After a slow start to the transfer portal season, Illinois has finally kicked it off in the transfer portal, and coach Brad Underwood finally has something to celebrate. Underwood has landed four commitments from players who hail from the Balkans this offseason, with the latest coming Monday in Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic.
Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic and one of the best available players in the portal, chose the Fighting Illini over North Carolina and Stanford, where he started his college career.
Brad Underwood Stacks His Roster With Balkans
In 2024, the Illini dipped a couple of toes in the overseas market and came out with Lithuania’s Kasparas Jakucionis and Croatia’s Tomislav Ivisic, with the two ending up as two of their best players last season.
To start next season, Illinois will feature a total of five players with European nationality – Tomislav and, Zvonimir Ivisic (Croatia), David Mirkovic (Serbia), Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia) and Andrej Stojakovic (a Cal transfer whose father, Peja Stojakovic, is a Croatian of Serbian and Greek descent.
Illinois University can now put together a starting five entirely from Balkan players.
byu/ACTPOCBET inCollegeBasketball
Fans are beginning to see the funny side of Illinois’s roster ahead of next season. Illinois can now field a starting five of strictly Balkans, and a Reddit user even named the coach Brad “Tito” Underwood.
With the influx of international players on the roster, Illinois and Underwood have also embraced the movement. Underwood even has a hilarious moniker: “Bradimir.”
Underwood partnered with Gameday Spirit to sell “Bradimir” T-shirts and hoodies, with a portion of every sale going to the Orange Krush Foundation. The organization donates money to various charities in the Champaign-Urbana area that aim to help the less fortunate.
Pretovic is 22 years old and was an MVP candidate in the Adriatic League, averaging around 14 points and seven assists. Stojakovic is an elite shot-maker from all three levels and will step in as the premier scorer on the wing.
KEEP READING: ‘Bradimir Underwood’ — Illinois Fans Don’t Hold Back as Brad Underwood’s Latest Post Sparks Hilarious Reactions
He slots in well with the European theme that Underwood has fallen in love with, as well as his big-time offensive skill sets and good positional size.
If everything goes to plan, there’s no reason this team shouldn’t contend with Purdue and Michigan for some Big Ten hardware and a top-two seed in the Big Dance. Underwood and Illinois lost to Kentucky in the second round of this year’s NCAA tournament, but they should be able to improve upon that finish this year.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
