Story by
Ivan Njegovan is No. 11 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings
- Story by
- Ivan Njegovan is No. 11 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings
The first year of the Jake Diebler era will feature the most scholarship players in Ohio State men's basketball history .
Technically, the Buckeyes will feature a full complement of 13 scholarship players for the 2024-25 season. Yet as Ohio State has built its roster for the year and sustained a summer injury to a projected rotation player, first-year coach Jake Diebler was able to add one more piece to the puzzle as a walk-on whose NIL compensation will cover the costs of enrolling at Ohio State.
Advertisement
Projected to finish eighth in the annual unofficial media poll conducted jointly by The Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star , the Buckeyes aim to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing out during each of the last two seasons. Ohio State went 22-14 last season as Diebler was named coach after having taking over midseason on an interim basis.
Sifting through a 16-man roster featuring nine new faces including two walk-ons requires effort, and The Dispatch has you covered. To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings. Each weekday leading into the Nov. 4 season opener against Texas in Las Vegas , we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles on the 2023-24 season. This isn't just a measurement of who will lead the team in any particular statistical category, but a series of educated guesses on which players' contributions will go the longest way toward where the Buckeyes finish.
The series continues today with freshman center Ivan Njegovan.
No. 11 – Ivan Njegovan
Position: Center
Advertisement
Eligibility: First year (three remaining)
Height/weight: 7 feet 1 / 250 pounds
Jersey number: 17
Major: Economics
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler speaks with center Ivan Njegovan during the team's first practice of the fall on Sept. 23, 2024 at Value City Arena.
Background
A late addition to the Ohio State roster, Njegovan was the final player announced as a member of the 2024-25 Buckeyes . A product of the Croatian basketball system, Njegovan has most recently played for team KK Zadar, where he worked his way up through the club's cadet program. Zadar plays in the Favbet Premier League, the 12-team top Croatian league.
During the summer, Njegovan suited up for Croatia in the FIBA U20 Eurobasket, a men's youth basketball competition held in Romania and won by France. In seven games, Njegovan averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists while playing 14.7 minutes per game as Croatia went 4-3 while participating in the second-tier level of the tournament. He started and posted a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds in a 71-60 loss to Bulgaria on July 21, his country's final game of the tournament. His participation in the event prevented him from enrolling at Ohio State for the summer semester and taking a visit to campus in May.
Advertisement
He also played in the tournament in 2023, when Croatia played in the top level. He appeared in four of his team's seven games, scoring 9 points and grabbing three rebounds in 25 total minutes of playing time. That August, he scored 2 points as Zadar beat NCAA foe BYU in an exhibition game.
Associate head coach Joel Justus was his primary recruiter.
Need to know
Njegovan's first time in the United States was when he arrived at Ohio State . He turned 20 on Sept. 18. Croatian Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Serbian star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets are two of his primary inspirations.
Advertisement
Njegovan is the second known player to wear No. 17 at Ohio State. Ted W. Jacobs, who averaged 4.9 points in 60 games from 1948-50, is the only player with the same number in Ohio State's official list of letter winners. He is the first international player to join the Buckeyes since Amadeo Della Valle, an Italian guard who signed with Ohio State in 2012 and played two seasons, averaging 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in 48 appearances.
It's roughly a 19-hour trip for Njegovan to get from Croatia to Columbus. He had never met his Ohio State teammates, but he already had a tie to one of their family members. Meechie Johnson 's uncle, Julius, is one of the most decorated players in Zadar's history.
Lasagna is one of his favorite foods.
Ohio State Buckeyes: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Advertisement
2024-25 season outlook
With his combination of size and shooting abilities, Njegovan arrived at Ohio State targeted to battle sophomore Austin Parks as the primary traditional center backup. Projected starter Aaron Bradshaw is just as tall but listed at 35 pounds lighter than the Croatian while sophomore Austin Parks is 10 pounds heavier than Njegovan but three inches shorter.
Diebler has said he envisions being able to play Bradshaw alongside Njegovan or Parks, which could open up possibilities for some additional minutes.
Early practice impressions have been positive.
"His best basketball is ahead of him," Diebler said. "I love his skill set. He can step out and shoot 3s. He passes well. He's getting more mobile. He's really bought into our strength and conditioning program, which in time is going to serve him well. He's embracing the work required."
Advertisement
It's hard to forecast a significant rotational role for both Njegovan and Parks given Ohio State's stated desire to play with pace and versatility. Barring injury, it seems likely that one will earn whatever minutes are available for a center with a more traditional Big Ten body. Plus, the Buckeyes will undoubtedly play some small-ball lineups where Bradshaw, Njegovan and Parks are all on the bench at the same time.
Ohio State's Ivan Njegovan dunks the basketball during practice.
Njegovan was as big a mystery as anyone on the roster when fall camp began, particularly after missing summer workouts, but he has acclimated himself well in the early part of the preseason. If he can continue to progress, build his strength and acclimate to an entirely new culture, Njegovan has a real chance to surprise this season.
Previous power rankings
No. 12 – Austin Parks
Advertisement
No. 13 – Kalen Etzler
No. 14 – Colby Baumann
No. 15 – Braylen Nash
No. 16 – Taison Chatman
Get more Ohio State basketball news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State basketball: Preseason rankings sit Ivan Njegovan at No. 11
