RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 1—CHAMPAIGN — Tomislav Ivisic slowly made his way to the sideline at Ubben Basketball Complex early Thursday afternoon.
It had already been a long day for the 7-foot-1 Illinois center.
An 8 a.m. team breakfast was followed by a 9 a.m. session in the weight room with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher. A 90-minute full team practice was next, as the Illini near the end of their summer workouts.
Ivisic wound up the last player on the court, going through a shooting drill under the watchful eye of assistant coach Camryn Crocker. A mix of catch-and-shoot three-pointers and movement threes to close out a busy, active morning at Illinois' practice facility.
A schedule Ivisic has kept consistently throughout the last two months.
"I thought it was going to be easier, but it's not," Ivisic quipped, as sweat rolled down his face following Thursday's shooting session with Crocker. "It's hard."
Ivisic has made his offseason even harder on himself with a daily schedule that routinely includes extra time working with Fletcher and assistant strength coach and former Illini guard Keaton Kutcher. Those workouts are focused on mobility and agility, with Ivisic putting on roughly 15 pounds to get to 280 this summer.
Ivisic also gets in extra time on the court with assistant coach Zach Hamer. Those development-geared workouts are meant to expand the center's typical pick-and-pop game and turn him into a better attacker at the rim and finisher around it.
"Well, maybe a little bit," Ivisic said about putting even more on his plate this summer, "but I also feel stronger — way stronger — than I ever was. ... I definitely feel more powerful. When I'm going for rebounds. When I'm posting. When I'm playing defense."
Ivisic's offseason goal? Become as dominant a player possible heading into the 2026-27 season.
That's something the Vodice, Croatia, native feels like he's accomplished since returning to campus in early June. It's also something his teammates have noticed.
"He's fat now," Jake Davis joked after sitting and listening earlier Thursday to Ivisic say his 6-6 teammate couldn't guard him. "He can still shoot, but he's fat now. To be honest, he's actually moving phenomenally well at 280. When he got back here and he told me he was trying to get bigger, I was a little bit confused, but I think it's worked out well for him. I would say he still moves the same or even better than he did last year, and he's 10-15 more pounds of muscle to him.
"I know when I get switched on him in the post it's way harder than it was last year. ... I don't know why that's surprising. He's massive now. It's hard to guard him in the post."
That's partly the result Ivisic was aiming for in what was an important summer. He spent a significant part of the 2025-26 season in catch-up mode after a tonsillectomy sidelined him last October and an early-season knee injury slowed him down again in November.
Ivisic was at his most consistently productive during Illinois' NCAA tournament run, averaging 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds as the Illini reached the Final Four. That strong finish served as a springboard into his regimented summer.
"I didn't put up straight goals for myself where I wanted to be," Ivisic said. "I just wanted to have a lot of commitment to wake up every day and work hard. Even when I don't feel like it, just work on my game.
"I came with that mentality every day to be better. I didn't have an end goal where I see myself. I just want to be better for me, myself, and for the team, and I feel like I improved a lot on that end. I can't wait for the season, for games to start, to show that."
Maintaining that through the end of Illinois' summer workouts — the Illini's last day is Thursday — and into the run-up to the 2026-27 season is the goal. Staying healthy, like he has this summer and openly said he didn't want to jinx with plenty of time until the season starts, is also key.
"Last year he was a little bit unlucky with his tonsils," Ivisic's brother and Illini center, Zvonimir, said. "This year he's not missing practices, getting way more comfortable, getting stronger and getting faster. It's definitely been good for him."
The way Ivisic has approached the offseason — the work he's put in — has been just as recognizable by his teammates as the results. While he may never be the most vocal of leaders, he's setting the example, Davis said, of "what it's like to do the right thing and what it's supposed to look like."
"I feel like I'm the most experienced player on this team," Ivisic said. "Even before I came to Illinois, plus going into a third season here. I just try to work hard, play hard and be a good example for everybody. Sometimes, things don't go my way, but I'm never going to give up, never going to put my head down. I'm never going to question my abilities."
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