The Illinois Fighting Illini will look more like a European professional team than a male university basketball team for the 2025-26 season. It seems that no program personifies the changing nature of the construction of the university basketball list that Fighting Illini, which are in total in European talent for the next season, and most of the key pieces already have professional experience.
The Illini put an arc in its 2025 offseas Haul Hul by catching one of the last proven wing scorers of the transfer portal. Andrej Stajakovic committed to Illinois about North Carolina and Stanford on Monday afternoon with two years of chosen removal. Stajakovic is the son of the ancient NBA striker, Peja Stojakovic, and cements the change of European image of Illinois this low season.
Stajakovic Tok A great jump of second year last season after transferring Stanford to Cal. The 6’7 wing averaged 17.9 points per game at 54 percent of true shots, with a brand of 31.8 percent of three. Stajakovic was a volume scorer in a bad lime equipment last year, but its improvement of shooting from the free throw line (81.8 percent as a second year student after 52.8 percent of low volume shots like a first -year student canure -Goringge Goringge Goringge Goringge Goringge Goringge Goringge Goringge -Hiside Goringge -Hiside Goring.
Stajakovic was born in Greece, but attended high school in Suburban Sacramento, where he became a McDonald’s All-American near where his father enjoyed a tremendous NBA career. The fact that Stojakovic actually played basketball in high school in the United States to follow the professional route in Europe makes it a rarity in this Illinois list for the next season.
The largest low seasonal movement of Illinois was to retain the second year center Tomislav Ivisic, who had some interest in the NBA and would have covered bone on the portal. Chief coach Brad Underwood took advantage of Ivisic’s European ties as originally from Croatia to build the rest of the list. Here is a look at the other Illinois incruit recruits for the 2025-26 campaign:
- Zvonimir Ivisic, C, through Arkansas: Tomislav Ivisic’s twin brother arrives in Champaign after spending his first two university seasons under John Calipari in Kentucky and then Arkansas. ‘Big Z’ is 7’2, 245 pounds, and played a fundamental role in the sweet race of Arkansas’ last season. Like his brother, Zvonimir has a touch of real shot after making 37.6 percent of his 141 two skewer duration of his university career. It is also a dreaded shooting blocker whose 10.5 percent lock rate classified the No. 16 In all or Tuesday. Ivisic was a professional in the ABA League (which houses clubs from the ancient territories of Yugoslavia) from 2020 to 2023 before coming to university.
- David Mirkovic, F, through Montenegro: Mirkovic is a 6’9 striker who was already a professional in ABA this season at age 19. He was appointed in the list of the Nike Hoop 2025 summit, where he showed his ability to space the floor with a sweet shot to the king. Mirkovic already had great games against the Euroleague teams this season, and gives Illini another great expert man on the front court.
- Mihail Petrovic, G, Via Serbia: Petrovic is a 22 -year -old owner who is already a candidate for MVP in the Adriatic League. He is a fast ball handling, a skilled game creator and a hard scorer under the edge inside the arch. Petrovic will be the engine of Illinois, and although it is not the best external shooter so far, it should have a lot of space to operate inside the arch with so many large space in the list. Petrovic already has 13.4 points and 7.3 assists for game for KK Mega Bemax this season.
Illinois arrived at the Gordo Award in international recruitment a year ago. After the Illinois lost the five headlines of an Eight Eight team in 2024, Underwood went to Lithuania to find the armor Kasparas Jakucionis and Canada to find Wing Will Riley. Both Jakucionis and Riley are now at the NBA Draft of 2025, where each one will be a first round selection.
The wild thing about the construction of the Illinois list this season is that many players already have professional experience. Both Ivisic twins were professionals before coming to university. Mirkovic and Petrovic could have been two of the best young talents in Europe during the next decade. Big Ten Basketball is difficult, but getting players who have already shone against the oldest and professional competition in a very good Adriatic League is a remarkable tour for Underwood.
Opposite fans will ask how Petrovic has a university eligibility. He will turn 23 before the NCAA 2026 tournament, and has a leg to since he was 16 years old. So far he has put a fairly incredible number for a young player in a professional league: 56.8 percent of true shots this year with a monstrous assistance rate of 51.5 percent. Point protectors are so crucial for success in university rings, and the Illini found one already tested in battle and productive against some of the best clubs in Europe.
How did this Illinois achieve? The coaching staff approached with the successful Serbian agent Miško Ražnatović, who has represented Nikola Jokic since before reaching the NBA. Petrovic, Mirkovic and the Ivisic twins are represented by Ražnatović. Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic have positive experiences in Champaign last season greased the wheels, and now Illinois basically has a young euro team for next year.
Illinois will have some presence not euro next season with Kylan Boswell, Ty Rodgers and Jake Davis returning. The core of this team will be European, he thought, after losing Morz Johnson against Michigan, Tre White to the transfer portal and the two first -year students to the NBA. It is something that university basketball has not really seen before. Even Underwood leans in memes on social networks:
The Ivisic twins give Illinois a massive front line of two feet of 7 feet next year. Petrovic will be the owner’s holder, and it is easy to believe that he will shine in the BIG have its production in Europe and his advanced age for a university player. Stajakovic gives Illinois a great wing with a bucket obtaining capacity throughout the court. Mirkovic may be the best NBA prospect in this team, and could be a super underwater to balance alignments from the bank.
He feels like yesterday when Illinois was fighting in recruitment because players from the Chicago area could not land out of high school such as Jabari Parker, Cliff Alexander and Jalen Brunson. Obtaining a commitment from Ayo Dosunmu changed that, but the panorama of the University of Basketball has quickly evolved, since sport is barely recognizable for a few years.
Illinois does not seem so concerned about their relations with the thesis days of the Chicago Public League thesis. University basketball lists are no longer built from high school recruits about four years. At this time, the construction of the list is a proposal from year to year, not different from the way it is in Euroleague. The Illini have found an inefficiency of the market by going to Europe and offering the best players more money, a better lifestyle and a renewed interest in their hopes of the NBA. University basketball is a completely new ball game, and Illinois’s list shows it.
