The conversation around Illinois’ 2026-27 team starts with the obvious names. Andrej Stojakovic came back instead of entering the NBA Draft, and transfer guard Stefan Vaaks is expected to have the ball in his hands plenty after arriving from Providence. Either one could end up as the Illini’s top scoring option.
But the player who figures to matter most is rising sophomore forward David Mirkovic.
That sounds bold until you look at what he already did in his first season in Champaign. The 6-foot-9 big man put up 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 56.1 percent inside the arc and 37.5 percent from three. He was one of the Big Ten’s best rebounders on both ends, a dangerous shooter from deep and a smart post playmaker who could make the right read over and over again.
What made Mirkovic so valuable as a freshman was how many different jobs he could handle. He worked as a pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop screener, but he could also be the one initiating the action. Illinois could run offense through him on the block, and if the ball swung his way in the corner, he was good enough to punish defenses there too.
His defense deserves more attention, too. Mirkovic didn’t arrive with blazing speed or explosive leaping ability, and he can look awkward at first glance.
But he has length, strength, range and the kind of basketball IQ that lets him play bigger than his raw athletic profile might suggest. By the end of his freshman year, he had become a quietly effective defender.
Now the next step is what makes him so intriguing. If Mirkovic comes back leaner, more athletic and more comfortable in the system after a full year inside it, his impact could grow even more.
Illinois, of course, is still built around guards creating and initiating. Mirkovic isn’t going to turn into a possession-by-possession post centerpiece.
His real value is in the variety of ways he can tilt a game. The Illini should also be more intentional about getting him touches after seeing what he can do.
His rebounding won’t go anywhere, and his defensive value should keep climbing. His defensive box plus/minus was already 3.2 last season, and there’s reason to think he can take another step there.
So while Mirkovic may not be Illinois’ leading scorer, he has the broadest impact on the roster. He rebounds, defends and gives the offense a weapon that doesn’t fit neatly into one category. For a team chasing a national title, that makes him the most valuable player on the board.
In Other News...
Illinois Just Landed A Big Recruiting Moment With Elite In-State Guard
Illinois has been circling Brady Pettigrew for a while, and the next step in that pursuit is another unofficial visit to campus. The composite five-star guard from Illinois remains one of the most sought-after names in the Class of 2028, with 247Sports listing him as the No. 18 overall prospect and the top player in the state. He already has more than 25 Division-I offers, a group that includes Ohio State, Auburn, Villanova and Florida State, which tells you how wide the competition has become for one of the countrys best young guards.
For Illinois, though, the important part is familiarity. Pettigrew has been on campus multiple times already, and that kind of repeated contact matters when a program is trying to stay in front of an elite in-state target before the chase gets even more crowded. The Illini have done enough to stay firmly in the mix, but with so many major programs involved, every visit becomes another chance to strengthen the relationship and keep the edge in a recruitment that figures to draw plenty more attention. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois 2027 Recruiting Board Is Raising A Familiar Underwood Debate
Illinois has already started to map out its next few recruiting cycles, and the early look at 2027 and 2028 only sharpens a familiar Brad Underwood question: how much positional flexibility does this roster really need, and where can Illinois afford to be choosy? The staff has a late addition already in place for the 2026-27 roster, but the bigger picture is coming into focus through scholarship offers and early commitments, including two in-state wings in the 2027 class.
Isaiah Santos fits the kind of debate Illinois keeps circling back to. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward brings the sort of physical profile that can help on the glass and on defense, but his place in the lineup is still part of the larger roster puzzle the Illini are trying to solve. With more targets still on the board and the board itself expanding, Illinois is again weighing whether to keep stacking wings, chase more size, or lean into the type of versatile pieces that have long defined Underwoods best teams. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Needs David Mirkovic To Make One More Leap
David Mirkovic didnt arrive in Champaign as a mystery, and he didnt play like one as a freshman either. The forward gave Illinois a sturdy inside presence, real rebounding juice and enough touch to make his offensive game more than just a complement, finishing with a season that earned him All-Big Ten honorable mention and a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Now comes the harder part for Illinois, because the next step is less about establishing a role than expanding it. Mirkovics value already showed up in the spaces he occupied and the shots he was willing to take, especially when paired with Keaton Wagler, and the Illini know that if his outside shooting holds and his pick-and-pop game keeps stretching defenses, it changes the way the whole offense can function. [Read more 🡒]