Kentucky Transfer Zvonimir Ivisic Follows John Calipari, Commits to Arkansas CBB

Former Kentucky forward Zvonimir Ivisic announced his decision to transfer to Arkansas and reunite with head coach John Calipari on Monday.

Ivisic made the announcement on Instagram.

The 20-year-old only played in 15 contests during his freshman season, as he was not cleared to play by the NCAA until Jan. 20 (via Grant Grubbs of On3.com). He averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 11.7 minutes per game.

Ivisic entered the transfer portal on April 13, a few days after Calipari announced that he would be leaving Kentucky after 15 years with the program.

The longtime Wildcats head coach was adamantly against the NCAA's hesitancy to allow Ivisic to play.

"It's not fair," Calipari said, per Grubbs. "For him to go through what he did to get into school for two months, what he's doing academically, how he is as a teammate. Every day he walks in, he says, 'Hey, Coach Cal!' Yesterday, or two days ago, I said to him, you know, I just want you to know I feel bad because I don't like how you were treated from the beginning to now."

Ivisic's eligibility was up in the air because he played professional basketball for SC Derby in the Montenegrin Basketball League and ABA Derby for two seasons from 2021 through 2023.

The 7'2" big should have a larger role in his sophomore campaign, as he showed some promise in his limited 2023-24 playing time. He shot 37.5 percent from three on 16 total attempts, while he scored a season-high 18 points in just 20 minutes during a win over Alabama on Feb. 24.

Calipari has now landed his first commitment with the Razorbacks as he attempts to turn around a program that finished with a record of 16-17 during the 2023-24 season.