has set up a visit to Kentucky, which was first reported by On3’s Joe Tipton. He will be in attendance when Tennessee travels to Rupp Arena on February 11th, with both the Wildcats and the Volunteers in the mix within the recruitment.

It is important to note that Kentucky is behind in this recruitment as they prioritized Caleb Wilson over Ament which did not pay off in the end. Ament has already visited Duke, Tennessee, Louisville, Texas, and Notre Dame. He is currently down to 11 schools including the Cats.

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Duke has been considered the longtime favorite in the recruitment but Mark Pope and company will have the chance to sell themselves before Ament decides to commit to another school.

Mark Pope even recruited Ament during his visit to Tennessee, where Kentucky pulled the upset on the road. As the team was celebrating coming off the floor, Pope passed Ament saying “Let’s go, Nate,” and “C’mon, Nate.”

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