Last Year
The Illini went full Euroball last year, and that along with surprising freshman Keaton Wagler brought Illinois it's first Final Four appearance since 2005. An overall record of 28-9 and 15-5 in conference landed Illinois a three seed, and Penn, VCU, Houston, and Iowa before getting clotheslined by UConn. The early Serb gets the bird.
Happy Trails
- Keaton Wagler parlayed a great freshman season into being drafted 5th overall by the Clippers
- The eligibility goblin claimed Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous
- The portal claimed Brandon Lee (JMU), Mihailo Petrovic (Seton Hall), Ty Rodgers (Boise State), and Toni Bilic (Mordor)
Starters
- PG Stefan Vaaks, 6'7'' Sophomore: Vaaks comes over from Providence, but before that Estonia, so he should fit right in. As you can tell, he is very tall for a guard, and is mostly known for scoring but is just good enough a passer to be able to play the point. The question mark is whether he is anything more than a large traffic cone on defense.
- SG Quentin Coleman, 6'4'' Freshman: Five stars freshmen get a pass, I suppose. Coleman is supposedly an ace shooter who can do a bit of everything. Knocking down open threes and playing hard defense should get him plenty of minutes.
- SF Andrej Stojakovic, 6'7'' Senior: Son of Peja, Stojakovic came from Cal last year and ended up being more of a bucket machine than a do it all forward. His three point shooting was bad and he wasn't much of a passer. Still, when the shot clock is winding down, having a bucket guy is great.
- PF David Mirkovic, 6'9'' Sophomore: Mirkovic was the surprise player for the Illini last year. He could score from all over the court and was a solid rebounder and passer as a freshman. In theory, the offense might work through him this season. However, he had foot surgery in August and is still rolling around on a scooter, so his debut is TBD.
- C Tomislav Ivisic, 7'1'' Senior: The Ivisics are back, and Tomislav will once again man the paint, be uber efficient around the basket, knock down some threes, and not jump that much.
Bench
- C Zvonimir Ivisic, 7'2'' Senior: Brother Z will spell Brother T in the middle, and is athletic enough to play next to him at times. He's the more defensive minded of the two and gives Illinois to very large options in the middle.
- SF Jake Davis, 6'6'' Senior: Davis has mostly been a catch and shoot guy, which he does well. He will also play some defense and be the guy that gets minutes mostly because he doesn't do anything too stupid. Or perhaps it is his Wild Mop of Ginger Hair.
- PF Jason Jakstys, 6'10'' Sophomore: Jakstys barely played last year but might get pressed into service if Mirkovic can't go.
- Five other freshmen in guards Lucas Morillo, Ethan Williams, and Lincoln Williams, as well as forwards Zavier Zens and Landon Davis.
Outlook
MaximumSam: Expectations are high in Champaign, and for good reason. A bunch of returning guys plus a pretty talented backcourt means the Illini could go on another run. But man, Mirkovic limping around in a boot is not what you want, and the bench is a bit thin. If this team gets and stays healthy, the sky is the limit. We'll see if ifs and buts are like Balkan candy and nuts.
glass: The big concern with Vaaks is his shot selection. Last season at Providence, currently unemployed head basketball coach, Kim English gave him the green light to shoot essentially whenever he wanted and it led to much chucking and gnashing of teeth
BoilerUp89: Highest ceiling in the conference and potential national champion contender. Illinois has a bit of everything: shooting, size, and a healthy Eastern Europe influence. Entering the offseason they were my pick to win the natty in 2027. However, the Mirkovic foot injury and now Stojakovic dealing with a minor knee injury has them starting the year with a disadvantage. Everyone should be healthy and up and running at full speed by January but the preseason injuries have me more cautious about the Illini hopes this season than I was.
