GREENVILLE, S.C. — Brad Underwood spent Selection Sunday enjoying how much fun Andrej Stojakovic was having.
The Illinois men’s 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.
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.
Plenty to celebrate.
But Stojakovic’s 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.
The Golden Bears finished 14-19 overall. Their 6-14 record landed them at 15th in their first season in the ACC.
It wasn’t much different than Stojakovic’s 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’s final season as coach.
Stojakovic wanted more from his college basketball experience. Illinois provided the more.
“He was a kid in the candy store,” Underwood said about how Stojakovic treated Selection Sunday. “He was the first one there. He was the first one through the food line. He was the first one seated. That’s what he came here for — to understand that feeling and what this is about. You don’t take this for granted.”
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’ open shootaround was “the moment that really got” him.
Thursday night was different. Both just another game while doubling as the highest stakes game of Stojakovic’s college basketball career to that point.
Illinois’ 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.
Another win Saturday night against VCU — with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line — would provide even more.
“He has made it four years in a row and this is my first time, but I told him that so far I’m undefeated in this tournament and he isn’t,” Stojakovic said with a laugh. “I’m going to have that on him.”
Some of Stojakovic’s teammates are also experiencing the NCAA tournament for the first time. It’s different, though, for freshmen Keaton Wagler, David Mirkovic and Brandon Lee. They’ve never even had the opportunity. Stojakovic has already played two seasons that failed to produce that result.
How much Stojakovic is enjoying his time in Greenville hasn’t just struck Underwood. The junior guard’s teammates see it, too.
“It’s so much fun,” 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’s two-game stint in Milwaukee, Wis., was his first in the NCAA tournament.
“I told Dre (on Thursday) when he got on the bus, I’m smiling because of how much fun he’s having,” Humrichous continued. “I remember what that feeling was like. I don’t ever want to take that for granted. Seeing that on Andrej’s face (Thursday) night, his realization of what had just transpired, it gives you that extra boost.”
An NCAA tournament appearance wasn’t guaranteed when Stojakovic committed to Illinois last April, but the program’s reputation shift in Underwood’s tenure as coach was appealing. So were the teammates he’d get to play with, including 7-foot twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic. The emergence of Wagler and Mirkovic was “a pleasant surprise along the way” as they’ve played as crucial a role in Illinois’ success this season as anyone.
It’s 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.
“That’s the beauty of Andrej is how coachable he is and how he’s starving for success and what that looks like — on all fronts,” Underwood said. “Not just the individual success, but the team success.”
Underwood didn’t 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.
Eliciting Stojakovic’s best defense and rebounding self was always the goal.
“I think I knew what I was getting into when I was coming to play for Brad,” Stojakovic said. “Obviously, a hard-nosed coach. You’ve got to get behind him to know what winning feels like, and he’s going to have our back through it all. I’m just glad to be here. I think we all know what’s at stake. The coaching staff is extremely passionate about what we have and what we could do later on in this tournament.”
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.
“He fights through adversity very well, whether that’s him playing through adversity with a bad game or it’s off-court adversity like injuries,” Illinois forward Jake Davis said. “He has a strong willpower in his mind, and I think that’s going to carry him a long way. It’s great to see him where he is now — healthy and playing at the highest level he can.
“It’s fun to see him really experience this. He’s having a great time. He’s 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’s 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.”
Stojakovic said he wouldn’t 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’s never been on a team quite like this one.
“A lot of these guys I’m going to be close with the rest of my life,” he said. “A lot of players can’t really say that in general. I’m just glad to be in this environment. Not everyone gets to play at this time of year. I’m an example of it. It took me three years to get here. I’m just very grateful to be a part of this team at this time.”