Illinois is leaning hard into the same offseason formula that has already produced plenty of noticeable physical changes: get in the weight room, get leaner, get more explosive, then carry that edge onto the floor.
That process has become a familiar summer storyline for the Illini, with players like Ben Humrichous, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley among the examples of how much bodies can change in Champaign. Big Z is part of that picture too, after adding 27 pounds last offseason and continuing to bulk up even more.
Brad Underwood addressed the media for the first time this summer on Tuesday, and he made it clear that strength coach Adam Fletcher remains central to that work.
“The important thing is what we’ve done with Adam, with Fletch, this time of year,” Underwood said.
One player Underwood singled out was David Mirkovic, whose next step, in the coach’s view, starts with the physical side of his game.
“I think the one thing with Mirk is just, physically,” Underwood said. “Fletch does a great job of improving verticals, getting guys more athletic, getting guys leaned up, more comfortable and dialed in with what their body weight should be.”
Mirkovic already looked like a poised, confident, hungry freshman in his first season, and Underwood believes that added strength and comfort can make him even more dangerous.
“It’s just the confidence that goes with that,” Underwood said. “It’s the old cliche I’ve used a million times, the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. You see the confidence in that.”
The physical gains are tied directly to what Underwood wants from Illinois defensively. He said the staff is pushing the same basic ideas, but with a sharper edge this offseason.
“Aggressiveness,” Underwood said. “It’s still kind of the same concepts we’ve had, but we’ve just got to do it with more assertion, with more tenacity, with more emphasis on my part in terms of trying to create a steal or two and blocking more shots.
Z was one of the tops in the country, but it can’t just be him. It’s gotta be everybody.”
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Brad Underwood has spent the offseason treating Illinois run to the Final Four as a step, not a finish line. After getting that far last spring, the Illini now look built for another serious push, with Andrej Stojakovi back in Champaign and David Mirkovic among the key returners giving the roster a different kind of continuity heading into next season.
The challenge, of course, is whether Illinois can turn that optimism into the kind of leap Underwood is openly chasing. The Illini are already being viewed as a Big Ten favorite and carry some of the better national championship odds in the country, which means expectations will be attached from the start. The next answer will come not from the hype, but from how quickly this group settles into the pressure that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
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For Illinois, the appeal is obvious: Mirkovi gives the staff a returning frontcourt option who already knows the system and appears ready for a larger load. With Andrej Stojakovi still working his way back from knee surgery, the Illini are leaning on continuity where they can find it, and Mirkovis willingness to stay in Champaign and keep building his game has only sharpened the sense that his role next season could be much bigger than what he showed as a freshman. [Read more 🡒]