Head coach Brad Underwood and Serbian agent Miško Ražnatović have joined forces to rebuild the University of Illinois men’s basketball team. To be fair, Underwood has done most of the work, but without Ražnatović, it would have been much harder for him to implement his strategy.
It just so happens that the University of Illinois men’s basketball program has taken the new college sports opportunities seriously and assembled a virtual team of European professionals.
Ražnatović, who represents NBA star Nikola Jokic, had a lot to do with that.
The Reconstruction of The Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini had to rebound from losing four of their key players from last season. Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley are projected first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, while Morez Johnson and Tre White left for Michigan and Kansas, respectively.
But Underwood repeated last year’s strategy and searched for international talent for Illinois. He found the former without leaving the NCAA, securing one of the top prospects available on the transfer portal in Californian Andrej Stojakovic.
The son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic arrived in Illinois boasting an average of 18 points per game with the Golden Bears last season, after improving to 81.8% free throw shooting (52.8% in 2023-24).
Another triumph for Underwood was keeping fellow international Tomislav Ivisic on the roster. The 21-year-old Croatian has professional experience, having played three seasons in the Adriatic League First Division (ABA) before coming to the NCAA in 2023.
With experience in the same league comes Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav’s twin brother. Zvonimir played last season for the Arkansas Razorbacks, averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Underwood has already signed two other players from the ABA, David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic. Mirkovic is a 19-year-old forward averaging 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in 46 games for Studentski Centar Podgorica this season.
Petrovic, meanwhile, has played 29 games for KK Mega Bemax, averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 assists per game. He is a 22-year-old Serbian point guard who stands at 6’3″.
But what does Miško Ražnatović have to do with all this? In addition to Jokic, he represents Petrovic, Mirkovic, and the Ivisic twins.
KEEP READING: How Far Will Michigan’s Men’s Basketball Team Go in 2025-26? Analyzing Their Road to the Final Four
The Fighting Illini finished seventh in the Big Ten Conference last season with a 12-8 record. They played in the NCAA Tournament but lost to Kentucky in the second round.
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