Stefan Vaaks has some shade for his former program and a lot of love for Illinois

There seems to be no love lost between Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and his former school. Now at Illinois, Vaaks recently threw some shade at his former school while sharing his appreciation for his new one.

During a team introduction at the Champaign-Urbana Kiwania Club in Illinois on Tuesday, Vaaks decided to share a "funny' story with the crowd. The sophomore stepped up and shared the parting words that new Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson had for Vaaks when he chose to enter the transfer portal.

"The new head coach at Providence said that I'll regret it if I leave Providence, and man, I don't regret it," Vaaks said.

Well, it doesn't look like Vaaks will be returning to Providence anytime soon. As the only player Illinois head coach Brad Underwood picked up out of the transfer portal, Vaaks is expected to play a big role for the Illini, and he seems to be a lot happier where he is right now.

For a new head coach to come in and make that statement about a player who was key to Providence's success last season is absolutely wild. It is good that Vaaks got the heck out of Dodge fast and joined a team projected to be a big-time contender next season.

Stefan Vaaks is set to play a big role for Illinois in what could be a title-contending season

As mentioned before, Vaaks was the only pick-up out of the portal for Underwood and Co., but Illinois could afford to get only one player out of the portal because of the retention of last year's roster. Of course, the biggest loss was freshman Keaton Wagler, who went on to be the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, as well as do-it-all point guard Kylan Boswell.

Those two losses are major, but retaining Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, and Tomislav Ivisic was even bigger for Underwood, along with the knowledge that five-star freshman Quentin Coleman is joining the team this season. So, that is four starters right there, leaving the last spot for Vaaks.

Vaaks is expected to step up and help with the absence of Wagler, who was the leading scorer for the Illini last season. The Estonian native is coming off a strong freshman campaign in which he averaged 15.8 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. With Coleman coming in as the projected point guard for Illinois, Vaaks can easily set up anywhere from the three-point line to the paint and be a threat offensively.

Illinois is looking like a real contender this season after their first trip to the Final Four since 2005 last season. Keeping three starters on the roster was huge, and Underwood was able to fill the needs easily through high school recruiting and the portal. This Illinois team, even though they have battled some injuries this summer, has the chance to go far, and Vaaks might be the final puzzle piece.

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