Zvonimir Ivisic spent last season giving Illinois something it could trust every night: real rim protection. And for a team that leaned on him as a backup center behind his twin brother, Tomislav Ivisic, that mattered.
The 7-foot-2 Croatian big man took a clear step forward in his first year in Champaign after his half-season at Kentucky and full season at Arkansas. He averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 17.2 minutes per game, while shooting 50.9% from the field and 28.0% from three.
His season still had the familiar swings that have followed him through college. Ivisic had several huge outings and momentum-shifting stretches for the Illini, but he also faded late in the year.
Across five NCAA Tournament games, he finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks total. Even so, his junior season was the most steady stretch of his college career.
The peak games may not have reached the same level he hit at Arkansas, but the lows were less severe, and he was a major part of Illinois’ rotation for most of the year.
Defense is where Ivisic made his biggest mark. His 12.9% block rate was a career best, ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten.
He had 20 games with multiple blocks and reached at least four blocks five times. Illinois also felt his presence in the paint in a bigger way when he was on the floor: opponents shot 55.2% at the rim against the Illini with him playing, compared to 60.2% when he sat.
That kind of production puts him in rare company in Illinois history. Since blocks started being officially tracked in 2002, only Nnanna Egwu in 2013-14 came close to Ivisic’s 12.9% block rate, finishing at 8.3%. Only two Illini have ever averaged more blocks per game in a season than Ivisic did - Egwu at 2.1 and Derek Holcomb at 3.0 in 1978-79 - and both played more than 10 extra minutes per game.
What makes Ivisic so difficult to deal with is the combination of size and mobility. He’s a huge body in the lane, but he’s also springy and covers ground quickly. Even when he didn’t get the block, he was changing shots simply by being there.
The added strength showed up on the glass, too. Ivisic put on nearly 30 pounds, and that helped him post major gains in both offensive rebound rate, at 7.3%, and defensive rebound rate, at 21.6%. He still had moments where he struggled to stay balanced while battling for rebounds, but he became a more productive rebounder for Illinois than he had ever been before.
In Other News...
Keaton Waglers Clippers Debut Just Got Hit By Sudden Off-Court Drama
Keaton Waglers NBA Summer League debut arrives with a little more off-court noise around it than anyone expected, even for a player stepping into the league under a spotlight. The former Illinois standout is set to make his first appearance after going No. 5 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the wider league conversation has shifted to a separate matter involving the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard.
The NBA is still sorting through a potential salary cap issue tied to Leonard and former sponsor Aspiration, and there is no clear end date for the process. With the league saying the review could stretch on for several weeks, the uncertainty has already put the Leonard-to-Toronto trade on hold, and the Raptors have said they will wait until the investigation is finished before moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Is Finally Unveiling A Stadium Upgrade Fans Have Waited For
Illinois football fans are about to get a long-awaited upgrade at Gies Memorial Stadium, where the university is finishing the largest main video display in college football history. The new board sits in the south end zone and is part of a broader renovation tied to a major donation from alum Larry Gies Jr., a project that has been building anticipation around what the game-day atmosphere will look like once it is finally switched on.
The price tag on the board alone is reported to be more than $20 million, and the school says the goal is to make the fan experience feel bigger and better on Saturdays in Champaign. For a program looking to keep pace with the sports flashiest venues, the timing matters too, with the unveiling set to come as the season gets underway and the first crowd gets its initial look at just how massive the display really is. [Read more 🡒]
Morez Johnson Jr. Just Reopened A Tough Illinois Conversation
Morez Johnson Jr. wasted no time making a first impression in NBA Summer League, putting up 27 points and eight rebounds in his debut for Dallas while shooting 12-for-17 from the field. For Illinois fans, the performance was a reminder of how much talent passed through Champaign in just one season before Johnson moved on to Michigan, where his college path ultimately led to a national championship and now a chance to carve out a place at the next level.
Johnsons outing also reopened an old conversation about what might have been for the Illini, especially after he shared the floor in a high-profile matchup with former Michigan teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. The immediate takeaway is simple enough: Johnson looks ready to compete, and his early pro success only adds another layer to the debate over a player whose stop at Illinois was brief, but still left enough of a mark to linger. [Read more 🡒]