Brad Underwood and Illinois Embrace a Foreign Approach to Roster-Building

With the addition of guard Mihailo Petrovic, the Illini are aiming to compete for a national title using an unprecedented strategy

Nov 8, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood displays the three consecutive Big 10 championship trophies before a game against the SIU Edwardsville Cougars at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

If there is a tactic or strategy that might offer the slightest possibility of leading to a national championship, trust us: college basketball coaches have tried it.

Whether it's recruiting the best one-and-done high schoolers (as John Calipari did at Kentucky) or getting old and staying old (which has been Greg Gard's mantra at Wisconsin), college hoops has done it all.

Until now.

That's mostly because the rules of college basketball roster-building are changing, so Illinois coach Brad Underwood is attempting what would seem to be a previously unseen technique: creating an NCAA championship contender on a foundation of international talent.

No one in CBB has invested more in recruiting Europe than Illinois.

Brad Underwood told me last summer they recruit top European events just like they would recruit Peach Jam.

Mihailo Petrovic, one of the Adriatic League's best players, is another example of that paying off.

— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) April 22, 2025

Over the years, Underwood has tinkered with adaptations and implemented new strategies and wrinkles here and there, as recently noted by college basketball analyst Robbie Hummel. But after striking gold last season in Kasparas Jakucionis (Lithuania) and Tomislav Ivisic (Croatia) when mining the international grounds, Illinois' coaching staff appears ready to go all in.

Following the departure of Euro standout Jakucionis to the NBA Draft, the Illini are reloading in a big way. After securing a return from Tomislav Ivisic, Underwood and staff coaxed his twin brother, Zvonimir Ivisic, from Arkansas. Not settling, the Illini went after another international big, earning a commitment from forward David Mirkovic (Serbia). And because the only thing better than three Balkan difference-makers is four of them, Underwood took a swing – and connected – when Serbian guard Mihailo Petrovic announced on Tuesday that he will attend Illinois.

And the Illini aren't finished. Underwood is still pushing for international guard Dame Sarr (Italy) and Cal wing Andrej Stojakovic, whose father – NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic – was raised in Serbia.

Even if Illinois isn't able to land either of those players, four key rotation pieces from the international ranks is unheard of in college basketball. But because the Illini are still a step away from competing with Duke on the recruiting trail or Kentucky and Kansas in NIL spending, Underwood is thinking outside the box.

It's working.

Underwood's first concerted push into the international market can only be considered a success. When healthy, Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic showcased a lethal two-man game that had the Illini poised to be serious contenders. Canada's Will Riley parlayed a 2024-25 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year campaign into a possible lottery slot in the upcoming NBA Draft. Injuries and illness diminished a potentially special season, but the blueprint was sound.

Now Underwood is doubling down. Will an older, more experienced European star in Petrovic actually make for a net positive in replacing Jakucionis? Will a starting five laden with Balkan natives (and European-trained hoopers) click and enjoy chemistry not often seen on these shores?

It's a foreign strategy. But it just might deliver the Illini to the Final Four.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Seeking Experience in Transfer Portal

Cal Transfer Andrej Stojakovic Set to Visit Illinois Campus on Tuesday

Illinois' Latest International Signee Mihailo Petrovic: What He Brings