Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić has entered the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. The 7-foot-2 freshman’s decision comes four days after former Wildcats coach John Calipari left to take the same position at Arkansas.
Ivišić is the second 7-footer to transfer out of Kentucky since Calipari’s departure, joining fellow freshman and former five-star prospect Aaron Bradshaw. A native of Vodice, Croatia, Ivišić played basketball professionally with SC Derby in Montenegro from 2020-23.
The 20-year old Ivišić signed with the Wildcats in Aug. 2023 but had complications with the admissions process that prevented him from enrolling until October. Ivišić missed the first 16 games of the season while awaiting clearance from the NCAA and finally made his debut in January against Georgia. He scored 13 points, pulled down five rebounds and blocked three shots in just 16 minutes off the bench.
From there, Ivišić became a semi-regular fixture in Kentucky’s rotation, reaching at least 15 minutes in four out of Kentucky’s last five games, and he had a solid role in both the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. He finished the year averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in just 15 games played.
Though it seems natural that he’d follow Calipari to Arkansas, Ivišić is sure to attract plenty of attention in the portal. On top of the fact that well-developed 7-footers don’t grow on trees, he has plenty of ability outside of the paint. Ivišić hit on 37.5% of his 3-point shots as a freshman, including an impressive 3 of 4 from 3-point range in his debut. That puts a lot of stress on opposing defenses and increases Ivišić’s profile as a prospect.
