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Stefan Vaaks buzz gets louder with Illinois basketball hype video

Illinois basketball had a great offseason, and the biggest addition is now taking the court for the Orange and Blue.
ByRees Woodcock|
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Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood greets the crowd before the tip of the game with the Colgate Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood greets the crowd before the tip of the game with the Colgate Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kudos to the Illinois basketball social media team because I want the season to start.

The social media team has put out a few videos regarding the current roster. We got to see what Lincoln Williams was like in an Illinois jersey a few days ago, and his abilities jumped off the page.

On Tuesday, Illinois posted another hype video, this time for prized transfer portal addition Stefan Vaaks.

Vaaks was a massive steal from Providence, and I have had him in the projected starting lineup for quite some time. With that being said, the video from Tuesday has me thinking Vaaks isn’t just a starter, but he is a quick replacement for Keaton Wagler.

The video isn’t showing the bad plays or anything Vaaks is doing wrong. I get that. But what it does show is his capabilities on the court.

What I am watching is a potential Illinois point guard at 6-foot-7 handling the ball well. Vaaks can bring the ball up the court. He can drive to the hoop and take contact. He has the body control and perimeter ability to create his own shots.

If you combine Kasparas Jakucionis and Wagler, I think the result is Vaaks. He possesses good traits from both of these first-round picks in the NBA Draft.

Brad Underwood’s floor spacing at Illinois is going to open things up for Stefan Vaaks

Illinois is going to be a nice change of pace for Vaaks. With Providence, he had a team under .500 that didn’t play a lot of team basketball.

Vaaks is now coming to Illinois, where he has All-Big Ten-caliber players surrounding him. He won’t get all of the attention in the world, and the way Illinois plays, there will be so many opportunities for buckets.

I just imagine Vaaks bringing the ball up the court and having options left and right. He can hit a cutting Andrej Stojakovic. David Mirkovic can be a point guard on the block. Jake Davis is in his corner three-point spot. Vaaks can then choose none of those, cross his defender up, and stick a three-pointer in this eye.

It amazes me that Vaaks was only the No. 15 transfer portal player in the 2026 cycle. I think he could easily be an All-Big Ten player this season, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him in the first round of the 2027 NBA Draft. Big things are coming.

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