Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn’t sound worried at all about David Mirkovic skipping Montenegro’s national team this summer. If anything, he sees it as a smart move.
In Tuesday’s press conference, Underwood pointed to the broader picture around the Illini program, where players are spreading out across different basketball opportunities in July instead of staying tethered to Champaign. Incoming transfer Stefan Vaaks is representing Estonia, freshman Quentin Coleman has spent time with Team USA and is now at the Jayson Tatum Camp, and Underwood said that kind of arrangement makes the offseason transition simpler.
“They’re playing basketball … so the transition becomes pretty easy,” Underwood said.
Mirkovic, who put together a huge freshman season in 2025-26 with 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, chose not to play for Montenegro. Underwood believes that decision comes down to Mirkovic understanding what Illinois can do for him right now.
“I think he truly understands the benefits of [strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher], and getting his body right, being in the best shape he can be, being the best prepared he can be,” Underwood said of Mirkovic.
“I think those opportunities are always going to be there with his national team. He’s an outstanding player.
I think he understands he’s one of the best players in college basketball. And he wants to capitalize on making the most of that opportunity and felt like that was being here.”
That kind of production from a freshman would normally be the headline in Champaign, but Keaton Wagler’s runaway breakout grabbed most of the attention last season. Even so, Mirkovic was a major story in his own right, and Underwood thinks the next step is less about polishing his game than building up his body.
“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 body weight should be.
“And then it’s just the confidence that goes with that. 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. It comes with experience.
Then you start putting [together] the physical changes that he’s made.
“We’ve found a body weight that is very comfortable for him. And now it’s just adding muscle, adding strength. And I think you pair that with confidence, you get one of the best players in the country.”
Mirkovic already played with plenty of confidence as a freshman in 2025-26, even if it occasionally went a little too far early in the season when he would grab-and-go before committing a boneheaded turnover in transition. But Underwood is talking about a different kind of confidence now - the kind that comes with experience, physical growth and a body that feels right.
If that all clicks, Illinois may have something even bigger on its hands next season. Underwood certainly thinks so.
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