It took awhile, but Illinois Fighting Illini point guard Mihailo Petrovic is on campus. He arrived from Prokuplje, Serbia to Champaign, IL on August 25th, and once the season gets started, we’ll see why he’s worth the wait.
“I felt pretty good because there were some things that just took time, and time was the only cure for it,” Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood said to the media. “There was no rushing it.
“There was no picking up the phone and it was just a process that had to happen.
“And we always felt very confident that we were in a good place.”
Once he takes to the court, Illini fans will immediately notice his jersey number. It’s #77, same as the campus icon of all icons, Red Grange. Yes, the Wheaton Iceman, Galloping Ghost himself.
It’s especially notable, given how basketball players rarely wear high numbers on their jerseys (although that has changed a bit, lately).
Mihailo Petrovic could be the centerpiece/focal point of Underwood’s Balkan-based recruiting haul.
“For a guy that’s 22, he’s a little bit older, he’s a little more mature, physically,” Underwood added.
“Truthfully, we didn’t have Kasparas (Jakucionis, who came in and was one-and-done to the NBA Draft) at all last summer. So it’s been done before, and he’ll adapt just fine.”
“He’s been a big piece to what we think will be our puzzle since we started recruiting him, so I’m excited.
“He’s experienced, he’s older. He’s terrific in ball screens and you put that with some of our fours and fives and bigs, could be a pretty good combination.”
Petrovic plays the most prominent position in Illini basketball history. When you’re “the floor general,” or “at the one” in Champaign-Urbana, the eyes are always on you. It’s high scrutiny, but also very high reward.
Former Illini Dee Brown, who won the Cousy Award, which is given to the nation’s top point guard, described it best.
“If you win here, that’s what you are promised,” Brown said to RG.org.
“These people are passionate about their sports,” the current head coach at Roosevelt University said. “They’re passionate about you. So if you win, you become a rock star, and you become the person that everybody wants to be around. And it was tough for us to move around (in public places), but we just appreciate the love.
“We never took it for granted.”
So if Petrovic can meet the moment, and embrace the idea of “pressure being a privilege,” he’ll succeed, and enjoy all the rewards that come with reaching that success. After all, he comes in to fill an Illini position of need.
“It was a position we needed depth,” Underwood added.
“We had Kylan (Boswell), we knew we were going to lose Kasparas and his ability to play in ball screens, I thought, had the potential be one of the best in the world.
“He was terrific in his league. You pair him again, with Tommy (Tomislav Ivisic), with Z (Zvonimir Ivisic), with Mirk (David Mirkovic), with Ben (Humrichous). Now we’ve got some pretty lethal things that we think can happen.”
“He’s a great decision maker.
“Will there be some adjustment?
“Absolutely, but he has the ability to play in those scenarios, and that’s what we’ve been pushing towards here in the last 18 months to 24 months, from an offensive side of things.”
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. 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, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter