As soon as it opened, the men’s basketball transfer portal had a flood of names in it. It was well over 1,000 names, and then quickly surpassed 2,000, just like that. And pretty soon, the transfer market was open, and recruiting efforts were already well underway. The Illinois Fighting Illini got a very sought after asset in Providence shooting guard Stefan Vaaks. He fills this squad’s biggest need, as Keaton Wagler officially declared for the NBA yesterday. And if Vaaks sounds like an Eastern European name, that’s because it is.
NEWS: Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks has committed to Illinois, per multiple reports
He averaged 15.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 3.2 APG while earning All-Freshman Team Big East honors this past season pic.twitter.com/4T0ywOp0ti
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 12, 2026
Vaaks, 20, is from Tabasalu, Estonia, a Baltic nation bordering Russia and the Gulf of Finland. Estonia was annexed to the United Soviet Socialist Republic, but it has been its own free republic since the 1991 breakup of the USSR.
Vaaks has represented the Estonian national team, and played in the NCAA for only this past season. While he is from Eastern Europe, his homeland is still very distinctive and unique from the home countries of the “Balkan bunch.”
The “Illini BasketBalkan” contingent now consists of four players, instead of five:
David Mirkovic (Montenegro), Andrej Stojakovic, (Serbian-Greek-American), Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia) no longer, as of yesterday when he entered the portal, and twin brothers Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic, who are Croatian.
Stefan Vaaks is a top ten rated player in the portal, and his addition effectively ends the Illini interest in Wisconsin SG John Blackwell, or at least one would think. Vaaks, like Wagler is skilled shooter, playmaker and pure scorer who specializes in the pull-up three.
He truly checks all the boxes as to what Brad Underwood needs right now.
NEWS: Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks has committed to Illinois, his agents at Excel Sports Management told ESPN. Top-10 player in the portal. Estonia native averaged 15.8 points and 3.2 assists and scored 20-plus points against St. John’s (twice), Villanova (twice) and UConn. pic.twitter.com/3NGUCZDHG1
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 12, 2026
The journey of the Balkan boys was highly publicized this past NCAA Tournament. Success breeds more success, And as Mirkovic pointed out, playing high major (and these days semi-pro) basketball provides a major upgrade to the gyms in that part of the world.
Expect a pipeline to soon flow, as Underwood seems to be the master at recruiting players from this part of the globe.
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, RG and Ratings. 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.