Mark Pope made this UK player a starter. It’s been a different season since
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- Kentucky basketball forward Andrija Jelavic has developed into a starter for the Wildcats.
- Jelavic has started the last eight games for Mark Pope’s team.
- For the season, Jelavic is averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
As the Kentucky basketball team has climbed out of its early-season malaise, plenty of reasons have emerged for the Wildcats’ resurgence on the court.
Senior guard Otega Oweh is finally looking like the SEC Preseason Player of the Year. Freshman center Malachi Moreno has solidified has spot in the interior. Injury absences have meant more defined roles for bench contributors. Head coach Mark Pope has embraced a different style of offensive play. UK’s defensive numbers are also trending up.
No one thing can be pinpointed as the sole reason why Kentucky has vaulted up to second in the SEC standings.
But there’s a direct correlation between one key event and the Cats’ improved results.
Starting with the Jan. 14 road game at LSU, Pope moved sophomore forward Andrija Jelavic into the starting lineup. Kentucky has now won seven of eight games with Jelavic as a starter following Saturday’s second-half comeback win over Tennessee.
Jelavic has taken an uneven path to earning more playing time in his first season of college basketball. At times, the 6-foot-11 Jelavic was an afterthought during nonconference play. His physicality and shotmaking were lacking. In fact, leading up to his first UK start, Jelavic hadn’t played at all in three of UK’s previous six games.
Last week, Pope said he and Jelavic “talked a bunch” when Jelavic wasn’t among Kentucky’s regular rotation of players. That challenge was met with understanding from Jelavic, who is from Croatia and previously played two professional seasons in Europe with a Serbian team.
“’I get it. I knew what I was signing up for. This is how it goes,’” Pope recalled Jelavic telling him.
That’s certainly not the case now. In eight games as a starter, Jelavic is averaging 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest.
“Sometimes things are humming and clicking and going great, and sometimes you just have to put your head down and work really hard to try and grow,” Pope said. “It’s fun to watch him right now, because he’s becoming more comfortable in his own skin, right? He’s become more comfortable with what we do and how we do it and how it looks and how it feels.”
Jelavic’s distance shooting is beginning to dial in. He’s knocked down seven 3-pointers as a starter and is connecting on 42.1% of his shots from deep in SEC play overall.
This translates to more offensive opportunities for Kentucky, especially in the halfcourt offense.
“The spacing is always important,” Jelavic said. “... If they guard us from the inside, we can shoot. If they’re aggressive to us, we can slash, we can back door.”
Jelavic is now playing with the force and intensity needed to grab rebounds and be effective on defense.
“The best players adapt to what the situation is. It was ‘You’re either gonna hit guys, or you’re not gonna play,’” Jelavic said. “I’m getting used to hitting guys, and I’m working on it to hit them even harder.”
Things still aren’t perfect. Like most of his teammates, Jelavic had a rough outing late last month when the Wildcats were walloped on the road at Vanderbilt. Pope also said Jelavic didn’t have his best defensive showing in last week’s home win over Oklahoma.
That being said, Jelavic has displayed clear growth in recent weeks, and his teammates are among those who have taken notice.
“He’s a stretch 4 (with) his outside game,” junior forward Brandon Garrison said. “Coach is challenging him to be more physical, ever since that Arkansas game. He threw the first hit out there, and I feel like he’s taking pride in that.”
“Ever since he stepped on campus, Coach has been yelling at him to shoot it every time he gets the ball, because he wouldn’t shoot it,” sophomore guard Collin Chandler said about Jelavic. “And now, I think where we’re at is no one has to say anything to him. He’s shooting the ball, and he’s been shooting it great.”
Jelavic’s past professional playing experience provided him with a mature attitude when he wasn’t being given playing time earlier this season.
“Especially here, you’re as good as your last performance. I knew that the time was gonna come when I can prove that,” Jelavic said. “I knew that things could change overnight. And that’s what keeps me awake, what keeps me grinding.”
Those connected to the UK program acknowledge that Jelavic had to build himself back up after an uneasy start to his time in Lexington.
“He got a little down on himself early in the season, being from another country and trying to come in and learn the language, learn our culture and system,” UK assistant coach Jason Hart said. “So when he did sit, he had to sit and learn. Sometimes, sitting on the bench, it does that to you, it lights a fire up in you. I don’t think he wants to go back to the bench.”
Jelavic’s increased contributions have been made all the more valuable given UK’s injury outlook.
Currently, Pope only has nine scholarship players at his disposal. Long-term injuries have sidelined both junior guard Jaland Lowe and sophomore wing Kam Williams.
Sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance, who was projected to be a starter in the UK frontcourt, hasn’t played since Jan. 7. So far, Pope has also opted to preserve redshirt seasons for freshman forward Braydon Hawthorne and junior forward Reece Potter.
This has increased the need for UK’s remaining players to meaningfully contribute.
Jelavic has done just that, and is poised to continue doing so as the season hits its stretch run.
“We need him to continue to play strong, shoot with no fear,” Hart said.
This story was originally published February 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
