April 28, 1999

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Ivan (ee-VAHN) Kartelo, a 6-11, 236-pound center from Split, Croatia, has signed a national letter of intent to enroll at the University of Notre Dame next fall and play for head coach Matt Doherty’s basketball team.

Kartelo arrived in the United States in the fall of 1998 and spent the 1998-99 academic year at the Winchendon School in Winchendon, Mass. He led the Winchendon basketball team to a 30-6 record this year and averaged 13.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. Winchendon, under head coach Michael Byrnes, won the National Invitation Tournament this past season, which features some of the top prep school teams in the country.

Kartelo is the top-ranked student in his class at Winchendon and is 19 years old. He has played organized basketball for three seasons, participating in the junior national program in Croatia for two years.

Kartelo is the third player to commit to enroll at Notre Dame next season, joining Matt Carroll, a 6-5 1/2 guard from Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, Pa., and Mike Monserez, a 6-5 guard from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.