Andrej Stojakovic, a former McDonald’s All-American and son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, is coming to Champaign. We learned earlier today that Stojakovic has signed with the Illinois basketball program, transferring in from the University of California-Berkley.
He averaged 17.9 points per game last season, leading the team and ranking sixth in the league. Most likely, the 6-7 wing from Carmichael, California will be the Illini leading scorer next season.
Stojakovic will be that “guy who takes the last shot” like Kasparas Jakucionis was last season. The offense will still run through Tomislav Ivisic, as it should, but Stojakovic will assume that alpha role, like KJ had last season.
He comes to the Illinois basketball program as a junior, after having a huge sophomore season at Cal. He began his college career at Cal’s arch-rival, Stanford, in 2023-24.
Let’s look at who should join him in the starting lineup, as well as who the backups could be.
Where Riley, KJ might go: Latest NBA Mock Draft
Potential 2025-26 Illinois Basketball Depth Chart
The 1- Point Guard Mihailo Petrovic / Kylan Boswell / Ty Rodgers
The 2- Shooting Guard/Wing Kylan Boswell / Ty Rodgers / Brandon Lee
The 3- Small Forward/Wing Andrej Stojakovic / Jake Davis / Ben Humrichous
The 4- Power Forward David Mirkovic / Zvonimir Ivisic
The 5- Center Tomislav Ivisic / Zvonimir Ivisic
Ty Rodgers is your Swiss Army Knife, as he can guard positions 1-4, so he’ll get major minutes somewhere. Davis kind of slots in as your eighth or ninth man while Humrichous is still up in the air, due to his NCAA waiver situation. Boswell can run the point, no problem at all, but he helps the team much better by playing off the ball.
But hey, the bottom line is this: “Illinois Basketball: The Adriatic Sea’s/Zagreb’s/Sarajevo’s Big Ten Team.”
The Balkan Illini 5
Mihailo Petrovic 🇷🇸
Andrej Stojakovic 🇷🇸/ 🇬🇷
David Mirkovic 🇲🇪
Zvonimir Ivisic 🇭🇷
Tomislav Ivisic 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/h9GTxEyzb3— Chuck Naso (@ChuckNaso) April 28, 2025
Petrovic is a big deal though, and having him bring the ball up and setting the offense is going to be a massive difference maker. He should be worth the money.
Overall, this looks like an Illinois basketball team that could be ranked top 15 in the preseason. Maybe they go out and get one more guy?
After all, they do still have room on the roster.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/AKlzzFrvRt
— Brad Underwood (@CoachUnderwood) April 28, 2025
And if it’s the right piece, then you’re looking at a top 10 team.
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
