The Illinois men’s basketball team added high-profile transfer Andrej Stojaković to its new-look roster Monday.
Stojaković, the son of three-time Sacramento Kings All-Star Peja Stojaković, signed with Illinois after a sophomore season at California in which he averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks. The 6-foot-7 guard from Carmichael, Calif., played his freshman season at Stanford and averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds.
ESPN ranked him the 31st-best player in the transfer portal this spring after he received All-ACC honorable mention in the regular season and was selected to the All-ACC Tournament first team. Illinois coach Brad Underwood called Stojaković “a very important addition” because of his experience, high basketball IQ and productivity.
“Andrej is a veteran, proven scorer who does it in all three facets: catch and shoot, off the dribble and post-ups,” Underwood said in a statement. “He has great size on the perimeter, ballhandling skills, playmaking abilities, quickness on the defensive end and knack for blocking shots.
“He has had very good coaching and shows a tremendous understanding for how to play the game on both ends of the court.”
Stojaković is the second transfer addition for the Illini this offseason. Zvonimir Ivišić, the 7-foot-2 twin brother of Illinois center Tomislav Ivišić, transferred from Arkansas earlier this month.
The additions contribute to the Illini’s international flavor one season after they had three international recruits. Stojaković was born in the United States, but his father is Serbian. The Ivišić twins are from Croatia. The Illini also secured commitments from Serbian guard Mihailo Petrović and Montenegrin forward David Mirković.
Illinois, which finished last season 22-13 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, needed to replace three starters and a couple of reserves. Starting guard Kasparas Jakučionis and wing Will Riley declared for the NBA draft, and guard Tre White transferred to Kansas. Reserve center Morez Johnson Jr. transferred to Michigan.
Guard Kylan Boswell returns to start for Illinois along with Tomislav Ivišić.
