Zvonimir Ivisic made his first UK appearance at Big Blue Madness last week. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky coach John Calipari is used to answering questions about the UK basketball program but on Monday he turned into the one asking questions and looking for answers.
Calipari interviewed 7-2 Croatian center Zvonimir Ivisic and teased Big Blue fans before the interview was posted on X.
“We are sending you an interview I did with Big Z so you can get to know him,” Calipari said in his first video on X. “One, he is not King Kong. He is not the answer to all of our dreams.
“He is a terrific young person who wanted to be here and help us win. He is a talented player but what I am saying is it is going to take time.”
A little bit later the three-minute interview Calipari did with Ivisic was posted on X. It started with Calipari asking his newest team member to teach UK fans how to pronounce his name and then letting Ivisic talk about his 7-1 twin brother.
Why did he want to go to college?
“My mom wanted me to finish (high) school and I wanted to play basketball. So we found a way for me to go to college and play basketball,” Ivisic told Calipari.
He said he wanted to “help the team win” and that “I want to play for you also” when Calipari asked him why he was at Kentucky.
The Kentucky freshman, who just turned 20 years old, said getting invited to the NBA predraft camp meant a lot to him and was a “great experience” even though he took his name out of the draft. He also noted that NBA personnel told him he had to improve his strength and conditioning.
Calipari emphasized again how “excited” he was to have Ivisic finally on campus.
“He is one of the nicest people, a great smile. He is going to be good,” Calipari said to end the interview.
6 Responses
No, that would be Calipari’s resignation.
Barry that’s not going to happen, just stay positive and I really like what this team is to be about compare to the last 3-4 teams.
Coach Cal has been around a long time. He’s downplaying what Zorro could do. He’s excited about him. He just don’t want to let on
Could be right. Undersell and overperform
Get ready for all the Cal isms. They aren’t robots, I really like this team etc.. I dont listen to him anymore because it’s like pulling the string ..you get the same stuff all the time. I just watch basketball..
He does have his favorite sayings Willie