So, Illinois fans, are you ready to ride the cosmic roller coaster of Portal SZN?
No? Well, it’s too late now. You already clicked on this article, and there is analysis forthcoming.
The Illini do not appear to be pursuing a massive number of targets in the transfer portal.
While lots of players could be excellent fits, Illinois is looking like a selective bachelorette only intrigued by elite suitors.
Vaaks will have blue blood interest.
I mean, he tied the Big East Tournament record for three-pointers
in a game. He tied a record held by Dana Barros.
Look. At. That. Quick. Release.
Can you imagine him spotting up in the corner for Tyler Underwood’s “mismatch hunt and space the floor for gold medal shots” offensive system?
If not, you should. Vaaks converted 40% of his catch-and-shoot opportunities.
Well, that passes the vibe check.
But what do the analytics say?
You know that no potential Illini player worthy of a deep dive will go without an analytics workup?
(Also, this is a good time to remind you that the staff doesn’t care about AP and Coaches’ Polls. They care about KenPom, EvanMiya, and NET rating.)
The analytics say this young man can shoot. But his efficiency could stand to improve.
- Effective field-goal percentage: 52.2%.
- True-shooting percentage: 56.67%.
- Two-point percentage: 51.7%.
This is a player who made 35% of his three-point shots. He shot 8(!) threes per game, so he’s not shy. At Illinois, he would get much higher-quality shots. He wouldn’t have to be “the guy.” He can just be “a guy who occasionally goes on heaters that carry Illinois to wins.”
At this pace, Illinois could have four of those players on the 2026-27 roster.
But what about #TheRetention?
Oh yes, that’s still the focus. The band of brothers that went to the Final Four is losing Keaton Wagler, the superstar freshman who shattered every pane on the glass ceiling of expectation.
They are losing Kylan Boswell, who came home to help stabilize the program.
They are losing AJ Redd, whose rise from manager to student-athlete is inspirational, but not nearly as inspirational as his academic and professional trajectory.
As of Saturday, they are losing Mihailo Petrovic and Toni Bilic to the transfer portal. Petrovic wound up not getting the role he expected, but by all accounts was a model teammate. Bilic was not considered for an active role this season.
As of now, Illinois needs to replace two starting guards. While Quentin Coleman is a massively talented prospect and Lucas Morillo is an Underwood player made in a lab, you’d rather take pressure off freshmen when possible.
And sure, maybe the two freshmen guards (or Ethan Brown) will force their way into the starting lineup.
But just engage in this flight of fancy. Imagine if the Illini starting lineup for opening night was Stefan Vaaks/John Blackwell/Andrej Stojakovic/David Mirkovic/Tomislav Ivisic. How would that make you feel as a fan?
Look, a lot of things would have to go down to make that a real possibility. But in portal season, everything is possible until it’s not. Right now, Illinois looks to have donor momentum, a stellar track record, and a coaching staff/front office with an elite talent acquisition infrastructure.
And that makes the “possible” a bit more plausible.
