Adam JardyColumbus Dispatch
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College basketball wasn’t really the plan for Ivan Njegovan.
A rising Croatian basketball player, Njegovan made a decision last summer to stay with Zadar in his home country’s top league. Although he won’t turn 20 until next month, Njegovan wanted to remain with the team he’d spent the previous three seasons with and move onto the senior roster. Going against men 10-15 years his senior, Njegovan found playing time at a premium and went on loan to Bosco for the remainder of the year.
While his production increased alongside his playing time, as the year progressed Njegovan felt he needed to find a new opportunity where he could better grow as a player and person.
Now, the 7-foot-1, 260-pound center is amid his second full week on Ohio State’s campus.
“I used to play some games in the Croatian first division,” he said before Wednesday’s team workout at Value City Arena. “It’s good, but the problem there is young players don’t really get much playing time, especially at bigger clubs. For my development, this was the right choice to come here.”
At Bosco, Njegovan averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds while playing 17.9 minutes per game in 20 appearances. At Zadar, those numbers were 5.4, 3.3, 19.9 and eight, respectively. Along with veteran transfer guard Ques Glover, he was the final announced addition to the Ohio State roster.
The journey from Croatia to Columbus required three flights and a total of roughly 19 hours in transit for Njegovan, who went from Zadar to Frankfort to Washington, D.C., and then Columbus. When his transatlantic flight touched down near the nation’s capital, it marked the first time he had set foot on American soil.
Njegovan was scheduled to visit Ohio State in May, when he initially committed to the program, but that trip was scrapped due to an opportunity to play for his national team. That meant committing to the university sight-unseen and then spending June and July playing for Croatia in the 2024 U20 European Championships, where he averaged 6.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in seven games. His final time out, Njegovan scored 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against Bulgaria.
The biggest difference between the youth and senior levels in Croatia, Njegovan said, was the increased physicality and importance of being able to play defense.
“Coming to a senior team, I developed tactically and I started getting used to more physical basketball,” he said. “I saw teams here (in the Big Ten) are filled with very big guys, strong guys. For my height, I feel like I have a good bit of experience from there so I think it will be a bit easier to adapt to this.”
Ohio State associate head coach Joel Justus was the coach who identified and began recruiting Njegovan. He’s played a role in helping Njegovan with his acclimation to both college and a new country, as have his teammates. As he stood in the hallway near the team’s locker room, Njegovan had to laugh as sophom*ore forward Devin Royal crept up behind the reporter and distracted the big man.
Members of the 2024-25 team have been texting him since he committed, Njegovan said, and he’s made multiple public appearances with the team. Njegovan was one of seven players to speak to students at a back-to-school “Buckeye Kickoff” event at Ohio Stadium last week and one of four to participate in a 2nd & 7 charity event in Dublin during the weekend.
“The adjustment is going well,” he said. “My teammates are perfect. They accepted me well. It’s been a good experience to be here.”
In uniform, Njegovan is expected to provide more depth for a rebuilt Ohio State frontcourt. During Wednesday’s workout, he stood eye-to-eye with Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw, also listed at 7-1. Although Bradshaw will primarily be utilized at center, there are plans to try playing him at power forward while 6-10, 250-pound sophom*ore Austin Parks and Njegovan battle to not only back Bradshaw up but play alongside him as well.
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Asked which players he looks up to, Njegovan cited Croatian Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Serbian star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
“I like to shoot,” Njegovan said. “I like to play under the basket. I do what the coaches expect me to do. I can adapt. I mostly like to shoot, but I can do other things also.”
As he prepares for his freshman season, Njegovan said he is keeping his expectations at a reasonable level.
“First year, I don’t expect much playing time,” he said. “If I get minutes, I’ll try to use them good, but my goal in the first year is I’d definitely like to put some muscle on and get stronger. To improve, because I think I can still improve a lot.”
ajardy@dispatch.com
