One Play That Will Give Illinois Fans Morez Johnson Jr. Remorse

Illinois basketball fans are over Morez Johnson Jr. OK, we can't speak for every member of Illini Nation, but the consensus – which was already at "If he doesn't want to be here ..." levels – now fluctuates somewhere between "Happy trails" and "Good riddance."

One development has made the departure of Johnson much easier to swallow: the emergence of freshman forward David Mirkovic. Even if Mirkovic doesn't start the season in Illinois' lineup, he and transfer forward Zvonimir Ivisic are expected to give the Illini greater versatility and far more dynamic abilities at the 4 than Johnson showed last season.

But after watching Michigan (Johnson's new school) thump St. John's in an exhibition Saturday – and witnessing one play in particular – it must be considered: Are the Illini to blame for holding Johnson back as a freshman?

Take a look at this little gem:

How about this Morez Johnson Jr. sequence? 😲

Subscribe/watch on B1G+ https://t.co/jEZE5LkUXC pic.twitter.com/M2Yz7mw1wB
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 26, 2025

Morez Johnson Jr. shows his stuff against St. John's

After a teammate got caught up on a screen, Johnson showed his athleticism and adroitness in helping on Red Storm guard Lefteris Liotopoulos with the ball out on the arc. Johnson arrived quickly, hands up, and kept his feet down after a Liotopoulos pump fake. When Liotopoulos reset with a sidestep dribble to let fly, Johnson was in position to not only contest but block the shot still in Liotopoulos' hand. That's all valuable stuff. But what happened next was truly revelatory.

Johnson grabbed the loose ball from over his head and immediately put it on the floor – a no-no for an old-school big man. But as Liotopoulos stepped in front and tried to swipe the ball back, Johnson adjusted in that fraction of a second with what can best be described as a one-handed crossover pull dribble, and he was off to the races. Even when Liotopoulos and another St. John's defender had drawn nearly even with him at halfcourt, Johnson had the speed, handle and confidence to put it on the floor three more times, burst ahead and hammer home a spectacular dunk.

Morez remorse for Illini Nation?

Will the Illini miss all that this season (and perhaps the next three years)? No doubt. It was something of an open secret by the end of his freshman year that Johnson wasn't satisfied with his role and the unwillingness of Illinois' coaching staff to allow him to, shall we say, explore the studio space. Johnson will likely never develop into a knockdown three-point shooter or a point forward, but he clearly has a deeper bag than he was given license to show in Champaign a year ago. And in today's era of college basketball, if you aren't giving players opportunities to expand their games – particularly a 6-foot-9 rebounding and defensive specialist with NBA aspirations – they will hit the portal to find someone who will.

The combined package of Mirkovic (the Baby Jokic hype is real, friends) and Big Z are one helluva consolation prize, of course. (Feast your eyes below.) But a part of most Illini fans – if they'll allow themselves to admit it – will always wonder might have been with Morez.

Back when David Mirkovic first popped up as a potential add for Illinois, I did some digging. People that know international ball kept referring to him as a shorter Nikola Jokić.. I can see it now.

His handles, fluidity, and pace at his size is rare.

pic.twitter.com/OdTyq3VCJu
— Illini Fan Nation (@TheIlliniFN) October 21, 2025