GREENVILLE, S.C. \u2014 Brad Underwood spent Selection Sunday enjoying how much fun Andrej Stojakovic was having.<\/p>\n
The Illinois men\u2019s basketball team gathered at Ubben Basketball Complex in Champaign for the selection show. The Beef House Restaurant catered their dinner. David Mirkovic brought some special homemade Balkan dishes his sister made for everyone to try.<\/p>\n
No uncertainty about if the Illini were in the 68-team NCAA tournament field. Illinois was a lock to see its name when the brackets were revealed. A No. 3 seed after winning 24 games in the regular season and finishing in the top four in the Big Ten followed.<\/p>\n
Plenty to celebrate.<\/p>\n
But Stojakovic\u2019s joy came from a deeper place. Playing on an NCAA tournament team was a primary motivating factor when he left California after the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n
The Golden Bears finished 14-19 overall. Their 6-14 record landed them at 15th in their first season in the ACC.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t much different than Stojakovic\u2019s freshman year at Stanford. The Cardinal posted a 14-18 record and won just eight games for a ninth-place finish in the Pac-12 in what turned out to be Jerod Haase\u2019s final season as coach.<\/p>\n
Stojakovic wanted more from his college basketball experience. Illinois provided the more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a kid in the candy store,\u201d Underwood said about how Stojakovic treated Selection Sunday. \u201cHe was the first one there. He was the first one through the food line. He was the first one seated. That\u2019s what he came here for \u2014 to understand that feeling and what this is about. You don\u2019t take this for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wednesday in Greenville created some new lasting memories for Stojakovic. Stepping on the NCAA and March Madness-branded court at Bon Secours Wellness Arena ahead of Illinois\u2019 open shootaround was \u201cthe moment that really got\u201d him.<\/p>\n
Thursday night was different. Both just another game while doubling as the highest stakes game of Stojakovic\u2019s college basketball career to that point.<\/p>\n
Illinois\u2019 105-70 victory against Penn finally gave Stojakovic some ammunition in a friendly back and forth with teammate Kylan Boswell about their respective NCAA tournament careers.<\/p>\n
Another win Saturday night against VCU \u2014 with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line \u2014 would provide even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has made it four years in a row and this is my first time, but I told him that so far I\u2019m undefeated in this tournament and he isn\u2019t,\u201d Stojakovic said with a laugh. \u201cI\u2019m going to have that on him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of Stojakovic\u2019s teammates are also experiencing the NCAA tournament for the first time. It\u2019s different, though, for freshmen Keaton Wagler, David Mirkovic and Brandon Lee. They\u2019ve never even had the opportunity. Stojakovic has already played two seasons that failed to produce that result.<\/p>\n
How much Stojakovic is enjoying his time in Greenville hasn\u2019t just struck Underwood. The junior guard\u2019s teammates see it, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so much fun,\u201d said Illinois forward Ben Humrichous, who went through a similar situation last season with the Illini after one season at Evansville and three at Huntington University. Last year\u2019s two-game stint in Milwaukee, Wis., was his first in the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Dre (on Thursday) when he got on the bus, I\u2019m smiling because of how much fun he\u2019s having,\u201d Humrichous continued. \u201cI remember what that feeling was like. I don\u2019t ever want to take that for granted. Seeing that on Andrej\u2019s face (Thursday) night, his realization of what had just transpired, it gives you that extra boost.\u201d<\/p>\n
An NCAA tournament appearance wasn\u2019t guaranteed when Stojakovic committed to Illinois last April, but the program\u2019s reputation shift in Underwood\u2019s tenure as coach was appealing. So were the teammates he\u2019d get to play with, including 7-foot twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic. The emergence of Wagler and Mirkovic was \u201ca pleasant surprise along the way\u201d as they\u2019ve played as crucial a role in Illinois\u2019 success this season as anyone.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s everything Stojakovic wanted. A program that would challenge him and develop his game and a program he could help elevate to a higher level. A goal Stojakovic and the Illini are chasing in Greenville.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of Andrej is how coachable he is and how he\u2019s starving for success and what that looks like \u2014 on all fronts,\u201d Underwood said. \u201cNot just the individual success, but the team success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Underwood didn\u2019t take it easy on Stojakovic. A knee injury might have kept the 6-foot-7 guard sidelined in the fall, changing the timeline for how the Illinois coach could challenge him to be more than a high-level scorer, but that idea never disappeared.<\/p>\n
Eliciting Stojakovic\u2019s best defense and rebounding self was always the goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I knew what I was getting into when I was coming to play for Brad,\u201d Stojakovic said. \u201cObviously, a hard-nosed coach. You\u2019ve got to get behind him to know what winning feels like, and he\u2019s going to have our back through it all. I\u2019m just glad to be here. I think we all know what\u2019s at stake. The coaching staff is extremely passionate about what we have and what we could do later on in this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
How Stojakovic handled that knee injury and another ankle injury that popped up in early February stood out to his teammates. So did the way he embraced expanding his game, leaving behind the need to always be the No. 1 option like he was a year earlier at Cal in lieu of maximizing his athleticism at both ends.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe fights through adversity very well, whether that\u2019s him playing through adversity with a bad game or it\u2019s off-court adversity like injuries,\u201d Illinois forward Jake Davis said. \u201cHe has a strong willpower in his mind, and I think that\u2019s going to carry him a long way. It\u2019s great to see him where he is now \u2014 healthy and playing at the highest level he can.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun to see him really experience this. He\u2019s having a great time. He\u2019s not taking anything for granted and really loving it and living up to it. One of the main reasons I decided to come here was Illinois is in the tournament almost every year. I think that\u2019s one of the main reasons for him, too. He wanted to come to a school and compete at the highest level. I think Illinois provides that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stojakovic said he wouldn\u2019t change anything about his first season at Illinois, where he is averaging 13.3 points and is the top option off the bench now. Mostly because he\u2019s never been on a team quite like this one.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of these guys I\u2019m going to be close with the rest of my life,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of players can\u2019t really say that in general. I\u2019m just glad to be in this environment. Not everyone gets to play at this time of year. I\u2019m an example of it. It took me three years to get here. I\u2019m just very grateful to be a part of this team at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n