It has been a fun ride thus far, as the Illinois basketball team looks to advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.
That is a pretty impressive achievement that can’t be said by many Illini head coaches. Brad Underwood is easily one of the best coaches this program has had, and he has arguably his best team assembled since taking over the Orange and Blue.
A big part of the Illinois success is coming from two freshmen. Keaton Wagler has gotten all of the shine and rightfully so. He is an All-American. But Illinois also has another outstanding freshman in David Mirkovic.
Mirkovic’s talent was on full display in the first round of the NCAA tournament when he dropped 29 points and 17 rebounds in the 35-point win over Penn. He is a great player, and in an interview with ESPN Chicago, Underwood talked about Mirkovic and his intelligence.
“Who is the biggest personality?,” asked Marc Silverman of the Waddle and Silvy show.
Underwood responds, “It is not even close, David Mirkovic.”
The response doesn’t stop there, though. What comes next might be the greatest quote from Underwood since he took over at the helm.
“So, there are days you have conversations with him that you could literally, probably, have a more intelligent conversation with a kindergartener.”
While that sounds like an insult on paper, Underwood was explaining, essentially, how goofy Mirkovic can be. He also used that as a contrast to how extremely smart Mirkovic is on the basketball court.
“And then you put him on the court, and you get this switch that just gets flipped. He is the most competitive, rip your head off, assassin-type guy that you have ever imagined. But he is very smart, he is quick-witted. He just has a tremendous personality and sense of humor, and you never know what you are going to get with Mirk.”
The exchange starts at the 6:35 mark in the video below.
David Mirkovic could win the Naismith Trophy if he comes back to the Illinois basketball program
This season has been all about the rise of Wagler and his three-star status entering college. He was a great find for Illinois, and he is on track to be an NBA Draft lottery pick.
Mirkovic has quietly had an incredible year, too. As a freshman, he is averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. There are two priorities for Illinois this offseason: see if we can keep Wagler around and dump a ton of resources into Mirkovic staying.
I think Mirkovic could not only be one of the best players in the Big Ten next season, but he could easily be in the conversation, if not win, the Naismith Trophy for the best player in college basketball.
We all saw what Mirkovic could do against Penn, dropping 29 points and 17 rebounds, but he is one of the most complete players I have seen come through the Illinois program.
On one of the best teams in the country, Mirkovic is second in points, third in assists, leads in rebounds, and has the third-best three-point shooting percentage. That is rare to see on a team.
Mirkovic is a special talent that Illinois needs to keep around for at least another year. Let’s make sure this kid doesn’t depart.