Jake Diebler filled his final scholarship spot for his first season as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach.
The Buckeyes filled their last available roster spot and scholarship for the 2024-25 season by signing 7-foot-1 Croatian center Ivan Njegovan from KK Bosco of Favbet Primijer Liga, the top level of Croatian professional basketball.
Bringing in a big man from the Balkans
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 30, 2024
Buckeye Nation, welcome Ivan Njegovan to Columbus all the way from Croatia
Welcome to the Squad Ivan
https://t.co/1ffpv9nBxs#Team126 | #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/EyjOyZBbw5
At 19 years old, Njegovan spent this past season with a Bosco squad that featured players with a mix of ages from 16 all the way up to 43. Njegovan bested them all in both rebounds and blocks, averaging 4.8 and 1.6 per game, respectively. No other Bosco player averaged more than 0.4 blocks per contest.
The Njegovan File
- Year: Freshman
- Size: 7-1
- Pos: Center
- Team: KK Bosco (Croatia, 2023-24)
- Stats: 8.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG
On the whole, Njegovan accounted for 31 of his team's 78 swats on the season (39.7%) despite playing in just 20 of Bosco's 33 regular season games. He shot 53.3% from the field and 5-of-16 (31.3%) from 3-point range.
Njegovan also played for Croatia's U20 national team at the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championships, scoring nine total points across four games as Croatia lost in the round of 16.
He'll enter with a full four years of eligibility in 2024-25 and will compete for playing time off the bench behind Sean Stewart, Aaron Bradshaw and Devin Royal in the frontcourt. Sophomore center Austin Parks will also be in the mix for minutes off the bench.
Njegovan is one of two late additions to Ohio State’s 2024-25 roster along with former Kansas State guard Ques Glover, who will not be on scholarship as the Buckeyes had already earmarked their final scholarship this season for Njegovan. Glover, who the Buckeyes brought in to bolster their backcourt depth after losing Taison Chatman to a season-ending injury, is still considered a scholarship-level player by the Buckeyes and will have his costs of attending the university covered by NIL.
“I’m excited for both Ques and Ivan as I think they are both are great additions to our program,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said Tuesday while officially announcing the signings of Glover and Njegovan. “Ques is a veteran guard that has played at a high level in the collegiate game. Adding his experience and playmaking strengthens an already talented backcourt. Ivan is a good young big man with high level international experience. His skill and size will add to our depth in the front court.”
