Men's Basketball
Former Wildcat Zvonimir Ivisic Still “Really Grateful” for Kentucky Fans
Published
2 weeks agoon

This weekend, Zvonimir Ivisic will play for Illinois in the Final Four, in a place that holds some significance for the 22-year-old Croatian native, Indianapolis.
Rewind to 2024, Ivisic committed to play for John Calipari at Kentucky, arriving in Lexington in October a skinny freshman. However, the NCAA had yet to rule on his eligibility. While most rulings are made in a matter of weeks, Ivisic was left waiting for more than three months. In fact, in December 2024, he even went back home to Croatia due to the stress of the situation and contemplated not returning.
This provided an opportunity for Kentucky fans to display their passion, and they capitalized.
In an effort to help expedite Ivisic’s eligibility ruling, a Kentucky fan podcast, Rupp to No Good, created a GoFundMe fundraiser for a billboard just outside the NCAA Eligibility Center in Indianapolis, reading #FreeBigZ.
Raising more than $4,000, the Billboard went up on January 17th, 2025. Three days later, Ivisic was ruled eligible and played in his first collegiate game later that day against Georiga in Rupp Arena.
In a debut for the ages, Ivisivic went for 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals in his first eight minutes of play. One of the most notable memories in recent Kentucky basketball history.
Only a Wildcat for a season before following Calipari to Arkansas and joining his brother at Illinois, Ivisic is still grateful for the love Kentucky fans showed him.
“I would never have thought that I would come here, where all of it basically started,” Ivisic told reporters in Indianapolis this week. “I’m really grateful for the fans back then. They did a lot for me, and I’ll always appreciate that.”
Share this:
Related
You may like


Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday


Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday


Top 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday


Third Time’s the Charm: Mark Pope Enters a Defining Offseason


Kentucky and Fanatics Announce Long-Term Extension, Expanding NIL Opportunities for Athletes


Kentucky Leave/Stay Predictions Following Player Meetings

The transfer portal is active, and Zoom stock is going up as college coaches are video chatting around the clock to build their rosters, including Kentucky.
On Wednesday, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff added three more names to the Zoom list.
Alex Wilkins (Guard, Furman), 4⭐️, 46th-ranked transfer
Class: Sophomore
Physicals: 6-5, 175 lbs
Last season averages: 17.8 PPG, 4.7 APG, 46% FG, 32.8% 3P
An underrated prospect coming out of high school, Wilkins splashed on the scene this year at Furman. As a freshman, he led his team to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 17.8 points and 4.7 assists and earning second team All-SoCon honors.
There were few players as critical to their team’s success as Wilkins, leading the SoCon in possession usage (34.4%) and shot usage (31.7%). That does lend some explanation to his poor shooting splits and turnover concerns (3.8 turnovers per game).
A quick, wirey guard, Wilkins is a capable scorer at all three levels, and can create for his teammates. However, he needs to add some muscle for power conference competition, and needs to have more consistent effort on the defensive end.
A freshman, those are both correctable things.
Isaac Celiscar (Forward, Yale), 4⭐️, 84th-ranked transfer
Class: Junior
Physicals: 6-6, 210 lbs
Last season averages: 13.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 57.3% FG, 40.7% 3P
Isaac Celiscar is one of the most efficient, versatile players in the transfer portal.
The first takeaway, averaging 13.2 point per game with 57.3 percent shooting, he is extremely efficient on limited opportunities. Shooting nearly 41 percent from deep, he is a threat from deep as well. That efficiency carries over to his passing, as he averages more than three assists per game, on just 1.3 turnovers per game.
Celiscar grades out as a glue-guy with great offensive skills and good feel for the game, but he does have limitations in terms of his athleticism and shot creation.
Jalen Cox (Guard, Colgate), 3⭐️ , 149th-ranked transfer
Class: Senior
Physicals: 6-3, 180 lbs
Last season averages: 17.9 PPG, 5.3 APG, 5.0 RPG, 52.1% FG, 36.5% 3P
Jalen Cox is the lowest ranked player Kentucky has reached out to, but the Wildcats need depth and Cox is a experienced guard with proven production.
Averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 assists (2.0+ assist-to-turnover ratio) per game on 52 percent shooting from the field, Cox is a versatile and efficient offensive player. He has also multiple conference All-Defense selections too, making him a two way player.
The biggest concern with Cox is his athletic ceiling and how that translates to power conference competition. However an experienced two way player is a great rotation piece.
Share this:
Related
BB Recruiting
Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday
Published
6 days agoon
April 8, 2026
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are as busy as anyone in the transfer portal. On Wednesday, they met with their biggest fish of this transfer portal cycle so far, Paulius Murauskas.
Originally scheduled for Thursday, the Wildcats met with Murauskas via Zoom video call on Wednesday, per source.
Currently ranked 4th overall in 247Sports transfer rankings, the top-ranked forward, Murauskas is the prototypical modern basketball player. Good size at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds, with the ability to create for himself and others, has a good handle, and overall good feel for the game.
Murauskas started his collegiate career at Arizona after some professional experience in Lithuania. Playing just five minutes per game with the Wildcats as a freshman, Murauskas transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has flourished and earned All-Conference honors the last two seasons.
This past season, Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds, on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from deep. As for his weaknesses, he is not super athletic, and he does need to be more consistent with his shot.
Originally thought to follow former Saint Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett to Arizona State, Murauskas is exploring all options. Following the Zoom, Kentucky is trying to get him on campus for a visit in the near future.
Share this:
Related
BB Recruiting
Top 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday
Published
6 days agoon
April 8, 2026
The transfer portal has been open for less than 48 hours, but one name that has been consistently linked to Kentucky has been Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, even going back before the portal officially opened.
Currently ranked 16th overall in this year’s portal class, the fifth-ranked forward, Freeman had a Zoom video call with Kentucky on Wednesday afternoon.
Playing for the Bahamas National Team in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournament, Freeman also has a connection to Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean, who was an associate head coach for the team.
One of the bigger names in the portal and for good reason, a top-15 player, McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, Freeman has been a big impact player through two seasons with the Orange. This past season, he averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.2 percent shooting from deep.
Freeman will have NBA eyes on him wherever he goes. Physically, he has the size and athleticism. That allows him to be versatile on defense, capable of defending multiple positions; having the speed to defend smaller players, and length to affect shots in the paint.
Offensively, his physical tools help him excel in transition and as a slasher, having good touch around the rim. Shooting 30+ percent from deep through two seasons, enough to keep defenses honest, his shot is inconsistent and has a slight hitch in mechanics. Though the biggest area of concern is his struggle with turnovers, having a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in both collegiate seasons.
It’s also worth noting that Freeman has suffered right foot injuries in back-to-back seasons, sidelining him for 28 games total.
Freeman has the physical tools and skills to be an first round draft pick, but needs some refinement, and Kentucky is interested.
Share this:
Related

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Former Wildcat Zvonimir Ivisic Still “Really Grateful” for Kentucky Fans

Kentucky and Fanatics Announce Long-Term Extension, Expanding NIL Opportunities for Athletes

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Top 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday

Series Recap: Kentucky Softball Swept by No. 6 Tennessee

Top 15 Point Guard Leroy Blyden Jr. to Meet With Mark Pope and Staff

Top 40 Transfer Terrence Brown Set to Meet With Kentucky

Multiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

Top Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday
Trending

BB Recruiting6 days agoTop Five Transfer Paulius Murauskas Moves Up Call, Talks With Kentucky on Wednesday

Football2 weeks agoKentucky and Fanatics Announce Long-Term Extension, Expanding NIL Opportunities for Athletes

BB Recruiting6 days agoMultiple Transfers Meet With Kentucky on Wednesday

BB Recruiting6 days agoTop 20 Transfer Donnie Freeman Meets With Kentucky on Wednesday

Men's Basketball1 week agoThird Time’s the Charm: Mark Pope Enters a Defining Offseason

Men's Basketball2 weeks agoKam Williams Awaiting to See Role on Kentucky, Plans to be Back Regardless

Other Sports1 week agoBats Cats End Conference Skid, Tie Series Against Missouri

Other Sports1 week agoKentucky Baseball Falls to Missouri, Loses Third Straight Conference Series