Latest news with #Stojaković
CBS News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Guard Andrej Stojaković joins Illini from Cal
Brad Underwood and the rebuilding Illini basketball crew have added another international player through the transfer portal. Cal guard Andrej Stojaković is signing with the orange and blue. The 6-foot-7-inch sophomore was the Golden Bears' leading scorer last season and is a former McDonald's All-American. "Andrej is a veteran, proven scorer who does it in all three facets: catch and shoot, off the dribble, and post ups," Underwood said in a news release. "He has great size on the perimeter, ball handling skills, playmaking abilities, quickness on the defensive end, and knack for blocking shots. Andrej is a very important addition for us because of his experience, high basketball IQ, and productivity. He has had very good coaching and shows a tremendous understanding for how to play the game on both ends of the court." At Cal, Stojaković averaged 17.9 points to lead the team, and he ranked sixth in the ACC. He scored double figures in 25 of his 29 games, and 20 or more points in 13 games. He closed out the year with a career-high 37 points against Stanford in the ACC Tournament second round on March 12, following 29 points against Virginia Tech in the first round. As a true freshman at Stanford, Stojaković started 10 of 32 games. He has started 10 of 32 games in 61 career total games across two college seasons, and has averaged 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42% from the floor. Stojaković will help an Illini offense that lost Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley to NBA Draft this offseason. Stojaković is the son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, who played for the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks, and most recently served as assistant general manager of the Kings. Stojaković is not the only Cal player headed to our area. Loyola got transfer forward Joshua Ola-Joseph, who averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds last year. Back at Illinois, Underwood has been leaning into his success of landing international players, as seen in a profile picture on X with more than 2.5 million views. contributed to this report.
San Francisco Chronicle
28-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cal basketball leading scorer Andrej Stojaković transfers to Illinois
Andrej Stojaković, Cal basketball's leading scorer last season, plans to transfer to Illinois, he announced via X on Monday. Stojaković, the son of former three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, averaged 17.9 points per game in his lone season with the Bears. He is a four-star transfer who ranks as the No. 35 overall transfer and the No. 6 small forward, according to 247Sports. Illinois will be the third school in as many years for Stojaković, who has two years of eligibility remaining. As a true freshman at Stanford, the 6-foot-7 Jesuit-Sacramento alum started 10 of his 32 games played and averaged 7.8 points. Stojaković was a five-star high school recruit on the 247Sports Composite, which had him ranked as the No. 25 player nationally in the 2023 class. Even with Stojaković being an ACC All-Tournament first-team selection who was also named an all-conference honorable mention, Cal ended its debut season in the ACC with a 14-19 record, including a 6-14 conference mark. The Bears haven't finished a campaign at or above .500 since 2016-17. Illinois finished 22-13 this season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini have won 20-plus games in each of the past six season and have played in five straight NCAA Tournaments. Stojaković leaves Berkeley as one of three outgoing four-star transfers, the others being 6-foot-1 combo guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (Georgia) and 6-foot-8 forward BJ Omot.
Chicago Tribune
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Illinois signs Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković
The Illinois men's basketball team added high-profile transfer Andrej Stojaković to its new-look roster Monday. Stojaković, the son of three-time Sacramento Kings All-Star Peja Stojaković, signed with Illinois after a sophomore season at California in which he averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks. The 6-foot-7 guard from Carmichael, Calif., played his freshman season at Stanford and averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds. ESPN ranked him the 31st-best player in the transfer portal this spring after he received All-ACC honorable mention in the regular season and was selected to the All-ACC Tournament first team. Illinois coach Brad Underwood called Stojaković 'a very important addition' because of his experience, high basketball IQ and productivity. 'Andrej is a veteran, proven scorer who does it in all three facets: catch and shoot, off the dribble and post-ups,' Underwood said in a statement. 'He has great size on the perimeter, ballhandling skills, playmaking abilities, quickness on the defensive end and knack for blocking shots. 'He has had very good coaching and shows a tremendous understanding for how to play the game on both ends of the court.' Stojaković is the second transfer addition for the Illini this offseason. Zvonimir Ivišić, the 7-foot-2 twin brother of Illinois center Tomislav Ivišić, transferred from Arkansas earlier this month. The additions contribute to the Illini's international flavor one season after they had three international recruits. Stojaković was born in the United States, but his father is Serbian. The Ivišić twins are from Croatia. The Illini also secured commitments from Serbian guard Mihailo Petrović and Montenegrin forward David Mirković. Illinois, which finished last season 22-13 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, needed to replace three starters and a couple of reserves. Starting guard Kasparas Jakučionis and wing Will Riley declared for the NBA draft, and guard Tre White transferred to Kansas. Reserve center Morez Johnson Jr. transferred to Michigan. Guard Kylan Boswell returns to start for Illinois along with Tomislav Ivišić.
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA all-star Peja, commits to Illinois
Cal transfer Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA all-star Peja, commits to Illinois Show Caption Hide Caption Duke, Auburn, Houston players talk NCAA age limit before Final Four Men's Final Four players weigh in on if college basketball should have an age limit One of the biggest names in the transfer portal is headed to Illinois. Cal guard Andrej Stojaković, one of the top scorers in the ACC last season and the son of former NBA all-star Peja Stojaković, has committed to the Fighting Illini, he announced Monday. Stojaković chose Illinois over North Carolina and Stanford, his other two finalists. As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-7 Stojaković averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for a Cal team that finished 14-19. He had a sizable role in the Golden Bears' offense, averaging 13.9 shots per game, though he shot just 42.7% overall and 31.8% from 3-point range. He ended the year on a tear, averaging 29 points per game and shooting 47.1% from beyond the arc in Cal's final three games. REQUIRED READING: Auburn basketball transfer Chad Baker-Mazara commits to USC Stojaković, a McDonald's All-American who began his career at Stanford, is rated as the No. 35 player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. The commitment from Stojaković continues what has been a busy offseason for coach Brad Underwood's program. Though it lost guard Tre White and Morez Johnson Jr. to the portal, Illinois has landed commitments from a pair of Serbian prospects, both of whom were playing professionally overseas — forward David Mirkovic and guard Mihailo Petrovic. Though Stojaković was born in California while his father was playing for the Sacramento Kings, he's of Serbian descent. The Illini also added Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic from the portal from Arkansas, reuniting him with his brother Tomislav, the team's second-leading scorer last season. It will make Illinois perhaps the most internationally influenced roster in major college basketball next season, a fact that isn't lost on Underwood. After Stojaković's commitment, the ninth-year Illinois coach posted a computer-generated picture on social media of himself in an orange tracksuit and a cap crouching down in front of a Soviet-era khrushchevka apartment building. With the addition of Stojaković, the Illini could very well have a roster that will earn them a preseason top-25 ranking come fall. "I think the main reasons were pretty clear to my inner circle as a basketball fit," Stojaković said to ESPN. "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. They really believe I'm the missing piece to what they think is a national championship team."
