Ohio State Freshman Center Ivan Njegovan Recounts His Journey From a Croatian Small Town to Columbus: "Out of Nowhere, Literally"
By
Andy Anders on October 15, 2024 at 10:10 am
@andyanders55
Email this Article
Share on RedditShare on TwitterShare on Facebook
14 Comments
Ivan Njegovan stands out in a crowd.
Well, stands
above a crowd might be a more accurate descriptor for the 7-foot-1 Croatian center Jake Diebler spent his final scholarship on for his first Ohio State basketball roster in 2024-25. It's not just his height that separates him, however, it's also his ability to shoot and pass like few other humans of his stature can.
"I love Ivan's skill," Diebler said. "Obviously, as you guys see, he's big and his size is legit. And I think as he's adjusting more and more to the pace we're playing at — which has been different for him but he's picking it up — I think we're going to continue to see his opportunity grow."
Njegovan enters with professional basketball experience playing in Croatia's top league, the Favbet Premijer liga. The 20-year-old offers a unique athletic profile that could be honed into something special with a full four years of eligibility to work with at Ohio State — and his story differentiates him too.
"I took basketball more seriously when I was almost 16," Njegovan told
Eleven Warriors at Ohio State's basketball media day on Oct. 8. "That's when I came to (Under-19) Zadar, a bigger club than my hometown club. (My) first two years I wasn't shooting much there, but then at one point I started to practice a little bit with the senior team. I was playing with the second team and first team at the same time, so I would stay after practice with the coach, shoot a little bit. And that's when they saw I can shoot."
Ivan Njegovan (pronounced
ee-vahn nyeh-go-vahn) grew up in Otacac, Croatia, which has a population of less than 10,000 people. Even though he'd always loved the game, that didn't offer him a chance to dedicate himself fully to basketball.
His goal growing up, he said, was to go to a good school in Croatia. Then Zadar called.
"I was playing for my hometown club – and it's a really small town," Njegovan said. "There is not as much of an interest (in basketball) there with other kids. I always liked basketball, I always wanted to play, but being there it's not easy to go somewhere (to play).
"Then – out of nowhere, literally – I got an opportunity to come to a bigger club. That club won the last two Croatian Championships, so I would say the biggest. So when you get that chance to go there and play, you take it. That's why I decided to continue with basketball. I'm tall, so it would be weird if I didn't play basketball."
A surprise call from one of his nation's top club teams set Ivan Njegovan on a course to Ohio State from his Croatian hometown of less than 10,000 people.
www.elevenwarriors.com
