Memphis is heavily pursuing 7-foot-2 Croatian center prospect Zvonimir Ivisic, sources confirm to Tiger Blueprint.
Head coach John Calipari and Kentucky are also involved with Ivisic. The race for his services will likely come down to those two schools. Sources say that both programs are neck-and-neck for him as of now.
Memphis fans need to have their eye on this name.
7’2” C Zvonimir Ivisic
Memphis is heavily involved with him, multiple sources tell me and @BluffCity_Media.
Sports Illustrated currently projects Ivisic as a second round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 7-foot-2 center made his professional debut for Croatia’s U16 Euro Championship team in 2019. He averaged 13.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the team that season.
He has since continued to rise up in Croatian professional ranks. Ivisic was a rotational piece for SC Derby of the ABA in each of the past two seasons.
In 2021, he averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 38.2% from the field. He improved upon those numbers in 2022, averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 30% from three-point range. He also averaged 1 block per game on the defensive end.
Admittedly, the statistics don’t look great at face value. But there’s more to his lackluster production than what meets the eye.
Ivisic’s Potential
Firstly, Ivisic barely played in both seasons. He averaged 9.8 minutes per game in 2021 and 9 minutes per game in 2022. He also simply didn’t play a lot of games in general, just 12 in 2021 and 18 in 2022.
Secondly, Ivisic is still a really young player. He’s currently 19-years-old, but turns 20 on August 9. International players at his age are often under-developed as he is right now. Once he gets to America, however, he should be able to unlock certain aspects of his game that he wasn’t able to display overseas.
Despite his size, Ivisic has the talent and upside to be a threat from the perimeter. He already has the ability to create space for his outside shot. He just needs to develop the jump-shot itself and make the ball go in more consistently.
Ivisic also can potentially develop into a solid rim protector. That’s not the biggest surprise considering his height and length, but the fact that he’s already averaging a block per game is really encouraging. Regardless of where he ends up, Ivisic will likely turn into a more versatile player in college basketball.
How Ivisic Would Fit with Memphis
Ivisic wouldn’t be expected to play a major role at Memphis this season. The Tigers have most of their pieces in place at this point, including starting center Jordan Brown.
Ivisic would naturally project as Brown’s backup. It’d be a really good opportunity for him to watch and learn from not just Brown, but also All-AAC forward DeAndre Williams if he’s eligible.
The Croatia-native would also be a part of a winning team and play in a league (AAC) where the opposing bigs wouldn’t be as fierce as they’d be in the SEC.
Overall, Ivisic to Memphis sounds like a win-win situation for all parties.
Senior Editor for Tiger Blueprint. See more of my work on Bluff City Media, where I’m the Memphis basketball beat writer, the Men in Hoodies podcast on Apple and Spotify and on “Sports with Roman Cleary” live on University of Memphis Radio—The ROAR Fridays from 3-4 p.m. during the fall and spring.
