Kentucky transfer big man Zvonimir Ivisic commits to Arkansas
The Arkansas basketball team has received its first transfer commitment of the offseason, as Kentucky big man Zvonimir "Big Z" Ivisic has commited to the Razorbacks according to a report from Joe Tipton.
Led by former Wildcats head coach John Calipari in Lexington, Kentucky, Ivisic made the move to Fayetteville following Arkansas' hiring of the Hall of Famer on Wednesday.
A native of Vodice, Croatia, Ivisic averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game during the FIBA U20 European Championship prior to traveling overseas to Kentucky.
Ivisic didn't become eligible for the Wildcats until Jan. 20, the same day that he made his season debut against the Georgia Bulldogs. In just 16 minutes of action, the stretch forward lit up Rupp Arena with 13 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two assists on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arch.
He scored double-digits against Vanderbilt (11 points, seven rebounds), Alabama (18 points, five rebounds, four blocks) and Arkansas (12 points, nine rebounds). For the season, Ivisic averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 57.7% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arch and 77.3% from the charity stripe in just 15 games — 14 of which came against SEC competiton.
According to KenPom, Ivisic had a 63.5 effective field goal percentage, a 66.5 true shooting percentage, a 10.5 offensive rebounding percentage, a 19.1 defensive rebounding, a 11.8 block percentage and an offensive rating of 116.9.
For reference, Arkansas forward Makhi Mitchell performed better in only offensive rating (120.5) and true shooting percentage (67.5%) while Jalen Graham and Trevon Brazile ranked worse in every category.
Following the addition of Ivisic, the Razorbacks now sit with one scholarship player on their roster. Be sure to follow along at HawgBeat's premium message board — The Trough — for updates on Arkansas' offseason roster movement.