Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has taken a bow and received a well-deserved round of applause for his work in retaining key players and landing a crucial piece out of the transfer portal.
That key piece came to the Illinois Fighting Illini from the Providence Friars and, according to Underwood himself, was "one of the best offensive players in the portal."
Stefan Vaaks, who just wrapped up his true-freshman season with the Friars, committed to Underwood and the Illini out of the portal, rounding out Illinois's backcourt that was lacking a starter due to Keaton Wagler's departure for the NBA Draft.
Underwood, when asked about his transfer addition, had nothing but praise for his new guard, and yes, he's out of Eastern Europe, just like quite a few other players on Illinois's roster.
Brad Underwood clearly excited for Stefan Vaaks' future at Illinois
"Stefan had a very impactful freshman year at Providence, showing his versatility as a scorer and playmaker," Underwood said. "He is a tremendous three-point shooter with unlimited range, and a great passer who sees the floor well."
Vaaks averaged a resounding 15.8 points per game, alongside 3.2 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and even 0.3 blocks per game.
The young guard quickly earned a role as a starter for the Friars, starting in 22 of the 31 games that he played in over his true-freshman season.
"We feel we added one of the best offensive players in the portal who fit well with our returnees and recruits," Underwood continued.
Of course, Vaaks was the only transfer portal addition that Underwood made this offseason, but he was far from the only headline-worthy player spending time in Champaign.
With the (most likely) retention of star players like David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic, and more, the Illinois starting lineup shouldn't look tremendously different from this season's starting five.
Additionally, Underwood is bringing in the No. 8 nationally-ranked class of 2026, landing four-star shooting guard Quentin Coleman, four-star shooting guard Lucas Morillo, three-star combo guard Ethan Brown, three-star power forward Zavier Zens, and three-star power forward Landon Davis.
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