Overview
- Andrej Stojakovic will return for his senior season, his agent told ESPN Friday, after averaging 13.5 points as Illinois’ No. 2 scorer.
- David Mirković used a Twitch stream Wednesday to deliver a Jordan-style “I’m back” message, confirming he will skip the 2026 NBA Draft after a 13.3-point, 8.0-rebound freshman year.
- Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Jake Davis are also set to return, giving Illinois five of its top seven scorers and roughly 60% of last season’s production.
- Keaton Wagler entered the NBA Draft and Kylan Boswell ran out of eligibility, so Illinois added Providence guard Stefan Vaaks and is pursuing more perimeter help before the April 21 portal deadline.
- ESPN says this puts Illinois in the conversation for preseason No. 1, with top-60 recruits Quentin Coleman and Lucas Morillo and top-10 transfer Vaaks boosting the rotation.