Zvonimir Ivisic establishing himself as Kentucky's primary center

Since all three seven-footers became available in mid-January, John Calipari has been searching for some consistency at the center position.

When it was just Ugonna Onyenso at the five early in the season, the sophomore soaked up a good chunk of the minutes. Aaron Bradshaw did the same for a stretch after making his debut in December. Then it was Zvonimir Ivisic who began to make his mark during SEC play. But all three have gone through ups and downs in regard to minutes played.

Until about two weeks ago that is, when Ivisic began to establish himself as Calipari’s go-to center option.

While still coming off the bench (Onyenso continues to hold down the starting spot), Ivisic has assumed most of the center responsibilities over Kentucky’s last four games — all wins. The 7-foot-2 Croatian is averaging 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 20 minutes per game during that span. Onyenso and Bradshaw have only logged 13 and eight minutes per game, respectively, in the same amount of time.

Prior to this recent stretch, Ivisic hadn’t played more than 16 minutes in any of his previous eight games. He’s hit at least 17 in the last four, including 20 or more in three of them. He dropped 18 points on 7-11 shooting, five rebounds, and four blocks against Alabama before chipping in 12 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks a week later against Arkansas. Ivisic is only 1-9 from deep across these four games, but he’s hitting over 72 percent on two-pointers by feasting at the rim.

“He’s worked, he’s earned it,” Assistant coach Chuck Martin said on Friday. “He’s really worked hard in practice, it’s taken him some time to catch up. He’s a talented young man, but he was behind. Physically, he was out of shape. I think the first night where he played at Rupp (against Georgia) was an electric night for all of us because we have not seen anything like that.

“But the reality is he was not in shape. He still had to learn how we play offensively and defensively. So he’s starting to catch up now and our guys are starting to feel more comfortable playing with him. He’s just a unique player. He can pick-and-pop and shoot the three. He can short-roll to the elbows and the free throw line and facilitate, which he’s done a few times. And because of his size he can roll all the way to the rim and catch lobs.”

Not long after Ivisic’s unforgettable debut against Georgia, associate head coach Bruiser Flint mentioned that, while Ivisic was unbelievable, he still wasn’t in the right spots — he just hit the shots. But more recently, Ivisic is beginning to find his footing on both ends of the floor. Down the stretch against Arkansas, his pick-and-roll chemistry alongside Rob Dillingham was the reason the Razorbacks couldn’t pull out the win.

Kentucky’s ceiling for the rest of the season is likely at its highest with Ivisic on the floor. Having Onyenso and Bradshaw as backup options will be important come the postseason, but when Ivisic is in a groove with his teammates, Kentucky is simply a better team.

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