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Andrej Stojakovic is icing on an impressive Illinois recruiting class

It was a great day for the Illinois basketball program, as we added a massive piece from the transfer portal.
ByRees Woodcock|
Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Less than 10 years ago, recruiting meant securing a handful of freshmen who could help the Illinois basketball program win games in the future.

With the transfer portal flaring up in recent years, recruiting has become an entirely different thing. Thankfully, the Illini have a coach who embraces the transfer portal and doesn’t try to fight it.

This mentality alone has helped Illinois rise to one of the best teams in the country. That national standing will only continue to rise with additions like Andrej Stojakovic.

Just about 24 hours ago, it was announced that Stojakovic was down to just three teams. He was going to choose between North Carolina, Stanford, and Illinois. The decision came quickly, as the talented wing picked Illinois as his landing spot on Monday afternoon.

This addition for the Illini has sent shockwaves through the college basketball world. Underwood and his coaching staff have put together a unique and talented recruiting class for 2025, and this program should be able to compete at the highest level.

Brad Underwood and the Illinois basketball team went heavy with the Balkans in the class of 2025

The original members of the class of 2025, Brandon Lee and Keaton Wagler, are still signed on with the Illini. These two freshmen will get a chance to shine and contribute to the program early and often.

Underwood then went to work on signing and looking for players who come from a certain part of the world. That part is the Balkans. This is the eastern part of Europe, which consists of countries like Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, etc.

Illinois was able to secure two more incoming players who recently played overseas. Mihailo Petrovic, a point guard, is coming in from Serbia. He is joined by David Mirkovic, a power forward, who is from Montenegro.

Those two will be big for the program in the near future, too. But the biggest additions to the puzzle were big man Zvonimir Ivisic and the recent addition of Stojakovic. Ivisic, the brother of Tomislav, is from Serbia, and Stojakovic’s dad, Peja, is from Serbia.

Illinois has reloaded this roster with some impressive talent. Let’s see if Underwood can get this team to work together and advance deep into the NCAA tournament in 2026.

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