Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood continues to make splashes on the European recruiting front. The latest coup comes in the form of Montenegrin big man David Mirkovic, who committed to Underwood and the Fighting Illini on Monday night, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

The 19-year-old averages 8.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game in the Adriatic League for SC Derby. This is the same club returning Illinois star center Tomislav Ivisic and his brother Zvonimir, who just transferred to Illinois from Arkansas, played for before attending college.

This gives the Fighting Illini a massive Balkan frontcourt, with Mirkovic standing at 6-foot-9 and both Ivisic brothers breaking the 7-foot mark. Givony also teases that Illinois basketball “might not be done on the European front.”

That comment is about Dame Sarr, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Italy. The Fighting Illini are reportedly hot on his trail and are hoping to get a commitment soon. In fact, Sarr and Mirkovic are both on the World Men's Roster for the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit taking place in Portland this weekend.

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Underwood is now making a habit of recruiting European stars. Last year, he landed Lithuanian star Kasparas Jakucionis along with Ivisic. While Jakucionis endured some freshman struggles, he still made All-Big Ten Third Team and is projected to go in the lottery of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Illinois basketball is recovering nicely from a few key transfer portal losses, plus the expected departures to the NBA of Jakucionis and fellow freshman Will Riley, who hails from Canada. While losing Morez Johnson to Michigan and Tre White to Kansas was a bummer, bringing in the other Ivisic brother and now Mirkovic is a good way to replenish the lost talent. Plus, the Fighting Illini are keeping guard Kylan Boswell around and will also see the return of Ty Rodgers, a starter from their Elite Eight team two seasons ago.

If Underwood can also land Sarr and more intriguing talent in the transfer portal, Illinois basketball will be a major force again in the Big Ten.