BASKETBALL
Ivisic officially signs with Razorbacks
The University of Arkansas announced that former Kentucky freshman big man Zvonimir Ivisic signed with new Razorbacks Coach John Calipari on Wednesday.
Ivisic reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 13. He verbally committed to Hogs on Monday.
Ivisic, 7-2, 234 pound,s of Vodice, Croatia, played the second half of the season for the Wildcats after being declared eligible on Jan. 20. He averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in a 11 minutes per game.
He had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal in a 111-102 win over Arkansas on March 2 in Lexington, Ky.
On3.com rates Ivisic the No. 38 player in the transfer portal.
Ivisic, who turns 21 years old in August, averaged 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game in the FIBA U20 European Championship for Croatia while shooting 34% from three-point range.
He's the first commitment and signee for Calipari at Arkansas.
-- Richard Davenport
Hayes taking over at Hot Springs
Josh Hayes, who took over as head coach in White Hall during the 2020 offseason, is heading to Hot Springs to take over the Trojans' boys basketball program. The hiring was made official Tuesday night.
The Little Rock native led eStem to at least 20 victories in four of his five seasons as head coach before he assumed control at White Hall, where he led the Bulldogs to a postseason berth this season for the first time in nearly a decade.
At Hot Springs, Hayes will have to rebuild a team that lost five starters from the 2023-24 group that was coached by Ant Lasker.
The news comes on the heels of several big-game coaches who have either recently left or is leaving for new jobs. Among that group includes Kyle Pennington, who recently led Little Rock Christian to a second straight Class 4A boys title but is heading to Bentonville to become the Tigers' coach. In addition, The New School's David Ferrell is set to step down at the end of the season.
Also, Bentonville boys assistant coach Ryan Rippee announced Wednesday that he is the new head coach at Liberty (No.) North.
-- Erick Taylor