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How Did Illinois' Zvonimir Ivisic Pack on 27 Pounds? Call It the Fletch Flex

Spindly no more, Ivisic is the latest Illini hooper to transform his body under strength coach Adam Fletcher's increasingly renowned regimen
Jason Langendorf|
Feb 1, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) shoots a three-point shot during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Feb 1, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) shoots a three-point shot during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting Illini

"Big Z" is finally beginning to fully resemble his nickname.

Zvonimir Ivisic, a junior forward/center who transferred to Illinois from Arkansas in the offseason to join his twin brother Tomislav in Champaign, was listed last season at 7-foot-2 and 234 pounds – the latter figure being a paltry sum for an athletic young man with such an elongated frame.

Now, let's be clear: We aren't skinny-shaming here. Each of us is built how we're built, all of us perfectly unique snowflakes and so on. But in the rough-and-tumble arena of modern college basketball, it pays – now literally – to optimize not only quickness, explosiveness and stamina but also strength, size and general sturdiness.

So when Illinois strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher revealed in a Thursday tweet on his X social media account that Ivisic had gained at least 27 pounds (presumably since arriving on campus) and showing the impressive before-and-after results in a pair of photos, it was welcome news to all parties involved – including Illini fans.

The other takeaway, which arguably has greater implications than just Ivisic's individual glow-up, was the shout-out from The Athletic's Sam Vecenie of Fletcher and the consistently dramatic outcomes achieved by his crack team. Call it the Fletch Flex:

"Truly can’t emphasize enough: talk to NBA/CBB folks around the country about who have the best strength staffs in college hoops, Illinois and Fletcher’s name will be if not the first to come up, certainly within the top-3. But I’d say they’re the name I get most," wrote Vecenie in a reposting of Fletcher's tweet.

Why the Illini swear by 'Fletch'

It's pretty simple: Fletcher, as Vecenie makes clear, gets incredible results. Among the latest success stories from the pages of the Illini weight-room guru's growing Portfolio of Swole is none other than Zvonimir's brother, Tomislav – who says he has added 15 pounds and improved his athleticism under the guidance of Fletch.

But don't take the word of Vecenie or the Ivisic brothers. Take a look at the metamorphosis of a couple recent Illinois freshman-turned-NBA-first-round picks:

Every player – every position, body type and profile – truly does have its own set of needs, which Fletcher takes into account. While the Ivisices, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley benefitted from adding muscle and weight, others may need to trim down, improve stamina, balance or flexibility. Maybe all of the above. In the case of senior guard Kylan Boswell, who transferred from Arizona before last season, he was able to get leaner while also bulking up – the ultimate dream for any competitive athlete:

What the added bulk means for Zvonimir Ivisic

The expectations for Ivisic at Illinois this season are, shall we say ... unclear? We know Brad Underwood covets bigs who can stretch the floor and help fulfill his vision of a true five-out lineup. But do the Illini really need a bit more spacing and one more three a game (roughly Ivisic's production with Arkansas last season)? Or is it a greater priority to replace the specific skills void left behind by the departure of power forward Morez Johnson Jr. to Michigan?

2024-25

MPG

FG%

3PG

3FG%

PPG

RPG

BPG

SPG

Morez Johnson

17.7

64.2

0

0.0

7.0

6.7

1.1

0.4

Zvonimir Ivisic

19.1

47.3

1.1

37.6

8.5

4.3

1.7

0.6

You probably saw this coming, but why not both? Ivisic already brings the three-point-shooting element to the State Farm Center floor: He more than tripled his long-range output as a freshman at Kentucky to his sophomore year in Fayetteville (from 0.4 to 1.3 threes per game) while maintaining his efficiency (from 37.5 percent to 37.6).

Plug him into the Illini lineup with those extra 27 pounds, and Ivisic is now better equipped to do battle with Big 10 bigs inside for more rebounds, jostle for better positioning on the block and hold his ground as a paint defender. The Illini started Ben Humrichous at the 4 early last season, then pivoted to Johnson – but in each case, they were giving something up. A sturdier Big Z, one imagines the thinking goes, could give Illinois the best of both worlds.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

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Landon Davis Boosts Illinois’ 2026 Recruiting Class Into Top 10: What It Means

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.

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