No teammates were happier for Zvonimir Ivisic's debut than Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso

ZGeogheganKSR

Kentucky’s three seven-footers are a close bunch — they have a group text called the “seven-footers”, for crying out loud. All three had to overcome off-court issues before stepping on the hardwood for the Wildcats this season. Developing friendships helped make the wait a little bit easier.

For Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso, it was foot surgeries they underwent during the summer. For Zvonimir Ivisic, it was eligibility and clearance issues with the University and NCAA. For the first time all season, the 21-foot trio played in the same game together — only two at a time at the most, though — during Kentucky’s win over Georgia on Saturday.

Bradshaw and Onyenso combined for 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in the 105-96 victory. But the story of the night — and of the season, really — was how Ivisic performed in his college debut. The Croatian posted 13 points (5-7 FG), five rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and two steals in just 16 minutes. He’s already being mentioned as a potential lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.

On some teams, having so many centers who can play at an impactful level might be seen as an ego problem. What about my playing time? How will I get enough shots? But on this Kentucky team, that doesn’t appear to be the case. In fact, Bradshaw and Onyenso were Ivisic’s biggest supporters during his big day.

“Our team is really tight-knit. They care about each other. To see him do that, they went crazy,” Kentucky assistant coach Chin Coleman said on Monday. “More importantly, the two that probably was mostly excited for him was Ugo and Aaron. That shows you what we have in our locker room.“

Every member of the Kentucky bench was collectively on the edge of their seats for Ivisic’s first time out as a Wildcat. His teammates all mobbed him on the floor after he dished a behind-the-back pass to Antonio Reeves for a corner 3. Ivisic credited Bradshaw and Onyenso after the game for helping him get through the last several months.

We’ve been hearing all season long how this team plays for each other, not for themselves. That continues to play out in front of us as we’re now halfway through the schedule. Having Ivisic also takes Kentucky to another level on the court, as well. All three of the seven-footers are interchangeable. Two can shoot from beyond the arc.

“Hopefully it gives us some shot-blocking and makes us a better rebounding team,” Coleman said of adding Ivisic to the big-man rotation. “And our guys are skilled. In terms of offensively, it’s just about moving the pieces around and making sure we have the pieces set on the table where we want them at. It should help us better defensively in terms of rim protection.

“The fact that Z and Aaron are good shooters, they should keep the floor spaced. It should keep the fluidity of what we’re trying to do in terms of play random. I don’t think that will stop any of that. I think having them is a good problem to have. We like this group, they like each other.”