Illini Basketball 2026-2027

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#552      
Combo
Fly Illini Fly! said:
Interesting why/how this is -- we focus so much on 3pt% of our transfers, but it's pretty noteworthy how so many of our newcomers have experienced an increase in 2pt%.

Andrej:

47.8% 2pt at CAL | up to 58.3% at IL

Zvonimir:

59.8% 2pt at ARK | up to 83.1% at IL (which led the nation)

Boswell:

41.5% 2pt at AZ | up to 56.7% at IL (2025)

Tre White:

51.5% 2pt at LVIlle | up to 58.7 at IL (2025)
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That's really interesting. Maybe because our strategy is either 3pt shots or high % 2pt shots (ie at or near the rim).
 
#556      
Mr. Tibbs
If Illinois were to have celebrity courtside seats, who would be the five biggest non-athletes Illini fan stars to have a spot? I’m guessing they’d be:

1. Nick Offerman
2. Alan Ruck
3. Betsy Brandt
4. Ang Lee
5. Andy Richter

Top 5 Athlete stars

1. Deron Williams
2. Kendall Gill
3. Ayo
4. TSJ
5. Dee Brown

Non-Hollywood, non-athletes

1. Shad Khan
2. Larry Gies

Thoughts? Disputes?
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Boy , I respect all the hollywood alums on your list , but compared to many other schools , it’s weak
 
#560      
NarrowJ
The more film I watch of Vaaks the more impressed I am

I think he can be a good, not just average, defensive player

There were some good blocks/steals in those highlights, and he certainly flashes some athleticism
 
#561      
Emerson Bigguns
Agreed. Defense is so dependent on culture. Providence didn’t have it last year. The entire team was lousy on that end.
He will get stronger this summer. He has the length and athleticism to be at least solid. Brad wouldn’t have chased him if he didn’t think he could tighten it up. Scoring was never going to be an issue with the guys we already had on board.
If he aspires to make the NBA next year, his proving he can defend competently has to be a priority.
 
#563      
PepeSilvia
SummerofGeorge said:
Finally some evidence to squash the debate. Point guards to not throw down double pump dunks. Now we are screwed with no point guard.
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Derrick Rose Basketball GIF
 
#565      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
bbpeoria said:
I'm just not sold that Mirk will be the best player despite (the deserved) hype. I could easily see Vaaks, Stoj or even Tomi as the top player. Tomi playing more at the level he did two seasons ago would be huge. He was my favorite player on that team. The great thing is any of them and maybe even Coleman can be the best Illini player for any given game.
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I don't get it either.

I could see him having the most all around impact (combination of points, assists, rebounds), but it's very unlikely he's our leading scorer. At least one, maybe both Andrej/Vaaks will be ahead of him.

A stat line of 14, 9, 3 is much probable than the 17-18 PPG that people are predicting. It could've happened if he was our best scorer, but that would also mean we're a worse team.
 
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#566      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
PepeSilvia said:
Like you mentioned leading scorer doesn't necessarily mean best player. For example you have Luther Head as the leading scorer and he was probably the 3rd best of the guards though he was very very good.

I love Mirk but i guess it wouldn't surprise to see any of the starters be the best player.

The path for Stojakovic would through being very efficient as a volume scorer while also being the best perimeter defender and improving as a ball handler and playmaker(I think those would be bigger improvements than even shooting).

Mirk would be a combo of scoring, rebounding, and facilitating as a point forward. Vaaks would be with playmaking, shooting, and scoring much in the way Wagler was last year. Tomi felt a little bit sidelined last year but he could also make a case if he's scoring inside, knocking down 3s, rebounding at the clip he was his first year, and showcasing his passing ability and rim protection.

Coleman would probably the most surprising at the group because the rest of them are pretty established but Wagler did it last year.
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Luther was the best player. He just didn't have Dee's AURA, nor Deron's big shot against AZ.

Offense was just not advanced back then. Today, the 3 would combine for 45/game.
 
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#568      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
My question with Mirkovic is does the 3pt shot remain the same?

He shot 37.5% from 3 this past year. That is VASTLY ahead of what anyone would've predicted.

It's fair to question whether it holds from one year to the next. We saw it with Tomi last year:

35.7% in 2025

31.3% in 2026
 
#570      
PepeSilvia
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Luther was the best player. He just didn't have Dee's AURA, nor Deron's big shot against AZ.

Offense was just not advanced back then. Today, the 3 would combine for 45/game.
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I mean they averaged like 42 so not that far off. Really they just played at a pretty slow and deliberate pace(they averaged 77 per game). I think Baylor's offense when they won in 21 was pretty similar to the 05 Illini tbh.

I still think Deron was clearly the best and there was a reason he went 3rd overall(ahead of Chris Paul). I think you can make an argument for Luther over Dee by his senior year, but I still think Dee was the heart of the team just that his skill set was a bit more redundant with Deron(who was a better facilitator.

At the end of the day all three were consensus All Americans so really an embarrassment of riches.
 
#571      
Brosky
Winning a National Championship would help.
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I know what you mean, but I'm not so sure. Players don't want to sit the bench, no matter the season outcome.
 
#572      
Det_Illini_fan
Guest said:
Bill Murray
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Unpopular Opinion:
Sure he cheered for us in ‘05, but I have a hard time viewing him as a fan now. I get his son was a coach for UConn and all, but dude has only cheered against us in recent memory. And I want to say I remember him cheering on Northwestern when we played them in Evanston a couple years ago? If he were to still be a fan, it would feel fair-weather at this point to me.
 
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