Illini Basketball 2026-2027

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#101      
LarryGotFouled
Fly Illini Fly! said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2087902426061816107

“1. David Mirkovic, Illinois​

In addition to being arguably the sport’s most entertaining personality, Mirkovic is also an incredible talent coming off a monster freshman season. He has a unique skill set offensively, capable of being deployed as a jumbo ballhandler who can create for others, dribble into post-ups and hunt mismatches all over the floor. And buzz out of Champaign is that he has made a massive jump this spring and summer, with Illinois planning to use him as its primary offensive engine at times.”
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This is just so wild. I distinctly remember the last summer podcasts - "Keaton likely won't see the floor and should redshirt." "Mirkovic - weird haircut. Maybe can rebound a little but likely won't see the floor."

Keaton a #5 pick and Mirk the #1 power forward in college basketball this year? WILD. Is this real life??


Just shows that all these definitive opinions on Morillo or Landon Davis, etc....don't be so sure we know what these kids might become. Enjoy the ride.
 
#102      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
LarryGotFouled said:
This is just so wild. I distinctly remember the last summer podcasts - "Keaton likely won't see the floor and should redshirt." "Mirkovic - weird haircut. Maybe can rebound a little but likely won't see the floor."

Keaton a #5 pick and Mirk the #1 power forward in college basketball this year? WILD. Is this real life??


Just shows that all these definitive opinions on Morillo or Landon Davis, etc....don't be so sure we know what these kids might become. Enjoy the ride.
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Keaton was a once in a generation exception.

I don’t remember anyone saying Mirkovic “likely won’t see the floor.” At worst he was the backup 4 and a quality bench piece.
 
#103      
Joel Goodson
Joel Goodson said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2088053025524818198

development kid, for sure, but has an intriguing skill set
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until last summer, Davis played center. his AAU team had a very athletic 7 footer (Diane), pushing Davis to PF. so, he's on the perimeter some for the first time and he kinda showed out. enough so to be excited about his potential. sure thing? nope. but a lot of upside, IMO
 
#104      
jamarvelous31
Joel Goodson said:
until last summer, Davis played center. his AAU team had a very athletic 7 footer (Diane), pushing Davis to PF. so, he's on the perimeter some for the first time and he kinda showed out. enough so to be excited about his potential. sure thing? nope. but a lot of upside, IMO
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He seems like the sort of guy that Iowa & Wiscy used in the 2010s to great effect to annoy the crap out of me.

So at minimum it's addition by subtraction there.
 
#105      
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?
LarryGotFouled said:
This is just so wild. I distinctly remember the last summer podcasts - "Keaton likely won't see the floor and should redshirt." "Mirkovic - weird haircut. Maybe can rebound a little but likely won't see the floor."

Keaton a #5 pick and Mirk the #1 power forward in college basketball this year? WILD. Is this real life??


Just shows that all these definitive opinions on Morillo or Landon Davis, etc....don't be so sure we know what these kids might become. Enjoy the ride.
Click to expand...
I believe LVille’s first post about Mirkovic when we recruited him, was that he’s a “Tomi level player.”
 
#106      
HoopsterMan
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
Keaton was a once in a generation exception.

I don’t remember anyone saying Mirkovic “likely won’t see the floor.” At worst he was the backup 4 and a quality bench piece.
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I wonder when the last 150+ HS recruit turned OAD lottery pick was. Can we think of one? Carrington out of Pitt was close to 100 a few years back.
 
#107      
Emerson Bigguns
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
I think the shooting keeps him on the court.

if nothing else, he can make his mark as a monster shooter.
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I just go back to the Providence tape. He’s more than just a shooter.

I’d wager it’s more about feeling out his teammates. He’s already walking into a gym full of strangers and being handed the keys. I Imagine there is a part of him that is trying to avoid looking like a ball hog to his teammates.

If you are going to be the keystone of the offense, guys have to trust that you will find them. If they think you are a me first guy, they might cut a little less hard, or when you actually pass them the ball they don’t give it back.

You don’t just have to win over your coaches…you have to win over your teammates. I’m sure there are a couple guys on the roster who looked at his usage rate last year and wondered if they would still get their shots. To get in, you gotta fit in.

I don’t think it will be tough for the coaches to get him to be more aggressive once he’s more comfortable in the offense and in the locker room. That’s what he has been when the lights are on.
 
#108      
NarrowJ
WhereDoWeStandWithStorr? said:
I believe LVille’s first post about Mirkovic when we recruited him, was that he’s a “Tomi level player.”
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He did, and there was a lot of pushback on that, which even continued after he played in the Hoop Summit. Specifically, “never see the floor” wasn’t something that was written to my knowledge though.
 
#112      
Brosky
Nobody said Mirkovic won’t see the floor.
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It seems to me that Mirk will make a fast recovery and be on the court sooner than expected.
 
#113      
Big Jack
Joel Goodson said:
until last summer, Davis played center. his AAU team had a very athletic 7 footer (Diane), pushing Davis to PF. so, he's on the perimeter some for the first time and he kinda showed out. enough so to be excited about his potential. sure thing? nope. but a lot of upside, IMO
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Thanks for the insight. Kid looks skilled from this tape. I am really hoping that this season with the early games we can get all of these new guys plenty of playing time. Be nice to see these freshman get 10 minutes of time together starting in second halves.
 
#114      
hoopsfan47
Joel Goodson said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2088053025524818198

development kid, for sure, but has an intriguing skill set
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Can't imagine what anyone sees that is not to like. He certainly displays all the offensive tools necessary to be a skilled B1G warrior and a huge contributor to Illini team success.


What we can't see is the passion and determination Landon has to become the best he can be. Is he willing to work as hard as TSJr. to improve his shooting? Will he outwork everyone in the weightroom? Can he see things on the court that few others perceive? There are literally hundreds of incoming frosh every season with skills. But only a few of those have the passion and work ethic to succeed. If you want to be elite, go ask the coach what you need to do. Only a very few will try to do it...and fewer still will succeed. I certainly hope Davis is one of them, and at my age, I sincerely hope to see it happen.
 
#115      
NarrowJ
hoopsfan47 said:
Can't imagine what anyone sees that is not to like. He certainly displays all the offensive tools necessary to be a skilled B1G warrior and a huge contributor to Illini team success.


What we can't see is the passion and determination Landon has to become the best he can be. Is he willing to work as hard as TSJr. to improve his shooting? Will he outwork everyone in the weightroom? Can he see things on the court that few others perceive? There are literally hundreds of incoming frosh every season with skills. But only a few of those have the passion and work ethic to succeed. If you want to be elite, go ask the coach what you need to do. Only a very few will try to do it...and fewer still will succeed. I certainly hope Davis is one of them, and at my age, I sincerely hope to see it happen.
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What I see: a future Ben Humrichous

I wonder if that's sort of the staff's vision for him
 
#117      
NarrowJ
BlueFlag said:
Naw.

I see a future Landon Davis. In a year or two, Landon will be better than Ben (although Ben was a stud in his way.)
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girls look GIF
 
#119      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Emerson Bigguns said:
I just go back to the Providence tape. He’s more than just a shooter.
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Emerson Bigguns said:
I just go back to the Providence tape. He’s more than just a shooter.
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I mean it sounds cliche, but is he?

He's a bad defender and a bad defender.

He doesn't put pressure on the rim.

Only a 29.5 free throw rate.

He shot 8.4 three pointers per game, which was one of the tops in the country.

The ball handling is nice, but is he going to be our assist leader? Still have to see it.

"Just a shooter" is not a bad thing. Plummer was basically just that, and a darn good player (2nd team All BIG). Vaaks is just a taller version.
 
#120      
hoopsfan47
NarrowJ said:
What I see: a future Ben Humrichous

I wonder if that's sort of the staff's vision for him
Click to expand...
There appears to be a lot of the Hummer there. But the film (and given it is a highlight film) shows a guy that is willing to take it to the rim and finish with either hand...something we never saw Hummer do. With a decent handle at 6'9", that expands has offensive threat immensely. Mirk showed his finishing ability by just tossing a 4 footer into the net without anything fancy...which seemed to be there at any time if he could convert it at a high percentage.

What we do not see is Landon's defensive ability. And yet, with his movement, and quickness for his size, that can be developed and will be a huge determining factor for him getting minutes.

Overall, there is reason to be very optimistic that he will develop. It all depends on his willingness to learn and his work ethic. Huge potential...much like JJ showed as a frosh....yet more natural. We must remember the difference on the defensive end that Hummer showed from his first to second season as an Illini. It was huge.
 
#121      
Guest
Phass said:
Does anyone know what exactly Mirks injury was?
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I didn’t see this answered, and I was curious, too. I happened to listen to the “emergency” Sleepers Media podcast on Mirk’s foot injury, and Gregg said it was a stress fracture. He didn’t name his source, but they do seem to have credible sources.
 
#124      
Guest
Another tidbit I heard on the aforementioned Sleepers Media Emergency Reaction podcast was that, according to Gregg, Mihailo Petrovic is not eligible to play this season. I replayed it to make sure he actually said that. I looked it up and can’t find very much information on it, but I did find this via AI:

Mihailo Petrovic was cleared by the NCAA for the 2025-26 season, but there may have been bureaucratic delays affecting his eligibility status for the 2026-27 season. As of now, Petrovic is expected to be eligible for the upcoming season, but the exact details may still be subject to NCAA review. His situation highlights the complexities often involved in NCAA eligibility determinations.
 
#125      
Mobi
Emerson Bigguns said:
I just go back to the Providence tape. He’s more than just a shooter.

I’d wager it’s more about feeling out his teammates. He’s already walking into a gym full of strangers and being handed the keys. I Imagine there is a part of him that is trying to avoid looking like a ball hog to his teammates.

If you are going to be the keystone of the offense, guys have to trust that you will find them. If they think you are a me first guy, they might cut a little less hard, or when you actually pass them the ball they don’t give it back.

You don’t just have to win over your coaches…you have to win over your teammates. I’m sure there are a couple guys on the roster who looked at his usage rate last year and wondered if they would still get their shots. To get in, you gotta fit in.

I don’t think it will be tough for the coaches to get him to be more aggressive once he’s more comfortable in the offense and in the locker room. That’s what he has been when the lights are on.
Click to expand...
To me he is KJ on steroid. Probably better shooter on average and T/O ratio somewhat better. However, in the film, their common weaknesses are their driving games and Vaak more so. KJ were willing to drive but sometimes couldn't finish. Vaak seems more comfortable staying around the perimeter than in the paint area. So of course the defenders would rather be up to his nose. KJ's year was kinda rough cuz a maturing Riley was the 2nd best option. We have AS and Mirk this year to overcome that if it comes to truth.
 
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