Has Illinois basketball become International U?

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood has fully embraced the European market this offseason, landing four newcomers originally from across the Atlantic. Andrej Stojakovic, Mihailo Petrovic, David Mirkovic, and Zvonimir Ivisic will join Tomislav Ivisic on the 2025–26 roster. The five European-born players have already been nicknamed the “Balkan 5” by fans and have stirred up excitement. Underwood even updated his profile picture to an AI-generated European version of himself, leaning all the way in.

Basketball has quickly become a global game, as we have seen in the NBA with stars like Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokić. But now more than ever, that global influence is showing up in college hoops, thanks in large part to the rise of NIL. For many European professionals, coming to college has become the best path to have a payday and to boost their chances of making it to the NBA. 

In fact, Illinois will likely have two first-round draft picks who were one-and-done prospects. Both of those players are international prospects.

This wasn’t overnight

While foreign talent in college basketball is on the rise across the board, Underwood has been trying to tap into that market since his arrival in Champaign. Not every international recruit has panned out, such as Matic Vesel, Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk, Zacharie Perrin, Samba Kane, Greg Eboigbodin, and Niccolò Moretti, but the intention has always been clear. Illinois will do anything that it can to find players that may help it win games.

Still, several international players have made a big impact at Illinois. Kofi Cockburn became one of the greatest Illini players of all time, and Kasparas Jakucionis is expected to be Illinois’ first lottery pick since 2012. Others, like Quincy Guerrier, Alfonso Plummer, Andrés Feliz, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, and, more recently, Will Riley and Tomislav Ivisic, have shown just how valuable global recruiting can be. 

The Illini has found real success in the international market. Doing so has helped turn the University of Illinois into a global brand. The talent coming to Champaign from overseas is better than ever and continues to improve each year.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/AKlzzFrvRt

— Brad Underwood (@CoachUnderwood) April 28, 2025

Make sure yall get a Euro U shirt here

Link: https://t.co/vDhscO3aRy https://t.co/O6MKBf3dls pic.twitter.com/AhS6XXc608

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) April 28, 2025

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