Brad Underwood and Illinois get the news they were waiting for from David Mirkovic

It's official.

Illinois freshman forward and beloved cowboy-hat-wearing David Mirkovic is coming back for another season with the Fighting Illini.

Yes, you read that correctly, head coach Brad Underwood and the Illini are getting one more season with one of their star players.

Despite just wrapping up his freshman season, it wouldn't have been a surprise if Mirkovic had decided to take his talents to the NBA Draft. However, to the delight of Illinois fans, he's coming back.

Mirkovic kept it simple in his announcement to the nation that he wasn't quite done with the job, sharing an official press release from Illinois basketball that simply read, "I'm back."

David Mirkovic returning for sophomore season at Illinois

Throughout his freshman season, Mirkovic earned 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as he and fellow freshman Keaton Wagler became a dynamic duo for the Fighting Illini both on and off the field.

Of course, fans flocked to social media to share their excitement about Mirkovic's return with the world, and even Underwood had to share his own form of celebration.

The Illinois head coach tweeted out just one emoji, the one with a smiling face wearing none other than a cowboy hat, just like Mirkovic became known for throughout the NCAA Tournament. It also included a video of Mirkovic blasting his head coach with a Super Soaker, which certainly didn't hurt.

Underwood has done an undeniably incredible job with retention this offseason, losing only two players to the transfer portal and already recruiting four-star shooting guard Stefan Vaaks, who just wrapped up his freshman season at Providence.

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