However, this news came with a twist regarding how many years of eligibility Jelavic, who played for Mega Superbet in the Adriatic league the past two years, will have for Kentucky basketball.
“Jelavic will be listed as a sophomore — in both academic and athletic standing — for the Wildcats this season. Jelavic took college-level courses during his time as a pro player, and enough of those credits transferred for him to be designated as a sophomore at UK,” said Roberts.
So, unless Jelavic redshirts at some point, he will have just three years of college eligibility.
Not a big deal, but still notable for a player who is likely going to be a bit of a project this season as he adjusts to the college game and may not get significant playing time, especially when Jayden Quaintance returns.
Jelavic was not with UK for the summer practice season as he awaited clearance to come to America and play college basketball, so he’s still behind guys like Malachi Moreno and Brandon Garrison, who figure to get the bulk of the minutes at the 5 spot for the time being.
What Jelavic has going for him is that he’s a skilled big man who can even knock down 3s, which could help him get minutes at both the 4 and 5 spots.
