The news all Illinois basketball fans were waiting for has finally dropped, and we have an answer from Andrej Stojakovic.
Brad Underwood has been waiting on a decision for about a month now, as the Illini needed to figure out if we needed to fill a hole or if we were going to have a big piece back for next season.
The answer is here, and it looks like Illinois is going to get Stojakovic back for his senior year. He made the announcement over social media on Wednesday night.
With Stojakovic back in the fold, this is going to shake up the projected starting lineup for the Orange and Blue.
Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with the clutch retention of Andrej Stojakovic
No. 1 Guard
Starter: Stafan Vaaks
Underwood loves big guards, and that is likely a reason he went hard after Stefan Vaaks. As a freshman, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. He also hit 35% from three-point range. I can see Underwood trying to turn Vaaks into the next Keaton Wagler.
Backup: Ethan Brown
I don’t think Illinois gets much out of Ethan Brown in year one. He is likely to take a redshirt, and the backup at the No. 1 guard spot will be a combination of numerous players, including David Mirkovic.
No. 2 Guard
Starter: Quentin Coleman
As time goes on, I am more sure that Quentin Coleman is getting a starting job. He finished as a five-star recruit and a top 15 player in the country. You can’t bring him in and have him ride the pine. Coleman is an electric scorer who averaged 23.1 points per game in his Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year senior campaign.
Backup: Lucas Morillo
I think you are going to see Lucas Morillo, another freshman like Coleman, move around the floor a lot. He can play multiple positions, and his 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as a senior are going to come in handy for the Illini roster.
No. 3 Wing
Starter: Andrej Stojakovic
Having Andrej Stojakovic back in the fold is huge for Illinois. He averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game as a junior. Despite being on the bench in the final games of the season, I think Stojakovic regains his starting job and becomes a leader on the team.
Backup: Jake Davis
Jake Davis is a do-it-all type of player. He can hustle for loose balls and do whatever Underwood needs him to do. I love Davis as a primary player off the bench. His team-high 40.6% three-point shooting is going to be so valuable.
No. 4 Forward
Starter: David Mirkovic
I have said this a million times, and people are probably annoyed, but I think David Mirkovic has a chance to be the best player in college basketball next season. He is a 6-foot-9 maniac who averaged 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as a freshman. Oh yeah, he also hit 37.5% from three-point range. He is one of the most skilled Illinois players I have ever seen.
Backup: Zavier Zens
The big freshman names like Coleman and Morillo are the ones most are excited about, but I think Zavier Zens could be a sneaky name to watch. He can do everything on the court. The 6-foot-7 Swiss Army Knife averaged 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game as a senior. He also won the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year.
Backup: Landon Davis
Much like Brown, I don’t expect Landon Davis to do much as a freshman. He will get playing time when there are blowouts, but Davis should take a redshirt in year one.
No. 5 Center
Starter: Tomislav Ivisc
There needs to be a big step in progression from Tomislav Ivisic next season. He clearly took a step backward in 2025-26 with his 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. His shooting was subpar, too. He only hit 31.3% from three-point range. I want to see a big year out of our starting center.
Backup: Zvonimir Ivisic
You could easily see a 50-50 timeshare between the Ivisic brothers. I think Zvonimir Ivisic has the same talent and can shoot better from three-point range. It is a great luxury for Illinois to rest a 7-foot-1 big man and replace him with a 7-foot-2 big man. The Ivisic brothers were huge pieces to retain this offseason.
Backup: Jason Jakstys
Jason Jakstys will be a deep rotational piece for Illinois in 2026-27. I only expect to see him in blowout contests. He got hurt last year, which hindered his development. But I expect there to be little or no change to his overall production next season.
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