Basketball
Illinois Freshman David Mirkovic Repeats as Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Through four games, David Mirkovic has turned plenty of heads with his all-around game and flair for the game.
Following back-to-back double-double performances in wins over Texas Tech and Colgate, Illinois freshman David Mirkovic has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, the program announced Monday.
The Montenegro native has arrived on the scene quickly, having an eye-opening immediate impact in Champaign. With injuries forcing mixed rotations early in the season, younger players like Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler have stepped into larger roles — and Mirkovic has capitalized. Most recently, he delivered a dominant 27-point, 21-rebound outing in Illinois’ 84–64 win over Colgate, marking the program’s first 20-point, 20-rebound game since December 2, 1972, when Nick Weatherspoon posted 37 points and 22 rebounds against DePauw—nearly 53 years ago. His 21 boards also set a new Illini freshman single-game record, surpassing Kofi Cockburn’s previous mark of 17 from the 2019–20 season.
- Season Stats: 18.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 2.3 apg on 50.0% from the field.
- David Mirkovic is having an outstanding freshman campaign so far, but so is his fellow freshman, Keaton Wagler. Wagler is also one of the top-performing freshmen in the Big Ten, averaging 17.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg.
Averaged a double-double of 19 points and 12.5 rebounds in a pair of wins
Notched the first 20 point-20 rebound game by an Illini in 53 years, tallying career highs of 27 points and 21 rebounds in the win over Colgate
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 17, 2025
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