John Calipari on Zvonimir Ivisic: 'I'm not letting Z shoot any threes'

It’s commonplace in modern day basketball for teams to have shooters all over the floor, but Arkansas coach John Calipari is putting a restriction on one of his stars this season. The first-year Razorbacks head man revealed in a press conference Monday that he is forbidding big man Zvonimir Ivisic from shooting 3-pointers.

A 7-foot-2 center from Croatia, Ivisic played for Calipari at Kentucky last year as a true freshman. He appeared in 15 games and averaged 1.1 3-point attempts per contest while shooting a 37.5% clip from beyond the arc.

Although it’s a small sample size — he only got 16 attempts up all season — the numbers suggest that that Ivisic could improve given more opportunities to work on his range. However, Calipari explained he wants Ivisic to focus on honing his midrange and low post scoring abilities this season.

“I’m not letting Z shoot any threes,” the coach said. “Big Z is 7-2. If he wants to shoot? No, no. You’re not shooting threes. So now he has to shoot twos. You know why? An elbow jumper, when you miss that, kinda embarrassing. A three, when you miss that and you’re way out there, ‘oh, man he almost made that.’ No. You’re shooting twos. That means you’re gonna get in the gym and get better or you’re gonna be embarrassed all the time. And you know what? He’s getting better.”

Ivisic didn’t quite get to show off his full potential last season at Kentucky. Eligibility issues prevented him from playing his first game until January, and he only saw 11.7 minutes per game while coming off the bench. He still put up solid averages for the time he played with 5.5 points. 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

The 7-footer also showed some solid passing abilities for a player his size with a few highlight assists and figures to be someone who can contribute in multiple areas. However, one way he won’t be making an impact this season is apparently from long range.

It’s a somewhat puzzling explanation from Calipari, especially considering the efficiency with which Zvonimir Ivisic shot the ball last season. We’ll see how well it works out and whether it lasts for the whole season.

Arkansas is coming off of a 16-17 finish to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons, but will aim to make it back with help from Ivisic and other new additions.