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After flaming out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Illinois basketball is having a massive offseason in the transfer portal. On Monday, Brad Underwood and his staff secured another huge commitment, this time from former California star Andrej Stojakovic, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Stojakovic started his career at Stanford in 2023-24, but he became a star with the Golden Bears last season. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic.
The Greece native immediately becomes one of the best players on this Illinois roster with his commitment. Underwood and company believe that he is the key piece that they need to compete for a championship, per Givony.
“They believe I'm the missing piece to a national championship team,” Stojakovic said.
Illinois will need Stojakovic to keep up that production from last year after losing its pair of star freshman, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley, to the NBA Draft.
Stojakovic's scoring volume was great last season, but it's reasonable to assume that a bump in shooting efficiency could be coming as he plays with a more talented roster and has more space to operate in. Last season, he shot just 31.8% from 3-point range. However, he has a smooth stroke and shot better than 80% from the free throw line, so an easier shot diet could see that number from downtown increase.
Illinois has also made plenty of additions in the front court this offseason. Underwood brought in former Arkansas big man Zvonimir Ivisic to pair with his brother Tomislav, giving the Illini a pair of 7-footers who can space the floor and operate as skilled rollers in space.
Stojakovic will also pair with a talented group of projected returners that includes Ty Rodgers and Kylan Boswell. With a true elite scorer now in the backcourt, Illinois basketball has a very good chance to end up near the top of the Big Ten once again in 2025-26 and potentially make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
