- Zvonimir Ivišić had a memorable debut for Kentucky basketball, scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds, and recording three blocks and two steals in just 16 minutes of play.
- Ivišić’s arrival at Kentucky was delayed due to scrutiny over his application as an international student and later his amateur status by the NCAA.
- After transferring to Arkansas, Ivišić has become a key player for the Razorbacks, averaging nearly 10 points, five rebounds, and more than two blocks per game.
- Ivišić acknowledges he has received negative comments from some Kentucky fans on social media since his transfer but says he still has love for the university and its fans.
NASHVILLE — Zvonimir Ivišić‘s debut for Kentucky basketball will forever be remembered as one of the signature moments of the team’s 2023-24 season.
In just 16 minutes of play in a win over Georgia, he had 13 points (on 5-of-7 shooting, 3 for 4 on 3s), five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals and seemingly more highlight-reel plays than one video could do justice.
And to think, he did it on little, if any, sleep.
“I had played video games all night,” Ivišić told The Courier Journal in an exclusive interview Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena.
It’s easy to understand why sleep wasn’t top of mind for him at that point.
From the moment he committed to the Wildcats in August 2023, even getting the 7-foot-2 Croatian on the floor was a struggle.
More than two months elapsed between his commitment and his arrival in Kentucky, held up as the university scrutinized his application as an incoming international student. He finally was admitted to the UK on Oct. 4, 2023, and arrived in Lexington the following week, one day before making an appearance at Kentucky’s annual Big Blue Madness event at Rupp Arena.
But three more months would come and go before he appeared in a game for the Wildcats.
This time, it was the NCAA impeding Ivišić.
