Ohio State adds 7-foot Croatian center Ivan Njegovan to finalize 2024-25 roster
At last, Ohio State’s men's basketball roster for the 2024-25 season is complete.
One day after veteran guard Ques Glover announced his transfer into the program, the Buckeyes announced the addition of Croatian center Ivan Njegovan to fill the final scholarship spot on the roster. A 7-foot big man, 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.
He will join the Buckeyes for the start of the fall semester.
"Ivan is a good young big man with high level international experience," coach Jake Diebler said in a statement. "His skill and size will add to our depth in the front court.”
Most recently, 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.
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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 minutes of playing time. In August, he scored 2 points as Zadar beat NCAA foe BYU in an exhibition game.
Njegovan will occupy the 13th roster spot for the Buckeyes. Glover, a transfer with previous stops at Florida, Samford, BYU and Kansas State, will be a preferred walk-on whose cost of attendance and scholarship will be covered by an NIL deal with THE Foundation, the primary collective supporting Ohio State men’s basketball. Once Njegovan assimilates to the United States and Ohio State, he is expected to add size, versatility and skill to a center position expected to be led by Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw.
Njegovan will battle sophomore Austin Parks for minutes as Bradshaw’s backup or potential frontcourt mate, allowing the former Wildcat to play power forward. Njegovan has spent the past two seasons at Zadar in what appears to have been a developmental role, totaling 13 minutes of playing time in three games in the Adriatic Basketball Association (ABA) since the start of the 2022-23 season. Zadar competes in both the ABA and the Favbet Premier League.
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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.
Njegovan will turn 20 on Sept. 18.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Croatian center Ivan Njegovan joins Ohio State as final roster piece
