During Mark Pope's introductory press conference on Sunday afternoon, he made one thing clear -- he's going to get kids who want to play for Kentucky and understand what it's like to be a Wildcat.
And, quite early on he didn't mince words about it either.
“We are talking to all of the guys on the current team, all of those recruits and every player in the portal right now,” Pope said. “We are going to find the guys that fit here, the way we play, and the guys that will come here and understand what a gift it is to play here at the University of Kentucky.”
Following his press conference, it was reported by Kyle Tucker of the Athletic that Pope would be meeting with Zvonimir Ivisic. Ivisic, the 7-foot-2 big man, entered the transfer portal earlier this weekend after one season at Kentucky.
Hearing 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic, aka Big Z, will sit down with Mark Pope tomorrow morning and give him a shot at bringing the Croatian Sensation back to Kentucky.
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) April 15, 2024
Ivisic appeared in 15 games this year, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game. He shot 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from three.
On the season, Ivisic scored in double-figures four times, including a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 from the field in a win over Alabama.
There had been some expectation that he would just follow John Calipari to Arkansas. Now, it's unclear if that will be a 'no-brainer' decision.
Pope's offense could be something that would be beneficial to Ivisic -- and those conversations on Monday will be critical in potentially bringing back someone with tons of upside.