The Illinois Combating Illini will extra intently resemble a European skilled squad than a males’s faculty basketball group for the 2025-26 season. It appears like no program personifies the altering nature of school basketball roster development than the Combating Illini, who’re going all-in on European expertise for subsequent season, with a lot of the key items already having skilled expertise.
The Illini put a bow on their 2025 offseason haul by nabbing one of many final remaining confirmed wing scorers from the switch portal. Andrej Stojakovic dedicated to Illinois over North Carolina and Stanford on Monday afternoon with two years of eligibility remaining. Stojakovic is the son of long-time NBA ahead Peja Stojakovic, and he cements Illinois’ European makeover this offseason.
Stojakovic took an enormous sophomore leap this previous season after transferring to Stanford to Cal. The 6’7 wing averaged 17.9 factors per sport on 54 % true taking pictures, with a 31.8 % mark from three. Stojakovic was a quantity scorer on a foul Cal group final 12 months, however his taking pictures enchancment from the free throw line (81.8 % as a sophomore after 52.8 % taking pictures on low quantity as a freshman) ought to give Illinois confidence his exterior contact and total scoring effectivity can proceed to enhance.
Stojakovic was born in Greece, however attended highschool in suburban Sacramento, the place he turned a McDonald’s All-American close to the place his father loved an incredible NBA profession. The truth that Stojakovic really performed highschool basketball in the USA as a substitute of going the skilled route in Europe makes him a rarity on this Illinois roster for subsequent season.
Illinois’ greatest offseason transfer was retaining sophomore heart Tomislav Ivisic, who had some curiosity from the NBA and would have been coveted within the portal. Head coach Brad Underwood leveraged Ivisic’s European ties as a local of Croatia to construct the remainder of the roster. Right here’s a take a look at Illinois’ different incoming recruits for the 2025-26 marketing campaign:
- Zvonimir Ivisic, C, through Arkansas: The dual brother of Tomislav Ivisic involves Champaign after spending his first two faculty seasons underneath John Calipari at Kentucky after which Arkansas. ‘Huge Z’ is 7’2, 245 kilos, and performed a important position in Arkansas’ Candy 16 run this previous season. Like his brother, Zvonimir has actual taking pictures contact after making 37.6 % of his 141 three-pointers throughout his faculty profession. He’s additionally a feared shot-blocker whose 10.5 % block fee ranked No. 16 in all of DI. Ivisic was a professional within the ABA League (which homes golf equipment from the previous Yugoslavia territories) from 2020 to 2023 earlier than coming to varsity.
- David Mirkovic, F, through Montenegro: Mirkovic is a 6’9 ahead who was already a professional within the ABA this season at 19 years outdated. He was named to the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit roster, the place he confirmed off his capacity to area the ground with a candy taking pictures stroke throughout practices. Mirkovic already had large video games in opposition to EuroLeague groups this season, and provides Illini one other expert large man within the entrance court docket.
- Mihailo Petrovic, G, through Serbia: Petrovic is a 22-year-old level guard who’s already an MVP candidate within the Adriatic League. He’s a speedy ball handler, a talented playmaker, and a tricky below-the-rim scorer contained in the arc. Petrovic can be Illinois’ engine, and whereas he’s not one of the best exterior shooter but, he ought to have loads of area to function contained in the arc with so many floor-spacing bigs on the roster. Petrovic is averaging 13.4 factors and seven.3 assists per sport for KK Mega Bemax this season.
Illinois hit the jackpot in worldwide recruiting a 12 months in the past. After the Illinois misplaced all 5 starters from an Elite Eight group in 2024, Underwood went to Lithuania to seek out level guard Kasparas Jakucionis and Canada to seek out wing Will Riley. Each Jakucionis and Riley at the moment are off to the 2025 NBA Draft, the place every can be a first-round choose.
What’s wild about Illinois’ roster development this season is so many gamers have already got professional expertise. Each Ivisic twins had been professionals earlier than coming to varsity. Mirkovic and Petrovic might have been two of one of the best younger skills in Europe for the following decade. Huge Ten basketball is hard, however getting gamers who’ve already shined in opposition to older, skilled competitors in an excellent Adriatic League is a outstanding haul for Underwood.
Opposing followers are going to marvel how Petrovic has any faculty eligibility left. He’ll flip 23 years outdated earlier than the 2026 NCAA match, and has been a professional since he was 16 years outdated. He’s put up some fairly unimaginable numbers for a younger participant in a professional league to date — 56.8 % true taking pictures this 12 months with a monster 51.5 % help fee. Level guards are so essential to success in faculty hoops, and the Illini discovered one already battle-tested and productive in opposition to among the higher golf equipment in Europe.
How did Illinois pull this off? The teaching employees obtained shut with profitable Serbian agent Miško Ražnatović, who has represented Nikola Jokic from earlier than he got here to the NBA. Petrovic, Mirkovic, and the Ivisic twins are all represented by Ražnatović. Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic having optimistic experiences in Champaign this previous season greased the wheels, and now Illinois mainly has a younger Euro tremendous group for subsequent 12 months.
Illinois could have some non-Euro presence subsequent season with Kylan Boswell, Ty Rodgers, and Jake Davis all returning. The core of this group can be European, although, after dropping Morez Johnson to Michigan, Tre White to the switch portal, and the 2 freshmen to the NBA. It’s one thing faculty basketball hasn’t actually seen earlier than. Even Underwood is leaning into the memes on social media:
The Ivisic twins give Illinois an enormous entrance line of two 7-footers subsequent 12 months. Petrovic would be the starter at level guard, and it’s straightforward to imagine that he’ll shine within the Huge Ten given his manufacturing in Europe and his superior age for a university participant. Stojakovic offers Illinois an enormous wing with bucket-getting capacity everywhere in the court docket. It’s doable Mirkovic is one of the best NBA prospect on this group, and he may very well be a super-sub to steadiness lineups off the bench.
It appears like solely yesterday when Illinois was struggling in recruiting as a result of they couldn’t land Chicago space gamers out of highschool like Jabari Parker, Cliff Alexander, and Jalen Brunson. Getting a dedication from Ayo Dosunmu modified that, however the faculty basketball panorama has advanced in a speedy manner ever since that the game is barely recognizable from a number of years in the past.
Illinois doesn’t appear so fearful about their relationships with Chicago Public League coaches as of late. Faculty basketball rosters are not constructed from nurturing highschool recruits over 4 years. On this period, roster constructing is a year-to-year proposition, not in contrast to the way in which it’s in EuroLeague. The Illini have discovered a market inefficiency by going to Europe and providing prime gamers extra money, a greater life-style, and renewed curiosity of their NBA hopes. Faculty basketball is an all-new ballgame, and Illinois’ roster proves it.
