The vibes are pretty sky high in Champaign with the Fighting Illini fresh off the program’s first trip to the Final Four in 21 years. Brad Underwood’s work at Illinois has already been legendary, transforming this team from a Big Ten afterthought to a nationally relevant program across his nine seasons, and it’s hard work he just continues doing and doing well.
Last year’s success was fantastic and the sudden rise of freshman phenom Keaton Wagler was a major part of the equation for the Illini. He became a lottery pick in the NBA Draft, but fortunately Illinois returns a lot of the talent around him. Andrej Stojakovic retains a major role in the backcourt, David Mirkovic is back after starring during that March Madness run, and the Illini also get twin 7-footers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic back once again.
Underwood’s staff wasted zero time in the offseason filling those few holes and they have may have gotten another sneaky good prospect. Shooting guard Quentin Coleman is now a 4-star and many see a similar potential that Wagler had last year. A stellar freshman class includes another 4-star in Lucas Morillo and a bunch of frontcourt value, including 3-stars like Lincoln Williams and Zavier Zens.
However, there’s just one pull from the transfer portal, making it pretty easy to select Stefan Vaaks as the most important of that small group. He’s not some honorable mention either, the 6-7 guard from Estonia was a major playmaker as a freshman last season at Providence. He became the best 3-point shooter in the Big East, averaging 15.8 points and 3.2 assists, making 35% from outside the arc.
An effective scorer and efficient shooter, Vaaks really came onto the scene and led the Big East in made 3-pointers and has ever opportunity to be just as effective with the Illini. He jumps into an opening in the Illinois backcourt, becoming this team’s best shooter and a much-needed addition after the losses of Wagler and Kylan Boswell.
Honestly, Illinois has the right mix of experience and raw talent to be a legitimate national contender next season. Vaaks joins what’s become quite the international flair in Champaign and elevates the program and this lineup. We don’t know quite how things will develop in the months ahead and how Underwood will configure his lineups, but it’s not hard to see why there’s excitement around a team with so many returning value and some really exciting young new pieces like Vaaks.
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