Andrej Stojakovic announces transfer to Illinois after playing last season for Cal
After playing the first two years of his college basketball career in the state of California, Andrej Stojakovic is taking his game to the Midwest.
Stojakovic, the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, announced on social media that he's transferring to Illinois. He'll have two years of eligibility with the Fighting Illini.
Advertisement
The 6-foot-5 guard will play for his third school in three seasons. Stojakovic played last season with California, for whom he averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He shot 32% on 129 3-point attempts. In 2023-24, he played for Stanford, averaging 7.8 points per game as a freshman.
Returning to Stanford was under consideration for Stojakovic, who was also looking at North Carolina as a possible destination. At Illinois, he'll become the team's leading scorer, based on last season's numbers. Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis led the Illini last season with 15 points per game, but is moving on after declaring for the NBA Draft.
The Illini finished 22-13 overall last season, finishing seventh at 12-8 in the Big Ten. Coach Brad Underwood's squad qualified for the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region and defeated Xavier before falling to Kentucky in the second round.
"Coach Underwood has been very aggressive recruiting me from the start and constantly reiterating how much I'm wanted and needed as a basketball player there," Stojakovic told ESPN. "They really believe I'm the missing piece to what they think is a national championship team."
Advertisement
Additionally, Stojakovic cited Underwood's record of developing guards at Illinois, allowing players including Ayo Dosunmu, T.J. Shannon and Jakucionis to both handle the ball up the court and play off the ball as shooters.
International players will comprise a large part of Illinois' roster next season with Stojakovic joining Mihailo Petrovic and David Mirkovic from Serbia and Croatian brothers Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic from Croatia.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Predicting Michigan State and every other Big Ten team's record in 2025
It's that time of the year when anyone and everyone has thoughts on how the college football season will play out -- so why would I be any different? I'm back again this year with my annual game-by-game predictions for all of the Big Ten teams, where I'm projecting a better fall for our Spartans this year. Michigan State comes into this season looking to snap a three-year bowl drought, and I'm pretty confident that will happen with my predictions for the Spartans this fall. Included in this year's predictions are... So without further ado, here are my Big Ten football predictions for the upcoming 2025 season: Illinois Record: 9-3 (6-3 in Big Ten) Wins: Western Illinois, at Duke, Western Michigan, at Indiana, USC, at Purdue, Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern Losses: Ohio State, at Washington and at Wisconsin Thoughts: Like many looking for a trendy pick, I'm pretty high on the Fighting Illini entering the 2025 season. They return a ton of talent from a team that won 10 games last season, and most notably have a veteran quarterback in Luke Altmyer and strong offensive line. I have Illinois getting off to a fast start of 6-0 before sputtering during the back half of the year, with an upset at Wisconsin derailing their goal of reaching the College Football Playoff. Indiana Record: 7-5 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, Indiana State, UCLA, at Maryland, Wisconsin and at Purdue Losses: Illinois, at Iowa, at Oregon, Michigan State and at Penn State Thoughts: Indiana was the team that shocked the system last year by going 11-1 and reaching the College Football Playoff. This year, though, I'm not expecting the same kind of success with a more difficult slate of games ahead for the Hoosiers. Indiana should still be a lock to go bowling, but I anticipate a tough four game stretch of Illinois, at Iowa, at Oregon and Michigan State to end any dreams of back-to-back College Football Playoff trips for Curt Cignetti. Iowa Record: 7-5 (5-4 in Big Ten) Wins: UAlbany, UMass, at Rutgers, Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Michigan State Losses: at Iowa State, at Wisconsin, Penn State, at USC and at Nebraska Thoughts: Can we finally trust the Hawkeyes' offense led by South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski? He's ultimately the difference maker on whether or not Iowa is a College Football Playoff contender or just another solid team from the Big Ten. I'm in the mindset of let's wait and see before getting too excited, so I have Iowa finishing more near their floor than ceiling, but wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up hitting double-digit wins this season. Maryland Record: 4-8 (1-8 in Big Ten) Wins: Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois, Towson and Washington Losses: at Wisconsin, Nebraska, at UCLA, Indiana, at Rutgers, at Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State (neutral site) Thoughts: It feels like this could be the season that things truly go south for the Terps and we see the end of the Mike Locksley era at Maryland. The Terps benefit from arguably the easiest schedule in the conference, but I anticipate a major slide when Maryland hits the thick of conference play. I have the Terps losing their final seven games, with a chance that Locksley is already gone by the time the Terps come to Ford Field for the season finale against Michigan State. Michigan Record: 8-4 (6-3 in Big Ten) Wins: New Mexico, Central Michigan, at Nebraska, Wisconsin, Washington, Purdue, at Northwestern and at Maryland Losses: at Oklahoma, at USC, at Michigan State and Ohio State Thoughts: Michigan is maybe one of the hardest teams to forecast for the upcoming season, as the ceiling could be national championship contender while the floor could be struggling to reach bowl eligibility. The defense should still be stellar for the Wolverines and it'll ultimately come down to how quickly can five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood come around as the expected starter. I think they'll take some early season lumps due to his inexperience but could be dangerous by the end of the season -- something Ryan Day and Ohio State doesn't want to hear. Minnesota Record: 7-5 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: Buffalo, Northwestern State, at Cal, Rutgers, Purdue, Michigan State and Wisconsin Losses: at Ohio State, Nebraska, at Iowa, at Oregon and at Northwestern Thoughts: Minnesota feels like they're going to be Minnesota again this year. I understand that's not terribly descriptive but it is a credit to the consistency the Golden Gophers have established under P.J. Fleck. I believe a new young quarterback in Drake Lindsey will be a limitation for Minnesota to contend for double-digit wins, but I am very confident they'll make a bowl game with relative ease. Nebraska Record: 8-4 (5-4 in Big Ten) Wins: Cincinnati, Akron, Houston Christian, Michigan State, at Maryland, at Minnesota, Northwestern and Iowa Losses: Michigan, USC, at UCLA and at Penn State Thoughts: Can Nebraska break through in 2025? They're a trendy dark horse pick to reach the College Football Playoff out of the Big Ten but I'm not quite that high on them just yet. I have the Cornhuskers getting off to a great start of 7-1 before they drop three straight late in the year to end any hope of reaching the playoff. Northwestern Record: 3-9 (1-8 in Big Ten) Wins: Western Illinois, Louisiana Monroe and Minnesota Losses: at Tulane, Oregon, UCLA, at Penn State, Purdue, at Nebraska, at USC, Michigan and at Illinois Thoughts: The David Braun magic from 2023 is gone -- or at least that's my prediction. The Wildcats' roster and tough schedule this season (which includes a road trip to Tulane to open the season) has me expecting another rough season for Northwestern. I'm not sure Northwestern will be ready to move on from Braun quite yet, but I would expect him to be on the hot seat entering next season. Ohio State Record: 11-1 (9-0 in Big Ten) Wins: Grambling State, Ohio, at Washington, Minnesota, at Illinois, at Wisconsin, Penn State, at Purdue, UCLA, Rutgers and at Michigan Losses: Texas Thoughts: Not much of a hot take to say Ohio State is going to once again be really good this year, but opening the season with a home loss to Texas is at least a little bit spicy. The early season defeat to the Longhorns is the only loss I have on the schedule for Ohio State as they will get back to Indy for the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2020. Oregon Record: 10-2 (7-2 in Big Ten) Wins: Montana State, Oklahoma State, at Northwestern, Oregon State, Indiana, at Rutgers, Wisconsin, Minnesota, USC and at Washington Losses: at Penn State and at Iowa Thoughts: Oregon was the team to beat in the Big Ten last year, going 13-0 with a Big Ten title in their first year in the league. The Ducks now will look to defend their crown with a new quarterback in Dante Moore and a number of new key contributors expected across the board. I'm anticipating the Ducks will take a slight step back this year but still good enough to find their way back into the College Football Playoff. Penn State Record: 10-2 (7-2 in Big Ten) Wins: Nevada, Florida International, Villanova, Oregon, Northwestern, at Iowa, Indiana, at Michigan State, Nebraska and at Rutgers Losses: at UCLA and at Ohio State Thoughts: Expectations have never been higher for Penn State under James Franklin, but can they live up to the hype? I'm on the fence because I need to see it before I can believe it when it comes to beating Ohio State, at least. I have the Nittany Lions going 10-2, with a surprise upset loss on a west coast trip to UCLA before stumbling at Ohio State. Will that be enough to get them back to the Big Ten title game? More on that later... Purdue Record: 3-9 (1-8 in Big Ten) Wins: Ball State, Southern Illinois and at Northwestern Losses: USC, at Notre Dame, Illinois, Minnesota, Rutgers, at Michigan, Ohio State, at Washington and Indiana Thoughts: I like the hire of Barry Odom for head coach but I unfortunately don't like what he will be forced to work with in year one. I expect the Boilermakers to take some lumps in year one under Odom, and wouldn't be shocked if they go winless in Big Ten play for a second straight year. Rutgers Record: 4-8 (2-7 in Big Ten) Wins: Ohio, Norfolk State, at Purdue and Maryland Losses: Miami (OH), Iowa, at Minnesota, at Washington, Oregon, at Illinois, at Ohio State and Penn State Thoughts: The schedule is brutal for Rutgers this season, with games against arguably the top four teams in the Big Ten (Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and Illinois). Combine that with a couple of trappy non-conference games to open the year and I could see this being a rough year for the Scarlet Knights. My week two upset loss to Miami (OH) is where I see things start to derail early in the year. UCLA Record: 6-6 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: at UNLV, New Mexico, at Northwestern, Penn State, Maryland and Nebraska Losses: Utah, at Michigan State, at Indiana, at Ohio State, Washington and at USC Thoughts: UCLA will be must-watch TV (at least early in the season) thanks to the Nico Iamaleava transfer portal addition during the spring window. It'll be interesting to see how much he can elevate the Bruins, and for me personally, I think he's the difference between UCLA making and not making a bowl game. I also believe he plays a role in the Bruins picking up some notable wins over Penn State and Nebraska this season. USC Record: 9-3 (7-2 in Big Ten) Wins: Missouri State, Georgia Southern, at Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, at Nebraska, Northwestern, Iowa and UCLA Losses: at Illinois, at Notre Dame and at Oregon Thoughts: I'm bullish on the Trojans having a strong season and being a contender for the Big Ten title. The success or failures of USC will come down to quarterback play in Jayden Maiava, but the overall talent around him should be enough to give the Trojans a much higher floor this season than last. The schedule is tough, but if they can get past Michigan and at Nebraska, then I like their chances to reach nine, and maybe, 10 wins this season. Washington Record: 7-5 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: Colorado State, UC Davis, at Washington State, Rutgers, Illinois, Purdue and at UCLA Losses: Ohio State, at Maryland, at Michigan, at Wisconsin and Oregon Thoughts: There is a lot of excitement around what Jedd Fisch can do in year two at Washington -- in large part because of new starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr. He showed sparks of his capabilities last season, which has led some around the country to expect big things from the Huskies this year. I like Williams, but I'm not ready to go all in on Washington this year. Wisconsin Record: 6-6 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: Miami (OH), Middle Tennessee State, Maryland, Iowa, Washington and Illinois Losses: at Alabama, at Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, at Indiana and at Minnesota Thoughts: Wisconsin is set to play one of (if not the) hardest schedules in the country this season so if they can just make a bowl game this year, that would be a massive success. The Badgers have probably three "easily" winnable games but after that it's tough sledding. If quarterback Billy Edwards can stay healthy for Wisconsin, then I think they find a way to pull a few upsets and get back to bowl eligibility to reduce the heat on head coach Luke Fickell's seat in Madison, Wisc. Michigan State Record: 7-5 (4-5 in Big Ten) Wins: Western Michigan, Boston College, Youngstown State, UCLA, at Indiana, Michigan and Maryland Losses: at USC, at Nebraska, at Minnesota, Penn State and at Iowa Thoughts: The Michigan State schedule is full of toss-up games this season, and I believe they're going to come out on the right side of more than not. The Boston College game in week two will be a defining game for the Spartans this year as I have them winning that one and getting off to a 6-2 start from that momentum. The notable wins over UCLA, Indiana (on the road) and rival Michigan will give fans plenty to be excited about heading into year three under Jonathan Smith. Final Big Ten Standings Here is how the Big Ten standings would look based on my game-by-game predictions: Big Ten Championship Game Ohio State would face Penn State (wins tiebreakers over Oregon and USC) in the Big Ten Championship Game. In the rematch between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, I have Penn State winning and claiming their first conference title since 2016. College Football Playoff & Bowl Assignments A total of 14 Big Ten teams would be bowl eligible based on my game-by-game predictions. Here is a prediction of where each of those teams would land in the postseason: College Football Playoff: Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. SEC school Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Iowa vs. Big 12 school GameAbove Sports Bowl: Indiana vs. MAC school Holiday Bowl: USC vs. ACC school LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Mountain West school Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. former Pac-12 school Music City Bowl: Michigan State vs. SEC school Pinstripe Bowl: Minnesota vs. ACC school ReliaQuest Bowl: Illinois vs. SEC school SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Wisconsin vs. SEC, ACC or American Conference school Valero Alamo Bowl: Washington vs. Big 12 school Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Will Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum be the best player in the NBA in 2030?
Will star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum be the best player in the NBA in 2030? The St. Louis native would of course need to return to something very close to the player he was before he hurt his Achilles tendon in the 2025 NBA Playoffs for that to happen. And he will have some very tough competition for that honor from players like Oklahoma City Thunder star and 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets icon Nikola Jokic, San Antonio Spurs rising star Victor Wembanyama, Los Angeles Lakers legend-in-the-making Luka Doncic, and likely several others as well. The hosts of the CLNS Media "Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay!" podcast took some time on a recent episode of their show to talk over what would have to happen for such a thing to come to pass in the future by that date. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube:
New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Do the Knicks need to make NBA Finals and other New York fan survey results
The people have spoken. Over 3,000 fans voiced their opinion on the New York Knicks' upcoming season and the state of the franchise. And, as was the case last year, the expectations are sky high from both the organization and the fans. New York finished last year two wins short of the NBA Finals, fired its coach, hired a new one and has put together the bulk of next year's roster with a little over a month until training camp begins. Based on the survey results, it feels as if Knicks fans are anticipating yet another season that sees the franchise ending a long drought. Advertisement With all that said, let's get into the results for each question and my thoughts on everything. Progress doesn't always have to be linear, but in the case of the Knicks, who are months removed from their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years and firing their winningest coach this century, it does. Over 70 percent of the votes suggest that fans believe New York has to, at least, make the finals. I figured that would be the case. Not only were the Knicks, possibly, a Tyrese Haliburton prayer shot from making it this past season, but the core will have another year under its belt in an Eastern Conference with less legitimate NBA title contenders (in large part due to injuries). Winning an NBA title is hard. Getting to the finals is difficult, too. Too many factors outside of which team is the best plays into accomplishments of that magnitude. However, as things stand, the Knicks have a lot of things in their favor to be the last team standing in the East. I'm actually surprised that 'very confident' came in third place. Maybe decades of heartbreak has fans controlling their emotions. That's understandable. As we sit here in August, the only team that appears to be on the same level as the Knicks in the East is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who, after an Eastern Conference-leading 64 wins last season, fell short in the second round of the NBA playoffs to the Indiana Pacers. Cleveland did dominate New York during the regular season last year, and maybe that is where some of the cautiousness comes from for Knicks fans. The Cavaliers have more continuity than the Knicks, and I could see that leading to a better regular-season record if New York takes a bit to find its footing under a new head coach. That said, one of the Cavaliers or Knicks will be the No. 1 seed in the East (barring injuries of course). We'll see how these two teams match up against one another relatively soon, as they open the season against one another and then play again on Christmas. Advertisement Of all the questions on this survey, this result was the one I was most curious about. When talking to fans in-person and online, there seems to be a healthy split when it comes to this question. The results somewhat show the same thing. Ultimately, I think fans grew tired of Thibodeau's reliance upon his starters, his lack of experimentation until the Knicks were deep in the playoffs and, well, after five years, people just like change. Do I think Thibodeau deserved to be fired? I don't. I thought he deserved one more year after all he's done to help turn New York back into a respectable organization on the court. Do I understand why he got fired? I do. The decision to fire Thibodeau could be one that either makes the decision-makers look like geniuses or, potentially, sets the franchise back a bit. We'll find out soon enough. This is somewhat how I thought the result of this question would shake out. Brown has had a long coaching career that has been met with both highs and lows. He's respected around the NBA but doesn't come with the championship pedigree (as a head coach) that I'm sure some fans would have liked after what transpired last season. Brown has a lot of the credentials you'd want from someone running the show, but I'm not sure he'd be considered a 'splashy' hire. Brown and the front office will absorb all of the pressure this coming season. Brown is the only major change from a team that went far last season, and the front office made the decision to change bodies in that first chair. The owner will face pressure, too, but he owns the team. So, is it really pressure? He won't fire himself. The veteran coach deserves the benefit of the doubt out of the gate. Brown has accomplished enough in this league to make you believe that, with this team, he could be the voice needed to help the Knicks reach the mountaintop. Advertisement Another split across the board for the most part, and I believe this is the proper reaction to this question. Not everyone was on the same page. And, no, this wasn't the best cycle to fire an accomplished coach and look for a new head coach. Yet, with those two things said, the Knicks did their due diligence, no matter how funky the process looked. Now, one could say they were forced to do their due diligence because of how and when Thibodeau was let go. Those people wouldn't be incorrect. However, given the circumstances, I did think New York turned over a lot of stones to make sure it found what it believes to be the best candidate available. We'll find out soon enough if the Knicks' process led to the results they were looking for. If the survey was done before the playoffs, I wonder if the results would have had a little more blue… After being traded for a handful of draft picks last summer, Bridges' introduction to Manhattan was met with mixed reviews. He struggled at times as the team's primary point-of-attack defender, and his offensive success was largely reliant upon midrange shooting. Individually, Bridges had a good regular season, but he certainly had pockets where he left fans wanting more. However, in the playoffs, Bridges made some of the biggest defensive stops in more than one series and hit some big shots here and there, as well. He was always consistent from quarter to quarter during the postseason, but his highs were key in helping the Knicks make the Eastern Conference finals. Ultimately, New York made the trade for Bridges because it believed he was the missing piece to help the franchise be legitimate title contenders. The Knicks were two wins away from making the finals and Bridges played every game. That's something. Advertisement The Knicks didn't give up too much to acquire Towns and his lengthy contract, so the results here make sense. He was one of the 15 best players in the NBA last season, had his most efficient shooting season in three years and, like Bridges, played a big part in the Knicks making the Eastern Conference finals. Towns has his limitations defensively, but everyone knew that when the trade happened. His offense popped despite optimal spacing, and there's more there for Brown to try and unlock. As it pertains to Towns, the Knicks need to find out if they can win at the highest level with him playing center primarily or if he needs another traditional, rim-protecting center alongside him. The Timberwolves thought they answered that question and now New York must do it sooner rather than later. The fan response here is correlated to what I was talking about above. Fans, too, feel like pairing Towns with a more traditional, defensive-minded center like Mitchell Robinson is the best way to go in order to maximize this team's ceiling. Thibodeau switched to the Brunson-Bridges-Anunoby-Towns-Robinson starting lineup halfway through the postseason and while the results weren't great, they were better than the previous starting lineup. The former lineup played 65 minutes together in the playoffs (which was the 15th most-used lineup in the entire playoffs) and posted a -3.7 net rating. The Brunson-Bridges-Anunoby-Hart-Towns lineup played 335 minutes together (which was the most-used lineup in the entire playoffs) and had a -6.2 net rating. The starting lineup with Robinson wasn't used much during the regular season, largely because Robinson missed most of the regular season due to injury. Maybe there is more to unlock there with more time together. After that, fans appear to prioritize the shooting of Miles McBride as opposed to the connectivity of Josh Hart. Advertisement Out of curiosity, if you voted 'other' let me know in the comments which starting lineup you want to see. I won't spend too much time on this result. It makes sense. Brown and Co. get two years to figure it out from the viewpoint of the fans. That seems reasonable. Of all the questions on this survey, this was the one result I was most sure of. Brunson, yet again, was one of the best 10 players in the NBA. He was the most clutch player in basketball. He had ridiculously good playoff performances. Brunson is the best player on the team and has, maybe more than anyone, been critical to the Knicks' on-court resurgence in recent years. The fans love Brunson. Brunson loves the fans. This is a perfect marriage. Maybe Brunson never brings a title to New York. There are too many factors that impact that result outside of Brunson's control. And even if he never does, Brunson has proven that, year after year, he is one of the best players in the game. The case could be made that a team with two limited defenders playing major minutes can't win a title. That's understandable. However, to me, that says more about mildly flawed team-building than it does Brunson. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
