Andrija Jelavic cleared for immediate eligibility by NCAA

No billboards necessary when it comes to Andrija Jelavic and potential eligibility concerns — he’s officially good to go.

A UK spokesperson tells KSR that the 6-11 forward from Croatia has been declared eligible for immediate competition by the NCAA upon review. It’s been the expectation all along, but confirmation has finally come, allowing him to participate in all basketball activities, including UK’s Pro Day event this week, followed by Big Blue Madness, the Blue-White Event and exhibitions vs. Purdue and Georgetown to close out the month.

Jelavic comes from Croatia and played two seasons for Mega Superbet in Serbia’s Adriatic League. This past season, he averaged 11.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.5 minutes per outing while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from deep and 69.4 percent from the free-throw line in 29 games played.

He committed to Kentucky back in April and arrived in August after missing the eight-week summer session with the Wildcats as he wrapped up his time with Mega Superbet and finished his academic schedule.

The recruiting process was an easy one for Jelavic — once he heard Kentucky was interested, he committed.

“The moment Mark Pope called me and said that he wanted me to be a part of this team this year and everything, I instantly said, ‘Yes, I want to be here,’” he told BBN Tonight in September. “We didn’t even talk about the details and everything. I instantly committed.

“He said, ‘Tell your agent that you want to commit.’ I told him and I instantly committed — I didn’t even talk to the other college coaches. So Mark Pope was the first and only coach I spoke to about that.”

No drama with his recruitment, and now, no drama with his eligibility. He’s good to go for the Wildcats.