<div>Oct. 18—CHAMPAIGN — Tomislav Ivisic remains in limbo.Plenty of lingering questions are out there about when he'll begin his first season at Illinois. The 7-foot-1 freshman center has yet to be cleared by the NCAA, as any eligibility concerns from the past three seasons he spent playing for SC Derby in the Adriatic League in the Balkans are sorted through.Ivisic and the Illini don't have a timetable for when that decision might come. They're at the mercy of the clearinghouse process, and until that clearance comes, Ivisic can only practice with the team. He didn't participate in this past Sunday's "secret" scrimmage against Butler, and his status remains up in the air for Illinois' charity exhibition at Mississippi on Oct. 27 and for the 2024-25 season, which starts in just 18 days.Plenty of uncertainty. None of which Ivisic is allowing himself to be bogged down by as he continues to put in work at Ubben Basketball Complex in the run up to the season.<h2>People are also reading…</h2>"I don't think about that at all," the 21-year-old Ivisic said. "The coaches are working on it, and I trust them completely. I'm only focused on practices and doing my best every day in practice. I know we're going in a good way, a good direction, so I don't stress myself at all."That's what the coaches asked me to do. That's the only way I can perform good and be better every day. If I stress about those things, I'm not going to perform good. I'm not going to practice good."Ivisic understood this was the situation he would face when he committed to Illinois and signed in May. He knew he would have to contend with the eligibility process because his twin brother, Zvonimir, dealt with a similar situation last season at Kentucky.Zvonimir ultimately wasn't cleared by the NCAA until mid-January and played just 15 games for the Wildcats before following John Calipari to Arkansas this offseason. Even without a resolution just more than two weeks from Illinois' Nov. 4 season opener against Eastern Illinois at State Farm Center, Tomislav is hopeful for a fuller season with the Illini."He got very late to the United States — a lot later than I did," Tomislav said about his brother. Zvonimir didn't commit to Kentucky until Aug. 1 and didn't arrive in Lexington Ky., until Oct. 12 after what was reported as a delay in the university admissions process."The process can only start when we get here," Tomislav continued. He arrived in Champaign in late July. "I came here a lot earlier than him, and the process is going. The coaches are working on it. I hope for good results."Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua is experiencing a bit of déjà vu, as Tomislav waits to be cleared by the NCAA. It's the same thing he went through last year at Kentucky with Zvonimir when Antigua was on the Wildcats' staff.Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | Omny StudioWhat has impressed Antigua, though, is how Tomislav has kept his focus on the basketball court."I think he's a mature young man," Antigua said. "He's got great perspective. I think he focuses on what he can control, which is every day him working to get better. Going to class. Competing every day for his teammates. When you focus on those things — things that you can control — you're able to manage."Even knowing he'd face the unknown as the NCAA ruled on his eligibility, Tomislav heard enough good things about college basketball from his brother to be intrigued about making a similar move. The Vodice, Croatia, native played 69 career games for SC Derby the past three seasons and has international experience playing for Croatia's junior and senior national teams, but he soon had the same fascination with playing college basketball as his twin.Illinois quickly became his preferred destination with his relationship with Antigua obviously a factor."As soon as I got in touch with Illinois, I felt I belonged here and that this was a spot I could see myself in," Tomislav said. "As soon as I talked with them, there wasn't any other option. The coaches showed me the plan, how they see me here and what they expect of me. ... I trusted them. When I got here, everything was just like they said. I'm glad to be here."The differences between college basketball and playing in the Adriatic League aren't vast. The college game — at least what he's experienced in Champaign — is a bit more athletic with more running and more intensity. But the experience of playing against pros the past three years in one of the top leagues in Europe was invaluable."It helped me a lot — mostly with my confidence," Tomislav said. "When you play against a lot older guys, you kind of learn some tricks. How to play against stronger guys, smarter guys, more athletic guys. You've got to adapt to it. I would say I did a pretty good job, and I feel like I'm ready to play in the Big Ten."___(c)2024 The News-Gazette (Champaign, Ill.)Visit The News-Gazette (Champaign, Ill.) at www.news-gazette.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.KeyWords:: CM-Ivisic-not-letting-uncertainty-bog-him-down CM Ivisic not letting uncertainty bog him down</div>

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Ivisic not letting uncertainty bog him down [The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.]

Oct. 18—CHAMPAIGN — Tomislav Ivisic remains in limbo. Plenty of lingering questions are out there about when he'll begin his first season at Illinois. The 7-foot-1 freshman center has yet to be cleared by the NCAA, as any eligibility concerns from the past three seasons he spent playing for SC Derby in the Adriatic League in the Balkans are sorted through.