Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Shares His Initial Thoughts On Commit Tomislav Ivišić

Anthony Pasciolla, Anthony Pasciolla | May 7, 2024

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the; Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois Fighting Illini landed Croatian big man Tomislav Ivišić earlier this week, who can impact the team in a meaningful way next season.

Illini coach Brad Underwood shared his initial thoughts on the 7-foot center, emphasizing his talent on defense.

"A young man that in watching film, he fits," Underwood said. "7-1, 240, 250 pounds. He is a very, very skilled player. He can really step out and shoot it. An elite passer, a guy that gives us the ability to protect the rim on the defensive end."

Ivišić played for SC Derby in Montenegro last season, averaging 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 22 games. He isn't the most active in terms of mobility on the offensive end, but will stretch the floor and be a high-impact defender.

"He has a tremendous amount of experience, playing on the world stage," Underwood said. "He has played against high-level guys. He's been extremely well-coached."

Here's what Underwood said about transfer Ben Humrichous:

"Humrichous is a guy we've worked really, really hard throughout this process," Underwood said. "Very excited about his package, what he brings to us. He's extremely versatile. I think he's one of the elite shooters in the country. I think the versatility, he can do everything from play the five to be able to do some of the things that we did with Marcus [Domask] in post-ups."

Humrichous averaged 14.9 points and 4.7 rebounds last season for the Purple Aces. He shot 42 percent from the 3-point line. His best game was a 29-point performance against Chattanooga.

"He's got incredible range," Underwood said. "I think the one thing that always translates no matter what level you're at is shooting. He does it at an extremely high level. I think he's one of the most outstanding shooters that I've coached, maybe the best one that I've seen in my time here."

Illinois is coming off a successful season under coach Brad Underwood. They won the Big Ten tournament and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3. After defeating Morehead State in the first round, the Illini advanced to the Elite Eight. They lost to eventual champion UConn, ending the run.

This season, they are once again expected to contend for the Big Ten title despite some key losses.

The Illini lost All-American Terrence Shannon and Coleman Hawkins to the NBA draft. Also gone are forward Marcus Domask, who entered the drafted, and Indiana transfer Luke Goode.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer for Illini Now. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on X @anthonypasci.