John Calipari reacts to 'Free Big Z' billboard, confirms he will not redshirt Zvonimir Ivisic

The NCAA has not made a final decision on whether or not Kentucky forward Zvonimir Ivisic will be eligible to play college basketball this season.

Regardless of the NCAA’s decision, Ivisic — or ‘Big Z’ as he is affectionately known in Lexington — will not redshirt during his true freshman season, Wildcats head coach John Calipari confirmed.

“It’s not fair for him to go through what he did to get into school, two months, what he’s doing academically, how we use as a teammate,” Calipari said of Ivisic postgame. “Everyday he walks in, he says, ‘Hey, Coach Cal!’ Yesterday or two days ago, I said to him, ‘I just want you to know I feel bad, because I don’t like how you were treated from the beginning until now.’

“He’s just a great kid and he deserves it. Look, if it were your son, how would you feel right now? I mean, he just turned 20, was 19 years old playing amateur basketball over there [in Europe]. They can make it however they want to make it, but … he is a great kid and he deserves it. If he becomes eligible, I’ll play him. I don’t know how much. … Let’s just get him eligible.”

Earlier this week, Calipari said that it might be time to get a bit more aggressive toward the NCAA in the hopes of clearing his resident 7-footer in time for a tournament run. Now, BBN have taken actions into their own hands having gathered over $3,500 to have a billboard erected in Indianapolis, where the NCAA headquarters in located.

Calipari acknowledged the sign created by BBN, said that his fanbase is crazy — and gave them credit for being a big reason why they were able to take care of Mississippi State 90-77 inside Rupp Arena on Wednesday.

“That’s our fans. They give us a 10-point edge being those people — and today [the fans] were really good,” Calipari said. “But I would say that [creating a billboard for Big Z] shows how the fans are here. You got places where they’re trying to sell tickets, where they’re trying to get people involved.

“That doesn’t happen here. They’re here. There’ll be waiting on the radio show, it’s four degrees out and they’ll drive back to East Kentucky. They love it, and they’re a part of it.”

Whether Ivisic is able to suit up this season or not, Kentucky, ranked No. 8 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, have been able to hold their own without his services. They’ll defend home court against Georgia this Saturday.