Ohio State Transfer Andrija Jelavic Brings Kentucky Experience and Croatian Roots to Columbus

Ohio State’s newest frontcourt addition is easy to spot at 6-foot-11.

But to understand Andrija Jelavic, it helps to start somewhere smaller, like the number he wore at Kentucky and hopes to carry with him to Columbus.

“I chose number four because he wore number four for the Croatian national team,” Jelavic said at Kentucky’s media day.

That number traces back to Dražen Petrović, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most influential European players ever. Petrović’s career and life were cut short by a tragic car accident in 1993, but his impact on the global game continues to resonate.

The connection is also personal. Jelavic’s father played for Cibona during Petrović’s era, and the influence stuck.

“He’s like a legend,” Jelavic said. “In many people’s opinion, the best European player of all time. The love for him runs in the family.”

And that number could stay with him. With Gabe Cupps no longer in Columbus after entering the transfer portal, number four is up for grabs, a small but meaningful detail for a player with deep roots in the game.

That background shaped a player now adjusting to a faster, more physical style of basketball. “When I came here, not just the play style but the practice itself moves much faster,” Jelavic said. “We don’t have pauses. We just go from one thing to another…It’s more physical. When you catch the ball in the paint, four guys are already on you.”

Still, it is a style that fits him. “I always liked it,” Jelavic said. “I’m a high pace player, so it doesn’t bother me.”

At Kentucky, Jelavic appeared in 32 games with 20 starts, averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field. He reached a season high of 11 points on three separate occasions.

Before that, he developed professionally with Mega Bemax in the Adriatic League, where he averaged 10.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

That experience should carry directly into his next challenge in the Big Ten.

“All 12 or 14 guys can be drafted,” Jelavic said. “Every time you guard someone, that guy is a potential draft pick.”

That reality will not change in Columbus, where the Big Ten’s physical style and depth present a similar test on a nightly basis.

There were small adjustments, too, that he recognized during his first year playing in the United States, including one piece of advice from a fellow European player.

“He told me not to eat too much Papa John’s,” Jelavic said with a smile.

That advice might carry over in Columbus as well, especially when it comes to Thurmanators.