John Calipari confident Zvonimir Ivisic will be cleared by NCAA

Kentucky won its first exhibition tonight, beating Georgetown College 92-69. They did it without Croatian freshman Zvonimir Ivisic, who is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA. It’s been a confusing week regarding Big Z’s status, and the topic inevitably came up after the game. When asked, John Calipari said Ivisic is not dealing with a medical issue or injury and also explained the confusion over whether or not the freshman could play in the exhibitions.

“No, no,” Calipari said when asked about a potential injury or medical concern. “Again, what happened was, we asked a question, scrimmaging and the exhibition, and there was some miscommunication. We were told yes [he could play in exhibitions]. And then two nights ago, we’re saying, he can’t play in the exhibition until he’s cleared too. So that’s what the issue was.

“There was no, you know, nothing crazy. He’s doing good and if he were cleared — I’m not sure how many European players have been cleared yet, not many — but if he were cleared, my guess is he would probably be able to play at the next exhibition. But you gotta get cleared first.”

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“I feel comfortable knowing what I know”

Calipari echoed his comments from SEC Basketball Media Day, telling reporters that he believes Ivisic will be cleared in due time.

“I’m gonna say it again: I feel comfortable knowing what I know. He played on a development team. I even went as far as to call the NBA to make sure his name was pulled on time after his pre-draft stuff, and it was, which is, that’s the depth that I went to just make sure before we do it, but again, it’s European so there may be some things that they’ll do different because he’s European, not a kid from the United States.”

Kentucky was able to get its first win without all three of its seven-footers tonight — Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso continue to recover from foot injuries — but it’s clear as the season goes on, playing without a proper rim protector will only become more of a challenge. The sooner Big Z gets on the court, the better.

Kentucky’s next exhibition is Thursday night vs. Kentucky State. The Cats tip off the regular season ten days from now on November 6 vs. New Mexico State.

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