Retention was the buzzword floating around Champaign all offseason, with Illinois returning five rotation players from its Final Four roster. But with the loss of star guard Keaton Wagler and key contributors Ben Humrichous and Kylan Boswell, head coach Brad Underwood and his staff had to find a way to reinforce their lineup.
A six-player freshman class, headlined by a projected first-round NBA draft pick, and the acquisition of one of the most desired transfers in the country was the way Underwood chose to go. From what he’s seen thus far, Underwood thinks that this roster is “more versatile” than last season and has the potential to make another Final Four run.
The Illini made their rounds in the press over the last couple weeks, with players and coaches being available at a local and conference-wide media day. Read ahead to get a preview of the expectations and noise surrounding each player before the 2026-27 team debuts this weekend with an exhibition game at Cincinnati.
Ethan Brown: Freshman guard, Rolla High School (Missouri)
Brown comes to Champaign as one of six freshmen, but senior wing Andrej Stojaković has already called him out as one of the standouts amongst the newcomers.
“I think Ethan Brown has done a great job of being poised and being calm in situation where he’s the primary ballhandler and he can facilitate, and he’s been good at it,” Stojaković said.
Brown is hanging his hat on being high-IQ and playing the right way by letting the game come to him and not forcing anything. Illinois has a multitude of guards crowding its backcourt, but Brown is seemingly making a strong case for some backup minutes. The different level of physicality at Illinois has been an adjustment, but from the sound of it, he’s handling the transition at a high level.
“Everyone’s long, everyone’s tall, so to be able to adjust my game around that and be able to find my open guys has been huge for me,” Brown said. “… Figuring out angles and drawing two, just not trying to force anything, just playing my game. Because if I’m able to draw two, that means someone’s open. So, it’s just being able to stay in control, find the open guy, and then just play off that.”
Quentin Coleman: Freshman guard, The Principia School (Missouri)
The freshman with by far the biggest buzz heading into the 2026-27 campaign is Coleman, who has had some outside pressure to fill the void left by Wagler. He’s thought of as a high-scoring guard that has been projected to be a first round pick in next year’s NBA Draft. As a senior in high school, Coleman shot 64.9% from the field, including a blistering 50.6% from three, so he can really get hot.
While Underwood is not putting those expectations on him whatsoever, Coleman has still been impressive in all facets, from his ability to score to his ultra-competitive nature and “eager aggression.”
“He’s got a great, great motor — I love that about him,” Underwood said. “He has been maybe better than advertised as a shooter. I’ve been very pleased with his ability to shoot off the bounce.”
One other aspect of Coleman’s game to watch is his knack for chasing down boards. While playing for Team USA in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup this summer, the O’Fallon, Illinois native averaged an astounding 11.4 rebounds per game, and that has carried over into practices in Champaign.
“Our big guys get ticked off at him every day because he steals their rebounds,” Underwood said.
Jake Davis: Returning senior wing
Davis and his signature curly hair will grace State Farm Center for a third-straight season. A glue-guy and shooter the past two years, Davis should bring back more of the same this year, serving as a valuable connector on this team.
After Stojaković got hurt last season, Davis was thrust into the starting lineup, staying there for the final 19 games of the year. He shot 40.6% from three, leading Illinois. Davis has proven he can be a catch-and-shoot guy that can light it up when needed, which is exactly what this team needs. With many guys that will shoulder the offensive load, Underwood will continue to rely on Davis to be an “elite” role player that doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.
Landon Davis: Freshman forward, Waukee Northwest High School (Iowa)
The 6-foot-9 Davis is Illinois’ only freshman big man, and he’s in the perfect environment to learn and develop by competing against the Ivišić twins and Mirković every day in practice.
With frontcourt minutes largely accounted for, Davis doesn’t have a clear path to playing time this season barring any drastic changes. Expect a majority of this year to be focused on his development to prepare him for more game action next season.
Blake Fagbemi: Returning sophomore guard
The Naperville, Illinois native returns to the Illini as one of their end-of-bench depth pieces. Fagbemi only played in 11 games last season, recording 2 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in garbage time minutes. He will continue to be utilized on the scout team in practice rather than see much of the floor at State Farm Center.
Tomislav Ivišić: Returning fifth-year center
In what will be his final season of college basketball, Ivišić is aiming to build on a strong individual NCAA tournament run that closed out last season. After a regular season in which energy seemed to be inconsistent for Ivišić, he finished the year strong by averaging 12.8 points on 52.3% shooting and 6.4 rebounds across five March Madness games.
Underwood said that he saw “tremendous commitment” from Ivišić in terms of work ethic this summer, with the 7-footer working out alongside Mirković every morning at Ubben. That focus on development, even as an older veteran, has been crucial to Ivišić becoming a “much better player” in Underwood’s words and “more diverse” in his own.
“He’s moving so much better,” Underwood said. “He’s not just what I call a plodder. He’s moving, he’s cutting. He’s worked very, very hard on his faceup game and his ability to drive.”
Zvonimir Ivišić: Returning fifth-year center
The other half of the twin towers, Ivišić may not have started his collegiate career with the Illini, but he has made Champaign his home. After spending his first two seasons at Kentucky and Arkansas, Ivišić was a key piece in the frontcourt for Illinois’ Final Four run last season and hopes to build on that this year. Ivišić averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game, coming off the bench behind his brother.
His defensive ability, rim protection and athletic array of dunks were the standout parts of his game. However, Ivišić’s 3-point shooting took a major dip, from 37.6% at Arkansas to just 28% last season. That will need to be an area of improvement this year if he wants to stay marked as a legitimate perimeter threat on scouting reports.
Ivišić was dealing with some lower body issues last year, but Underwood said that he is now feeling the best he has felt. A healthy Ivišić means that Illinois gets quicker and more explosive on both ends of the floor, with the high flying Croatian no longer having any mobility concerns.
“Here’s a guy that ran, at 262 pounds, a 5:20 mile – shattered all of our big guys’ records,” Underwood said. “Who does that? … It’s my job to get all of that out of him. He’s so much more than a 3-point shooter … We need him to be America’s best shot blocker and rim protector and roller and threat when he goes because he’s so big and so fast.”
Jason Jakstys: Returning junior forward
After redshirting his first season in Champaign and having last season cut short by a blood clot in his shoulder, Jakstys is now fully healthy for his third year on-campus. Under the NCAA’s new eligibility rules, he is classified as a junior instead of a redshirt sophomore due to redshirts being eliminated.
With Humrichous’s exit leaving behind some front court minutes, Jakstys should have more of an opportunity to see the hardwood this season as the fourth true-big on the roster. Underwood certainly likes his skillset, but Jakstys is still mostly unproven in Big Ten play due to his health setback.
“He was in position to help us last year,” Underwood said. “Jason does everything right, he is a winning role player. He is a winning guy…He’s an elite runner, he’s an elite rebounder. He’s got great, great feel and IQ. Deceivingly and deceptively, people probably haven’t seen a lot, a very good passer and a very good ball handler … He’s got his weight back up, he’s gaining weight, and I’m excited for him.”
Quentin McCoy: Transfer junior guard, Arizona State
McCoy was a late addition to the roster, signing with the Illini at the end of August. He is a Chicago native who walked on at Arizona State for his first two seasons of college basketball. Out west, he only played 6 total minutes across 9 games. Expect him to be a practice player with a role on the scout team, but not play any real in-game minutes.
David Mirković: Returning sophomore forward
Mirković is the centerpiece of this Illini roster, returning after an impressive freshman season in which he averaged 13.3 points, 8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Despite undergoing foot surgery in early August, Mirković is progressing well and is back on the court in a limited capacity. Mirković had, by all accounts, a fantastic summer of development before getting hurt and he’s been focused on film while sidelined. He’s confident that he’ll be able to smoothly transition back into the flow of the team and handle whatever is thrown at him by opposing defenses early on, even as he works back into game shape.
“I’m going to be ready for a lot of attention on me on court,” Mirkoviċ said. “I will always draw multiple players on me. I think that’s the beauty of a team sport. We have a really good team, and I will not have to force anything on the court ever.”
The way Illinois utilizes Mirković will be interesting this year. His ability to shoot at a high clip, use his size down low and Jokic-like passing skills have made him a sort of Swiss Army knife in Underwood’s pocket. The Illini plan on playing him in multiple positions, from point guard to power forward — whatever creates the greatest advantage.
“The best thing about what happened with the injury was that he had all summer, so that we got a great snapshot of what that looks like, how we were going to utilize him,” Underwood said. “Mirk will be a guy that our job is to create the mismatch right away. And no matter what that is. He’s a much improved ballhandler. We know what kind of shooter he is. A great facilitator that elevates others because when he draws two to him, he can make every pass.”
Lucas Morillo: Freshman wing, The Newman School (Massachusets)
Morillo is a 6-foot-7 guard, fitting Underwood’s love for positional size perfectly. Morillo can impact the game in a variety of different ways, including scoring, facilitating and especially rebounding. As a senior at The Newman School, Morillo put up impressive averages of 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
He did all of that while shooting a strong 56% from the field, including 40% from three – which is a jump from his 33% 3-point shooting as a junior. Illinois loves to shoot the ball, and Morillo has already made that a point of emphasis to keep honing at the college level.
“I would say probably the most important thing that I’ve felt a difference in is my 3-point ability,” Morillo said. “I feel like I’ve shot it really well. And I feel like that’s been improving with my workouts with the coaches and obviously the graduate assistants and just working out every day.”
Andrej Stojaković: Returning senior wing
Stojaković’s return was a major priority for Illinois this offseason, and although he tested the draft waters, he ultimately decided that running it back to handle unfinished business was the best move. Stojaković made his living in the midrange and at the rim last year, finding different ways to create for himself, especially in isolation situations. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and had a standout stretch of games during the NCAA tournament.
An area for improvement is his 3-point shooting. Improving from a rough 24.4% from beyond the arc will allow Stojaković to become a three-level scorer and a bigger offensive threat. Year 2 in the program for transfers has historically been much better, and Underwood is hoping that Stojaković’s dialed-in approach to the offseason will serve as a springboard to a stronger season.
“The one thing I’ve seen with Drej is just a different confidence,” Underwood said. “His body looks completely different … There’s a confidence that comes with that … His mental approach has been terrific. He’s working his tail off. He’s setting an example as a leader with his effort every day.”
Getting stronger as a defender, which he started doing last year, will be important for Stojaković as well. With the loss of Boswell’s elite on-ball coverage and Humrichous’ improved defensive presence, Stojaković is taking on more responsibility but also recognizes it will be a team effort.
“Playing against certain guys on this team has made me a better defender over the past couple months,” Stojaković said, “I think the new guys have shown they can defend at a high level as well. Like we always say, it’s one on Illinois, it’s never one on one.”
Stefan Vaaks: Transfer sophomore guard, Providence
Underwood and his staff were extremely high on Vaaks last spring, and they were able to get their guy – Illinois’ only transfer portal acquisition ahead of this season.
“He was a guy that we earmarked and hit a home run, so to speak, to land him,” Underwood said.
Vaaks comes into Illinois known as a shooter, and he’s maintained that reputation in practice thus far. All of his teammates have had nothing but good things to say about the sophomore and how he fits into Illinois’ dynamic offensive framework, even beyond his shooting.
“His play is so loud; the aggression, the assertiveness, it creates space for himself, for others,” Stojaković said about Vaaks. “Even when he’s off the ball, there’s so much space to isolate, to move the ball, to create different advantages.”
The biggest question surrounding Vaaks has been his defense, with fans online and many in the media quick to point it out as a glaring chink in his armor. Vaaks has heard the criticism, but he’s not feeding into it, saying that he knows he can be a serviceable defender, but just needs another chance to show it.
“(The coaching staff) push me a lot,” Vaaks said. “Everybody has their talks, this and that. I’ve been pushing myself a lot lately, and my goal is to be solid on defense. I know I can be a good defender. Last year’s picture wasn’t good, but also I was coming off an injury. I didn’t practice the whole summer, had a MCL and a PCL half-tear. I wasn’t myself last year, I’ll tell you that. I’ll be a whole different player coming this season.”
Lincoln Williams: Freshman guard, Kankakee High School
Williams has been touted as one of the most athletically gifted players on this Illinois squad, and that’s been supported by multiple videos of him flying high in practice, including posterizing 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivišić, one of the toughest shot blockers in college hoops.
“(I’m) high energy, go at everyone 100%,” Williams said.
The Kankakee, Illinois native has also shown promise as a defender, and he said that the coaching staff has challenged him to have consistent effort on that end of the floor to pair with his offensive explosiveness. That two-way ability should bode well for his chance to compete for rotation minutes off the bench this year.
“I pray he becomes a great story, and I think he’s on the right track,” Underwood said. “He’s allowing us to mold him. And he has some incredible tools and gifts … His consistent effort is what we’re striving toward every day. He doesn’t have to play 40 minute games. He’s got to play 2, 3, 4 , 5 minute segments that are really hard. And when he does that he can impact the game at a very very high level with his anticipation, with his athleticism.”
Zavier Zens: Freshman forward, Wisconsin Lutheran
Zens only had mid-major offers until his senior year of high school, when he led his team to an undefeated, state championship-winning season. He reopened his recruitment, and late offers ensued from Wisconsin, Illinois and Utah State. After visiting all three, the Milwaukee native decided that Champaign was the right fit.
As a senior, Zens showcased his ability to score the ball efficiently, shooting an impressive 61.8% from the field, including a high 41.7% from three, en route to 23.4 points per game. Not only can he score, but Zens’ 6-foot-7 frame gives him the length to be a solid defender.
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