Zvonimir Ivišić
{{Short description|Catholic Bosnian basketball player (born 2003)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Zvonimir Ivišić
| image = Zvonimir Ivisic.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Ivišić with Kentucky in 2024
| team = Illinois Fighting Illini
| number =
| position = Center / power forward
| league = Big Ten Conference
| height_ft = 7
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 245
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|8|9}}
| birth_place = Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| nationality = Croatian
| college =
| career_start = 2020
| career_end =
| years1 = 2020–2023
| team1 = SC Derby
| highlights =
}}
Zvonimir Ivišić (born 9 August 2003), nicknamed "Big Z", is a Croatian college basketball player on the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference. He formerly played for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference.
Early life
Ivišić was born in Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina and moved to Šibenik, Croatia when he was 14 years old.{{cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2023/10/04/zvonimir-ivisic-admitted-kentucky-basketball-john-calipari-7-foot/71064808007/|title=7-foot recruit Zvonimir Ivišić reportedly admitted to Kentucky|work=Courier Journal|date=October 4, 2023|access-date=February 26, 2024}} He played for SC Derby of the Montenegrin Basketball League and the ABA League from 2020 to 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2024/01/05/kentucky-basketball-zvonimir-ivisic-eligibility-recruiting-ncaa-indianapolis-john-calipari/72122878007/|title=Zvonimir Ivišić NCAA eligibility: Kentucky fans fund Indy billboard|work=Courier Journal|date=January 5, 2024|access-date=February 26, 2024}} Ivišić declared for the NBA Draft in 2022 and 2023, but ultimately withdrew both times.{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/nba/draft/prospect-profiles/nba-draft-scouting-report-croatias-zvonimir-ivisic|title=NBA Draft Scouting Report: Kentucky's Zvonimir Ivisic|website=SI.com|date=August 3, 2023|access-date=February 28, 2024}}
College career
=Kentucky=
Ivišić committed to play college basketball in the United States for the University of Kentucky.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38112763/top-european-prospect-zvonimir-ivisic-commits-kentucky|title=Top European prospect Zvonimir Ivisic commits to Kentucky|first=Jonathan|last=Givony|website=ESPN.com|date=August 1, 2023|access-date=January 26, 2024}} He was not declared eligible to play by the NCAA until halfway into the Wildcats' season.{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2024/01/20/zvonimir-ivi-i-declared-eligible-for-no-8-kentucky-the-7-foot-2-croatian-makes-immediate-impact/72298859007/|title=Zvonimir Ivišić declared eligible for No. 8 Kentucky. The 7-foot-2 Croatian makes immediate impact|website=USA Today|date=January 20, 2024|access-date=January 26, 2024}} Ivišić made his collegiate debut on January 20, 2024, against Georgia and had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals in 16 minutes played during a 105–96 win.{{cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2024/01/20/kentucky-basketball-zvonimir-ivisic-debut-john-calipari-recruiting/72297556007/|title=Kentucky basketball: Freshman center Zvonimir Ivišić dazzles in debut|work=Courier Journal|date=January 20, 2024|access-date=January 26, 2024}} He averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks over 15 games played during his freshman season.{{cite web|url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/apr/16/ivisic-wildcats-big-man-commits-to-hogs-calipari/|title=Former Wildcat 'Big Z' Ivisic commits to Hogs|work=Arkansas Democrat-Gazette|date=April 14, 2024|access-date=April 17, 2024}} Ivišić announced he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal shortly after it was reported that Kentucky head coach John Calipari would be leaving the program to become the head coach at Arkansas.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/zvonimir-ivisic-enters-transfer-portal-kentucky-big-man-exploring-options-after-john-caliparis-departure/|title=Zvonimir Ivišić enters transfer portal: Kentucky big man exploring options after John Calipari's departure|first=Will|last=Backus|website=CBS Sports|date=April 14, 2024|access-date=April 17, 2024}}
=Arkansas=
Ivišić transferred to play at Arkansas, following Calipari.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39950818/zvonimir-ivisic-transfer-kentucky-arkansas|title=Zvonimir Ivisic to transfer from Kentucky to Arkansas|first=Jeff|last=Borzello|website=ESPN.com|date=April 15, 2024|access-date=April 17, 2024}}
=Illinois=
Following his sophomore season, Ivišić transferred to Illinois.{{cite web|url=https://247sports.com/college/illinois/article/zvonimir-ivisic-commits-to-illinois-fighting-illini-basketball-transfer-portal-arkansas-tomislav-ivisic-248087509/ |title=Official: Arkansas transfer center Zvonimir Ivisic signs with Illini, reunites with twin brother Tomislav }}
National team career
Ivišić was named to the Croatia national under-16 basketball team and played in the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1332768/zvonimir-ivisic-declares-for-nba-draft/|title=Croatian forward Zvonimir Ivisic declares for NBA draft|first=Johnny|last=Askounis|website=EuroHoops.net|date=April 13, 2022|access-date=February 28, 2024}} He also played for Croatia in the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship and averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game.{{cite web|url=https://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/kentucky-sports/uk-basketball-men/article279141014.html|title=UK Admissions clears basketball recruit Zvonimir Ivišić|work=Lexington Herald-Leader|date=October 4, 2023|access-date=February 28, 2024}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24
| style="text-align:left;"| Kentucky
| 15 || 0 || 11.7 || .577 || .375 || .773 || 3.3 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 1.3 || 5.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2024–25
| style="text-align:left;"| Arkansas
| 35 || 19 || 19.1 || .473 || .376 || .724 || 4.3 || .8 || .7 || 1.9 || 8.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2025–26
| style="text-align:left;"| Illinois
| 0 || 0 || 0.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
{{S-end}}
Personal life
Zvonimir's twin brother Tomislav Ivišić is also a professional basketball player with whom he moved to Šibenik in Croatia from his hometown Vitez in Bosnia and Herzegovina when he was 14 to play for Šibenka. They both moved to Podgorica in Montenegro to play for SC Derby.{{cite web|url=https://www.pobjeda.me/clanak/ivisici-cilj-nam-je-ulazak-u-aba-ligu|title=Ivišići: Cilj nam je ulazak u ABA ligu|work=pobjeda.me|date=18 October 2021|access-date=1 March 2024}} Tomislav plays for the University of Illinois currently.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://ukathletics.com/sports/mbball/roster/player/zvonimir-ivisic/ Kentucky Wildcats bio]
- [https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/zvonimir-ivisic/ Arkansas Razorbacks bio]
- {{FIBA|new_id=255071|name=Zvonimir Ivisic}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivišić, Zvonimir}}
Category:Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players
Category:Croatian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Category:Croatian men's basketball players
Category:21st-century Croatian sportsmen
Category:Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina