If the name Ajsa Sivka sounds familiar, that’s because nearly two years ago the Chicago Sky drafted her 10th overall in the WNBA draft. However, the Slovenian never signed with the team. But now, after scoring 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 8-of-12 from outside the arc with five rebounds and three assists for the Kentucky Wildcats in a 93-78 win over NC State at the fourth annual Ally Tip-Off in front of a national TV audience on ESPN2, Sivka is back in the spotlight, and so is her unusual eligibility situation. And sure enough, so much noise regarding the Slovenian star has prompted an explanation from Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks.

“There was so much to be said through the national — I can’t even really say media, but people don’t understand her situation. And everybody sees that she was selected for the WNBA. Okay, she didn’t ask to be, she didn’t declare for it. When you’re an international player, if they see you, they can just grab and stash you if they want to. And they saw her potential, and they did so. And for her to say, wherever she played, they don’t have high school basketball. They don’t have AAU basketball. So their national teams take them and they get thrown with older players, much, much older players,” Brooks said in a press conference, via BBN Tonight’s Maggie Davis on X.

“And if you ever want to do a really good story on her, talk to her about her experiences when she’s 14 years old playing with grown women and has to walk to and from practice… she’s where she’s supposed to be,” Brooks added. He also revealed an exercise he recently did where he told all players to line up from oldest to youngest, and six players were older than Sivka.

One of the main reasons Sivka stalled her WNBA debut was because she wanted to represent her country at the 2025 EuroBasket Championship, where she averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field. Moreover, her time off the spotlight also helped improve her game in both technical and physical aspects.

And the results are already showing. Sivka is currently averaging 18.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, shooting 59.4% from the field and a remarkable 64.7 from deep. Her performance against NC State in what was only her third game for Kentucky especially garnered a ton of attention, with a Chicago Sky scout in attendance at the Spectrum Center on Sunday.

“I think the thing that was most important to me was (looking) at what I wanted to improve… My post game, with my size, I think I’ll have a lot of advantage throughout the year,” Sivka said about joining Kentucky in July.

Individually, this was a good move for the 20-year-old. She is on course to play her best basketball in a program ranked 12th in the AP Polls. While the Wildcats are competitive, they are not on the level of the UConn Huskies, South Carolina Gamecocks, or Texas Longhorns. So Sivka shining at Kentucky wouldn’t be overshadowed by the likes of Sarah Strong or Madison Booker, so to speak, giving her the perfect platform to showcase her abilities. Brooks also revealed that in early practices, Sivka’s level was higher than the rest of her teammates, and she even yelled at Clara Strack for passing up a 3-point shot she had set up against Northern Kentucky, which tells us about her eagerness to succeed.

“(Sivka) threw a temper tantrum. I don’t know if it was because she wanted Clara to hit it or if it was her assist… She has great vision. Now the kids are cutting and expecting the basketball.” Brooks said with a smile.

Regardless, the good news for Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca is that, per WNBA rules, the Sky will retain Sivka’s draft rights until a year after she exhausts her collegiate eligibility. This further works in favor of the Sky, who traded their 2027 first-round pick to the Washington Mystics, which was a bold move considering the upcoming talents like JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, and Madison Booker are expected to be available for selection. Having Sivka’s draft rights allows the Sky to have a safety net.

However, for a team that has gotten the reputation of limiting opportunities for young players, with names like Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith, and Maddy Westbeld all out of the team already, it remains to be seen if the Slovenian international would even want to play for the Sky, considering she’d be an attractive pick mostly for all WNBA teams. But if the Sky are successful in acquiring Sivka, her three-point shooting prowess will help the Sky, who ranked 14th overall in shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

For now, Sivka continues to excel with the Wildcats, and it will be interesting to see where this stint leads her.