‘Tis the season for words like “bag” and “speed dating” in reference to college hoops portal activity.
The Illini are always an ever-present force in Portal Kombat. Whether it’s their most notorious misses (RayJ Dennis, AJ Storr, Josh Dix) or their most glorious hits (Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask, Andrej Stojakovic), Illinois is a major factor in college basketball’s version of free agency every year.
Yes, retention is the most important factor.
Bringing back Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, David Mirkovic, and Jake
Davis is the priority.
And of course, making a Final Four run changes the calculus specifically.
- It raises the program’s national profile. More eyes are on Illinois than ever before.
- It likely increased donor desire to pony up to keep the deep tournament runs going (more on that later).
- It is proof of concept for Brad and Tyler Underwood’s system. As if they needed it, having an historically elite offensive efficiency is an appealing place to land.
After the 2023-24 Elite Eight run, Illinois stepped up to the adult table in terms of college hoops spending. The departures of players like Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask, and Coleman Hawkins didn’t lessen expectations.
The rebuild was emboldened. The return of Orlando Antigua brought the immediate arrivals of Will Riley and Tomislav Ivisic. And the Antigua/Geoff Alexander international men of mystery duo brought Kasparas Jakucionis.
That 2024-25 squad was viewed by many (yours truly included) as the most talented team of the Underwood era. While that team suffered a disappointing round-of-32 exit, they upped the ante on Illinois’ talent acquisition infrastructure. A five-star prep prospect and an elite international guard symbolized the tremendous upside of not only the roster but the philosophy.
For the 2025-26 season, Illinois didn’t rely as heavily on the portal. They focused on international players (David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic) and prep development (Keaton F. Wagler). But the two portal acquisitions made perfect sense. Orlando Antigua’s relationships helped Illinois land gifted stretch-five Zvonimir Ivisic and star downhill wing Andrej Stojakovic.
Can you imagine Illinois making a deep tournament run last season without Stojakovic? He came back from his injury, accepted a bench role, and thrived.
So who can be this year’s Andrej Stojakovic, Terrence Shannon, or Marcus Domask?
(No pressure or anything.)
Here are ten candidates.
N.B. – Of course, this list may not come to fruition quickly. While retention conversations are ongoing, the elephant in the room is the additional bottleneck of NBA Draft feedback. Andrej Stojakovic and both Ivisic brothers could all test the draft waters, get feedback, and then decide their collegiate future. So keep in mind that Illinois may have to hold off on signing/aggressively pursuing some players on this list due to their NBA fact-finding expeditions.
John Blackwell
Okay, so let’s get the most obvious story out of the way first. Yes, John Blackwell is the white whale of this portal season. The scoring dynamo torched the Illini twice for a Wisconsin team that was 2-0 against the Illini. The suburban Detroit product starred for the Badgers. There is no denying his ability as a volume scorer. In Tyler Underwood’s free-flowing offense, the 6-foot-4 guard can hunt mismatches and scorch the nets with his three-level creativity.
Oh, and his father, Glynn, played for Illinois in the 1980s.
So here is a legacy recruit at a likely position of need with an established track record of success. So what’s the problem?
There is allegedly a Duke-sized impediment in Blackwell’s recruitment.
Duke doesn’t lose many of these pursuits.
But in this instance, perhaps Illinois is an ideal fit for the guard. He can step right into the Keaton Wagler role alongside Lucas Morillo/Quentin Coleman in a skilled, explosive backcourt.
Illinois fans will heavily scrutinize this recruitment until he signs an NLI.
But remember that thing I said earlier about donors being potentially willing to pony up?
Here’s the ultimate test case. Blackwell projects as one of the only players in the portal who can swing a team from “good squad” to “natty contender” with the stroke of a pen.
UPDATE: The traditionally well-informed Jonathan Givony shared the following post regarding Blackwell’s recruitment. If this is true, fans could be in for a long, bumpy ride full of twists, turns, kvetching, optimism, frustration, elation, confusion, delusion, joy, pain, sadness, anger, more confusion, and hopefully a final dose of relief.
Also, by May 4 doesn’t mean on May 4. So this could be wrapped up quickly. That always happens, right? Right?
Acaden Lewis
Cards face up on the table. Acaden Lewis is my favorite player in the portal. He is the definition of an Every Day Guy. He’s a high-character player with an elite basketball IQ. He comes from a great family and prioritizes both academics and athletics.
Sure, his freshman stats are impressive.
- All Big-East second team
- Averaged over 12 points and 5 assists per game (third among all freshmen in assists)
- He averaged 2 steals per game.
The Washington, DC native is an ideal tip of the defensive spear and an impact playmaker. His cerebral tendencies would thrive in Underwood’s read-first offense. His elite decision-making chops would be a dream-like trait for Illinois’ scorers.
However, Lewis shot 27% from behind the arc.
(Queue Illini fans simultaneously gasping.)
Also, it looks like Jai Lucas and Miami are deep in this recruitment. Miami is another tough school to knock off when they have a genuine interest and aggressive pursuit. And Lucas may be the single best recruiter in the sport.
So, Illinois may be late here. But he is a talented floor general who would be a more skilled, less crotch-kicky Jeremy Fears for Illinois.
Also, Lewis is testing the NBA Draft waters.
Stefan Vaaks
With less pressure to be “the guy,” Stefan Vaaks could see an efficiency spike if he chooses Champaign. He converted on 35% of his threes and scored 16 points per game.
He’s Baltic and not Balkan, but he would be a plug-and-play replacement in case the great retention fails. If retention does not fail, he is still a dynamite scorer who could fill Andrej Stojakovic’s role when he returns to the starting lineup.
Vaaks can improve his efficiency in an offense that gets players like him more open looks.
Hoosier money may be difficult to overcome in this recruitment. And there will be role questions if the core four Balkans (yes, I am counting Andrej as both core and Balkan…ancestry, people) and Jake Davis all return. But if there is an open roster spot, Vaaks projects as a top option for the Illini.
Neoklis Avdalas
Avdalas is Balkan (Greek). Though it seems like he isn’t from Greece, but instead from a wine-induced Brad Underwood fever dream.
The 6-foot-9 guard brings elite positional size to the backcourt. As a true freshman, he averaged almost 5 assists per game. That combination of size and playmaking, in conjunction with David Mirkovic, opens up so much space for Morillo, Coleman, and potentially Andrej to cut and get downhill.
He’s a walking mismatch with the ball in his hands. He’s a capable (31.6%) shooter from behind the arc. But like Vaaks, at Illinois, he could thrive with better spacing and better talent surrounding him.
Illinois has yet to be mentioned in his recruitment, but he makes sense as a fit. Especially if Mirkovic and/or Andrej test the NBA waters.
Is his game too pick-and-roll dependent? Perhaps, but the skill set checks out as does the elite positional size.
Terrence Hill Jr.
Hill is a highly sought-after transfer portal prospect. The Portland native averaged 15 points on 37% shooting from three for VCU. He put up 17 and 7 against the Illini in the NCAA Tournament, and looks to have his share of heavy hitters.
Obviously, the pros for Illinois include the offensive system. But with two years of eligibility remaining, he could grow along with Illinois’ incoming freshman guards to enable Illinois to push tempo up or down and exploit matchups.
He may be too expensive for a secondary offensive option. But the talent and productivity are real. He projects as the type of mid-major player who can thrive when the competition increases.
Jalen Haralson
Perhaps the 20% percentage from behind the arc will be a problem, especially in Micah Shrewsbury’s offensive system. But Haralson is a five-star talent with three years of eligibility. He played his prep ball at La Lumiere, where Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander has relationships.
He wouldn’t be the first LaLu kid to play for the Illini.
Haralson still managed to score 16 points per game. And yes, Illinois will have heavy competition for the 6-foot-7 guard. But his mix of positional size and upside resembles what Illinois saw in Andrej Stojakovic. He shoots at a high clip from two-point range, and his scoring ability could open up the floor for shooters in space.
Ohio State is getting a lot of buzz in this pursuit. But if Ohio State in its current form is running this recruiting marathon and Brad Underwood decides to lace up his orange sneakers at the 25-mile mark, I wouldn’t count the Illini out.
Dedan Thomas
Thomas is another floor general. He averaged 6.5 assists per game while scoring 15 PPG. The 6-foot-1 Vegas native didn’t get a strong-ass offer from Will Wade, so he is seeking his fortunes elsewhere.
While he isn’t a sniper, he can get Illinois’ shooters open looks with his ability to drive and kick. His finishing ability gives the scoring threat a high-end Illini playmaker needs.
Apparently, Kentucky is in heavy pursuit. We all know how deep Wildcat money goes. They will invest heavily in a team that will go out in the first round.
Illinois doesn’t roster a ton of smaller guards. But Thomas’ playmaking could be too tantalizing to ignore.
Paul McNeil Jr.
A couple of years ago, I raved about Koby Brea on this website. Brea was an absolute sharpshooter as a collegiate player. The hope was that Orlando Antigua’s connection could get Illinois in the recruitment.
Yeah, no. It was Kentucky, beating out Duke.
But may I interest you in a similarly credentialed marksman?
Paul McNeil played for Will Wade’s NC State squad last season, shooting nearly 43% from behind the arc on 7(!) attempts per game.
Is that something you would be interested in?
Illinois hasn’t had a deadeye of that magnitude since the much-beloved Alfonso Plummer played for the orange and blue.
I haven’t heard anything linking McNeil to the Illini. But his profile is a tremendous match for an Illinois need. McNeil on the floor with slashers and spot-up guys would enable Illinois to use the floor space as a sixth teammate and get gold medal shots with regularity.
If Illinois does enter the fray, I expect the sell to be linear: come to Illinois, play in this offense, shoot your way into the NBA.
Nikolas Khamenia
Khamenia was a highly touted Southern California prep prospect. He raised a lot of eyebrows at the Nike Hoop Summit while he was still undeclared.
(I noticed him in between being impressed by David Mirkovic and Dame Sarr.)
Khamenia didn’t put up gaudy numbers at Duke. But he was on a loaded squad with national title aspirations.
According to Duke’s 247Sports site, Arizona and Illinois are two schools to watch for the West Coast native. He averaged 5 points on 37% three-point shooting as a true freshman. Khamenia is 6’8. With positional size and elite talent. He would be a clear Stojakovic replacement should he leave for the NBA. He could also play alongside Anrej, Mirk, and Coleman in a versatile lineup that can attack the rim and snipe from deep.
Schools like UCLA will be interested in bringing the Harvard-Westlake grad home. And Khamenia fits the exact profile of players who go to UConn and become superstar national champions.
But is there a better pure basketball fit than Illinois for a kid with size who can shoot while surrounded by elite talent?
If there is, it’s the system he’s departing in Durham.
Rowan Brumbaugh
Rowan Brumbaugh is, like Stefan Vaaks and John Blackwell, already connected to Illinois publicly. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19 points for the Green Wave last season.
As someone who has done his fair share of partying in both places, I can conclusively state that Green Street > Bourbon Street. However, green beer < Bourbon.
But back to hoops. Brumbaugh shot 36% from three in two years at Tulane after he played for his hometown Georgetown Hoyas. I wonder if Ed Cooley called Tulane a BS school.
Either way, Brumbaugh has been a productive scoring threat for two years, earning All-AAC second-team honors this past season. It’s unknown how deep Illinois is in his recruitment, and his role with the Illini would be retention-dependent.
He stands firmly on the radar, and his elite prep school background in DC and the Northeast could mean an Antigua relationship. Or not.
In the end…
Illinois’ roster sits in an advantageous spot. There are financial resources in place for acquisition and retention. The talent level is competitive with the top-10 programs in the country. The coaching staff is a globetrotting band of closers who don’t recruit players to their system, but build their system around the elite personnel they sign. So whether Illinois gets 1, 2, 3, or none of the players on this list, fans can have calm confidence that Illinois will once again field a competitive, fun, talented squad next year.
So, what do you think?
Who would you like to see Illinois sign this Portal SZN? Who did I leave off this list that you think would be a perfect fit? And who are your top retention priorities? Sound off in the comments section.
