Champaign has a new pair of twin towers coming to Green Street next season. Former Arkansas center Zvonimir Ivišić has joined forces with his twin brother Tomislav after committing to Illinois on Saturday. He made the decision to transfer after Arkansas lost to Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen. Tomislav also announced on Saturday that he will return to Illinois for his junior season.
This is the third college in three seasons for Zvonimir. After his freshman year, he followed head coach John Calipari from Kentucky to the job Calipari took in Arkansas. Now-Illinois assistant Orlando Antigua recruited Zvonimir at Kentucky for his freshman season. Antigua also brought Tomislav to the United States after leaving Lexington for Champaign ahead of last season. Now, both brothers and the man who was instrumental in bringing them to college basketball will reunite as Illini.
Zvonimir is 7-foot-2, while Tomislav is 7-foot-1, giving Illinois an extremely tall frontcourt that can protect the rim at a high level. Tomislav averaged 1.2 blocks per game last season, while Zvonimir swatted away 1.9 shots on average. Both brothers are also solid rebounders, while Tomislav is slightly better, averaging 7.7 to Zvonimir’s 4.3 last year.
Like Tomislav, Zvonimir can also step out and shoot threes. Tomislav led the Illini, knocking down triples at a 35.7% clip last season. He also set the NCAA tournament record for most threes in a game by a 7-footer, with five.
The offense at Arkansas was not run as much through Zvonimir like it was through Tomislav at Illinois, but he still got his shots off and was very effective. He took 29 fewer triples than his brother, but Zvonimir converted at a slightly higher rate, hitting 37.6% of his threes. While he is capable of stepping out, Zvonimir is still known more for his defense, while Tomislav is more of an offensive-minded big man.
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It remains to be seen how much Illinois will be able to utilize both brothers together. Their ability to both stretch the floor is dangerous to defend. However, their similar style may bring a need for a third big man with a more physical inside presence to share rotation minutes.
Zvonimir is consistent with the staff’s wish of getting bigger and older with the new roster, and the twins’ familiarity with each other’s games may also prove extremely useful when they share the court. Only time will tell, and those answers will be fleshed out as head coach Brad Underwood gets his new team together over the summer. One thing is for sure though: The talent in the frontcourt is there.
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