The transformation of the Illinois basketball team via the transfer portal has begun.
Saturday was the initial start of the Illini overhaul, as we lost both Mihailo Petrovic and Toni Bilic. Those two weren’t going to hurt too badly, but other departures, like Keaton Wagler heading to the NBA, will be a big blow.
Brad Underwood started fighting back on Sunday, as Joe Tipton of On3.com reported that Illinois has landed Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks.
NEWS: Providence transfer guard Stefan Vaaks has committed to Illinois, source told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 12, 2026
The 6-7 freshman averaged 15.8 points per game this season. Earned Big East All-Freshman Team honors.https://t.co/P2CLLLO2iq pic.twitter.com/vu0lhCv9EE
Vaaks is a 6-foot-7, 212-pound shooting guard from Estonia. He was rated as a four-star transfer portal recruit and the No. 13 player coming out of the transfer portal. He spent his first season in the college ranks with Providence, where he averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Those numbers are impressive, as Vaaks put up 16 points and six rebounds in a road win over St. John’s. He also dropped 23 points and five rebounds against the Red Storm in the Big East Tournament.
This seemed like Illinois’ transfer portal recruitment to win. There wasn’t much talk around any other program landing Vaaks, so the Illini had their eyes set on Vaaks, and they made quick work of his transfer portal stay.
Illinois basketball has their big guard in Stefan Vaaks to help replace a depleted backcourt
Illinois had a magical run to the Final Four just weeks ago, but the talented backcourt that played in that Final Four is going to be gone.
Kylan Boswell has aged out. Wagler just declared for the NBA Draft. Petrovic could have been the replacement, but he didn’t want to stick around.
Vaaks now enters the Illinois program as a lead guard on the team. He is going to fit in seamlessly with what Underwood wants to do offensively.
As a true freshman, Vaaks attempted an eye-popping 8.4 three-pointers per game. He was decently efficient, too, hitting those shots at a clip of 35.0%.
This addition shows the power of Illinois right now. The resources are there to back the basketball program. The winning is there to show the proof of concept. Now, the talent is starting to flow in. Illinois got a good one in Vaaks.