Illinois basketball took a hard hit when the news of David Mirkovic's foot injury broke in early August. Mirkovic ended up needing surgery and was out for quite some time, but at Big Ten Media Days, fans got the best update yet on his return to the court.
Updates on Mirkovic's injury have been hard to come by. When practices began, head coach Brad Underwood said that Mirkovic was out of the boot and working his way back, but still had a lot of rehab in front of him. Now, the young forward is giving an update of his own a little under a month before the season tips off.
"Right now, I am in a really great spot," Mirkovic said. "Listening to the doctor, listening to our athletic trainer, and just working every day getting better, and I would say right now I am in a great spot with it."
David Mirkovic is feeling confident heading into this season 🙌
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 8, 2026
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/wAMYigZtPl
That is great to hear from Mirkovic, but it is also a little vague. Maybe Mirkovic has to be careful about how much he gave away in his update, or he felt like what he gave was an answer enough, but it sounds like his status for the start of the season is still unknown.
Illinois will begin playing exhibition games on October 17, starting against Cincinnati, followed by two games against Baylor and UIC at home in the State Farm Center. Hopefully, Mirkovic will be able to get on the court and test out that foot, but if not, Illinois opens the season against Fairleigh Dickinson and Penn, which are great opponents for Mirk to start against.
David Mirkovic is key to Illinois' road back to the Final Four
When Mirkovic announced his return to Illinois after last season, there was a lot of hype around what he would be able to do for this team and about getting back to the Final Four. Mirkovic has even been named as one of the top players at his position after a promising freshman season in Champaign.
After averaging 13.3 points per game, eight rebounds, and 2.4 assists last season, Mirkovic is coming into the 2026-2027 season as a member of the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and will see his role expand.
Mirkovic is going to be seen in a lot of new places this season, even as a ball-handler for the Illini, something Underwood wants to see from a lot of guys on this team. Mirkovic is the guy that Underwood hopes to use in many different ways, from handling the ball, scoring inside the paint and outside the three-point line, to being a dynamic defender.
When Illinois thinks about getting back to the Final Four and stepping further to the National Championship game, Mirkovic is a key player who will get them there. The fact that only two months later, Mirkovic is in such a great spot with his injury shows his dedication to getting healthy for this team, knowing what heights the Illini can reach this season.
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