News: Arkansas transfer Zvonimir Ivisic commits to Illinois basketball

Illinois basketball has landed the commitment of Zvonimir Ivisic. Zvonimir is the brother of current Illini big man, Tomislav, and played this past season at Arkansas. During this past season, Zvonimir averaged 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also shot an efficient 37.9% from the three-point line.

Zvonimir is the first transfer portal addition for the Illini.

Impact?

The Illinois basketball offense should run through Tomislav Ivisic during the 2025-2026 season. The question becomes how well does his brother fit alongside him? Both are over 7 feet tall and have stretch-big capability. However, can they both play on the floor at the same time? The answer, tentatively, is yes. Zvonimir is a better rim protector than Tomislav. Per 40 minutes, Zvonimir averaged 3.9 blocks per game, while Tomislav averaged 1.8 blocks. Zvonimir is more of a quick-twitch athlete compared to Tomislav which makes him a better lob threat coming off of pick-and-rolls.

Tomislav is the better passer and probably has better footwork in the low-post. In the end, associate head coach Orlando Antigua has two exciting big men to coach up and use in different ways. This will be such a cool opportunity for two brothers from Croatia to play alongside each other.

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