Kentucky won its first exhibition tonight, beat Georgetown College 92-69. They did it without the Croatian freshman Zvonimir Ivisic, which is still awaiting authorization from the NCAA. It was a confusing week regarding the status of Big Z, and the subject inevitably came up after the match. When asked, John Calipari said Ivisic was not dealing with a medical issue or injury and also explained the confusion over whether or not the freshman would be able to play in exhibitions.
“No, no,” Calipari said when asked about a potential injury or medical issue. “Again, what happened was we had a question, a scrum and an exposure, and there was a miscommunication. We were told yes (he could play in exhibition). And then two nights ago we said he couldn’t play in exhibitions until he was cleared too. So that was the problem.
“There was nothing crazy, you know. He’s doing well and if he was cleared – I don’t know how many European players have already been cleared, not many – but if he was cleared I would guess he would probably be able to play in the next exhibition . But first you must be cleared.
“I feel comfortable knowing what I know”
Calipari echoed his comments during SEC Basketball Media Daytelling reporters he believed Ivisic would be exonerated in due time.
“I’ll say it again: I feel comfortable knowing what I know. He played on a development team. I even went so far as to call the NBA to make sure his name was removed in time after his pre-draft work, and it was, which is to say, this is the depth of which I went to make sure before doing it, but again, he’s European so there might be some things they do differently because he’s European, not a child of the United States.
Kentucky was able to get its first win without its three seven-footers tonight – Aaron Bradshaw And Ugonna Onyenso continue to recover from foot injuries – but it’s clear that as the season progresses, playing without a proper rim protector will only become more and more difficult. The sooner Big Z gets on the field, the better.
Kentucky’s next exhibition is Thursday night against Kentucky State. The Cats begin the regular season in ten days on November 6 against New Mexico State.
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