Illinois got encouraging news on Zvonimir Ivisic on Friday, and Brad Underwood wasted little time laying out why the big man matters so much to the Illini’s ceiling.
Underwood said at Illinois’ on-campus media day that Ivisic, who hurt his hand while in Croatia, is now “back full bore.”
“Z obviously hurt his hand while he was in Croatia, and he’s back full bore,” Underwood said. “He’s going. He’s had a tremendous start to our early practices and has really played himself back into good health and a nice place.”
That leaves David Mirkovic as the only Illinois player still working his way back, with Mirkovic recovering from early-August foot surgery. Compared with the 2025-26 preseason, when several Illini were dealing with injuries or health questions, Illinois appears to be in a much better place physically.
But the real story is what a healthy Ivisic could mean on the floor.
Underwood made it clear he’s not looking at Ivisic as just a stretch big. He pointed to the added weight, the improved health and the comfort level in the system as reasons for optimism.
“He’s 260 pounds,” Underwood said. (For context, Ivisic was listed at 235 pounds as a freshman at Kentucky and 245 as a sophomore at Arkansas.)
“The thing I’m most excited for Z is, he's healthy. He’s got his other leg that he’s not dragging.
He’s been in the system. There’s comfort.
I think that will help him tremendously.
“I think we saw some spurts in the NCAA Tournament last year that are just ‘wow’ moments. I think he can be one of the elite defenders, rim protectors, rollers in the country.
And he can just do things. Here’s a guy that ran - at 262 pounds - ran a five-minute-and-22 mile, shattered all of our big guys’ records - and who does that?
I mean we only got a few guards on our team that do that. And it’s my job to get all of that out of him.
“And he’s so much more than a three-point shooter or a guy who can shoot a three. We need him to be America’s best shot blocker and rim protector and roller and threat when he goes, because he’s so big, he’s so fast.
I’m excited for what he’s become. I’m excited for the way he’s practicing right now.
It’s nice to have him really feeling good about his body and where he’s at. And now to have him actually be able to catch and move with the hand is a real positive.”
That lines up with the way Ivisic’s game should be used. He’s a rare athlete for his size, and when he’s simply parked on the perimeter, Illinois isn’t getting the full value of his frame, mobility and length.
He can shoot it - he’s a 33.6 percent three-point shooter in his college career - but that shouldn’t be the main attraction. The better path is for him to punish defenses as a roller, especially if he gets a clean catch on the move. When he dives hard, the finish can be automatic.
If Illinois pushes the pace this season, Ivisic could also become a major problem in transition. His ground coverage, motor, length and vertical pop give him a chance to be a devastating rim runner if the Illini lean into that part of his game.
Defensively, the ceiling is obvious. EvanMiya projects Ivisic as the No. 1 defender in the Big Ten and No. 4 defender in the nation for 2026-27.
If everything clicks, Illinois may have something even more valuable than a shot-blocking specialist. Ivisic has the tools to be one of the best two-way reserves in the country.
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