As the Illinois Fighting Illini went on their deep run through March, certain story angles got beaten to death. We chronicled most of them in our Illinois Fighting Illini Bingo Card/Drinking Game with “Camera Shows Peja Stojakovic” near the top of the list. Right next to it is “Announcer Says Andrej Stojakovic Has a Completely Different Kind of Game tha His Ftaher.” Ok, we get it! Likewise for all the “The Son Also Rises” feature stories that came out during 2026 March Madness/Final Four. That angle has been covered already to the point of absurdity.
Here is an idea- how about, instead of focusing on the pressure of comparisons to his father, we instead spotlight Andrej’s growth, as well as the strong bonds that he formed with his teammates?
Sounds like a crazy idea, I know, but just hear me out on this. After all, Andrej Stojakovic averaged 13.8 points in the NCAA tournament, on 59.5% FG up until the UConn loss. He was named to the All-South Regional First Team.
“I’ve dealt with the comparisons and pressure my whole life,” Stojakovic said after the 71-62 elimination from the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. “And to find my own success in the college level, I think it means more to my family than anything else.
“I’m just a 21 year old trying to, trying to achieve my dream. So that’s pretty much it.”
2025-26 End of Season Illini Exclusives
Keaton Wagler Mihailo Petrovic Jake Davis Andrej Stojakovic (interview conducted in small group format)
The transfer portal is now opening up, and with it, the silly season of transfer rumors will begin. Andrej Stojakovic, who is already on his third school, will likely be linked with a potential move to another team. That doesn’t mean it will/won’t happen, and for now, we don’t know if Stojakovic is staying or not.
What we do know is this: Andrej Stojakovic was a perfect fit in Champaign this past season, and he was a part of a team that absolutely loved one another.
“We told ourselves, after our little huddle, after the game, that we were going to keep our heads held high,” he said in postgame.
“After we leave this locker room, because we know how many good things we did this year, and that we got brothers in each other forever.”
And that is much bigger than basketball?
“100% it’s always about that,” he responded.
“It’s always about what’s what’s after basketball, although we love the sport, the relationship we have as a team. I can call (his teammates on the roster) one through 15 in the middle of the night, and they won’t complain about it; that’s how close we are.
“Obviously it’s not going to be the exact same team next year. We got guys graduating, and guys have to make important decisions moving forward for the betterment of their career, but we’re confident that we’ll all be in each other’s weddings in the future.
Stojakovic, who had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds in the national semifinal game, is proud of all the strides that he made this season.
“I think the growth I made was (due to) the limit I pushed myself to, and thanks to my teammates and the staff that did that for me, we held ourselves to a pretty high standard all year long, even if people on the outside didn’t think so,” he said.
“I think that’s what I’m most proud of.”
Andrej Stojakovic is indeed, truly his own man right now.
“We had a really great year,” he concluded about the Illini 2025-26 run. “We had a lot of fun doing what we love to do.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.