If you’ve been paying attention to Illinois basketball and Big Ten hoops in general then it’s pretty clear why there’s excitement in Champaign-Urbana. The Fighting Illini advanced to the Final Four for the first time in 21 years as Brad Underwood’s team really put everything together. Future NBA draft pick Keaton Wagler was a sensational find this season and the international flavor on this roster really stood tall when it mattered most.
The buzz in Champaign is real
Even now weeks after the Final Four there’s still plenty of buzz thanks to those announcements about who exactly is coming back next season. We always knew that Wagler was heading to the NBA while players like Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous were out of eligibility. However, Underwood and company got a ton of great news in the last month as David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and both Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic would all announce their intentions to return next season.
As way-too-early rankings and other prognostications start to roll out, many are seeing this returning talent as evidence that Illinois can be a legitimate threat once again. All four of those players were excellent this past season, with Mirkovic really standing out and becoming quite the personality, while the twin 7-footers wreak havoc both around the paint and outside the arc.
Still question marks
The big question for Underwood and his staff is all about the backcourt. We know that we’ll see Mirkovic, Stojakovic, and an Ivisic manning the three starting positions in the frontcourt, but it’s going to be new faces at both guard spots with Boswell and Wagler gone from the school. Illinois has had some incredible talent come through the building in recent years and this staff is hoping that two new faces can be the next big things here.
First and foremost, Illinois thinks it found another gem in Quentin Coleman, a Top 20 recruit from St. Louis. He’s a talented and athletic presence who can shoot the lights out and has been a rising star in recent months. Coleman is a fantastic outside shooter and impressive ball handler who could be the next big thing at shooting guard for the Illini. He won’t quite take the nation by storm like Wagler, who was a much less-regarded prospect, but he should step right into a major role for the Illini.
Alongside him, the Illini added a bit more international flavor in Stefan Vaaks, a rising sophomore point guard out of Estonia who spent last season over at Providence. With a full season of Big East basketball, Vaaks showed some of that potential, averaging 15.8 points and 3.2 assists per game while leading the conference by making 91 3-point field goals at a 35% rate. The Big East All-Freshman guard is an elite free throw shooter, impressive ball handle, and clearly adds a hot shooting touch as well.
Stacked roster on paper
On paper both Coleman and Vaaks bring athleticism, talent, and an outside shooting touch that Underwood loves as part of this Illinois offense. Last season, the Illini were among the most efficient offenses we’ve ever seen and that might be the case again this year. We’re expecting a lot out of a pair of underclassmen stepping into the shoes of Boswell, Wagler, and others, but the potential is here. Imagine Vaaks with a full offseason under his belt and Coleman’s game as his freshman season progresses. Can Illinois realistically get back to the Final Four with this crew?
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