Every day over the two weeks leading up to Illinois’ Nov. 4 regular-season opener at Champaign’s State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report highlighting each Illini player listed on the team’s official roster. Today, in the sixth of 14, we shine a light on forward Ben Humrichous.
Monday: Kasparas Jakucionis
More Illini scouting reports
Where he’s from
Ivisic hails from Croatia and has already played several years of professional ball in Montenegro – an issue that called into question his eligibility until as recently as a few weeks ago. But he got the all-clear ahead of Sunday’s exhibition game at Ole Miss, showing how his age (21), polish and the confidence earned after playing against more mature competition in Europe can help ease the Illini’s growth pains.
What he’s done
In three years at SC Derby, Ivisic averaged 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks over 69 games, which doesn’t exactly scream game changer. But the European game behaves a bit differently than NCAA hoops, especially for the young guys. Illini fans’ focus should fall on the big man’s 36-minute averages as a 20-year-old in the Adriatic League (which launched Dario Saric, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic to the NBA): 16.2 points (on 57.4 percent shooting), 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks.
How he helps
In addition to his size and experience, the lefthanded Ivisic brings cultivated skills – including advanced passing and a legitimate 3-point stroke. He showed his value as a stretch 5 against Ole Miss (2-for-3 from 3-point range) while putting up 12 points, six rebounds and shooting 5-for-6 from the field overall. Ivisic could prove to be a handful on pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop with elite freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, and he allows coach Brad Underwood to live the dream of playing shooters at all five spots.
Throw it at the rim and let him go get it.
Tomislav Ivisic on the attack.
1H 11:30 | #Illini 12, Ole Miss 29 pic.twitter.com/4K83JRrQbt
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 27, 2024
What they’re saying
Ivisic has been sized up mostly for what he’ll bring the Illini on the defensive side of the floor, but Underwood raves about the dimension his new seven-footer provides on offense: “He’s a guy that opens the floor and can pull defenders away from the front of the rim,” Underwood said back in May. “I’m just excited because I think he’s gonna be a very, very, very talented and gifted offensive player who’s got great range and can shoot it.”
At Illinois’ team media day, Ivisic said more with less. The only player who answered the question “Who is taking the last shot on this team?” he replied: “Me.”
Give him this: He ain’t scared.
What we expect
Ivisic started against the Rebels, and his performance gave Underwood no reason to reconsider the decision. Opponents are going to give him the Kofi Cockburn treatment, forcing switches and testing Ivisic’s feet and defensive discipline. It won’t always be pretty. But the more mobile Carey Booth and Morez Johnson Jr. can provide situational relief, and if Ivisic can be a viable rim protector, rebounder, lob threat and perimeter shooter while being a little slow afoot on switches, the Illini will be ecstatic to give him 25-plus minutes a game and let the chips fall where they may.
