Former High Point center Ivan Matlekovic plans to enter transfer portal

Ivan Matlekovic’s planned move into the transfer portal leaves High Point with another opening in a frontcourt that already has been in constant motion since the Panthers’ breakthrough season.

The 7-foot, 255-pound center from Sisak, Croatia, spent one season at High Point before moving on to North Carolina, where he is listed as a sophomore on the Tar Heels’ roster. His next step adds to the churn that now defines roster building for mid-major programs trying to stay competitive after a winning year.

Matlekovic’s High Point résumé was brief but efficient. He played in five games as a freshman in 2024-25, made six of eight field-goal attempts, and posted his best game Dec. 17 against Carolina University with nine points, four rebounds and two blocks. He also scored against Pfeiffer on Nov. 30 and Gardner-Webb on Jan. 11, according to High Point’s bio.

High Point’s staff had reason to value size last season. The Panthers finished 29-6 overall and 14-2 in Big South play, won the 2025 Big South Tournament and earned the first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. That run ended with a 75-63 loss to Purdue in the first round on March 20, but it elevated the program into a new tier of expectation in High Point.

The portal era has changed what comes next. High Point brought in four transfers on April 7, 2025, then added 10 new players for the 2025-26 roster, with eight of those additions coming from the transfer portal. The Panthers then announced four more transfers for 2026-27 on April 15, 2026. In that environment, Matlekovic’s departure is not just about one player leaving. It is part of the larger economics of college basketball, where even successful mid-majors must replace size, experience and production almost every year.

Before arriving in the United States, Matlekovic played two seasons for HAKK Mladost Zagreb in Croatia’s Prva Liga. North Carolina lists him as having averaged 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in his second season there, while also competing for the Croatian national team, including the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship.

For High Point, the question now is whether Matlekovic’s exit signals a loss of momentum or simply the cost of trying to keep pace after a historic season. In the transfer portal age, the answer is often both at once.