Illinois' Brad Underwood on Transfer Stefan Vaaks' Progression

Illinois basketball, which has accessed the portal at times during Brad Underwood's tenure with the program, elected to add only one transfer to the mix in the 2026 offseason. But it was a quality-over-quantity haul, as Stefan Vaaks, a Providence transfer, was one of the top-rated players in the portal.

And perhaps most importantly, there may not have been an available player who fit the Illini better than Vaaks. Underwood discussed the addition of Vaaks in Friday's on-campus media day press conference.

Brad Underwood calls Stefan Vaaks addition a 'home run'

“The one young man, Stefan Vaaks, we got out of the portal, we were very, very excited about,” Underwood said. “He was a guy that we earmarked, and hit a home run, so to speak, to land him.”

Later in the press conference, Underwood offered in-depth insight into Vaaks’ game and progression during his time with the Illini thus far – which was shortened by a stint with his national team during the summer:

“Stef gets better every day,” Underwood said. “And, again, it’s always a challenge when guys go play with their national teams. And we want them to do that, but Stef missed a month. Install was a big piece of what we did this summer. So he was behind a little bit. Physically, very strong. So it was a matter of helping, [strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher] fine-tuning him and his body.

“And now it’s just about fitting the pieces together, and him understanding he’s got really good players around him, how we play. I think, defensively, we’ve been trying to maximize the fact that when you get tired, you’ve got to play through that, you’ve got to be just as effective on that end as you are on the offensive end.

“He’s extremely, extremely competitive. He’s all about the basketball piece. He’s about winning. And wants to be great, and so he’s been a joy to coach. He keeps getting better every day. He’s an elite shooter. We all know that. And now it’s us also finding ways to maximize his strengths and put him in the best spots to be successful. But he’s been great.”

Vaaks’ individual ceiling – and, subsequently, much of Illinois’ as a team – hinges on two things: 1) his ability to mesh with other high-level talents and 2) his defense. Underwood touched on both above, so he and his staff are well aware.

But regardless of what’s going on behind the scenes, no one will really know the new guy's fit and potential in Champaign until the season rolls around. Will Vaaks force ill-advised jumpers, as he was sometimes guilty of at Providence? Will he make the special plays in pick-and-roll action and the easy, not-so-sexy dimes?

Jan 7, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence Friars guard Stefan Vaaks (7) drives to the basket against UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) during the second half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Above all else, though, can he defend? Illinois is going to score at an efficient clip either way. Vaaks taking smart shots and flourishing as a facilitator will make that even easier. But defense must become his top priority.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Vaaks' defensive track record – both from the perspective of analytics and the eye test – is not pretty. Underwood tends to transform players into the best version of themselves as defenders and rebounders, but does Vaaks have the physical traits to be a plus defender? Or is Illinois just going to hide him when it can and hope he survives?

Time will tell. But those swirling questions shouldn’t draw attention away from Vaaks’ exceptional abilities. He’s a 6-foot-7 sniper off the bounce and the catch. He’s superb in ball-screen action. He’s an underrated slasher. He is, by any measure, the full package offensively.

“He’s just a guy that fits,” Underwood said. “He’s a basketball player. He’s a processor. He’s very good at it. He’s got the ability to shoot the ball. He’s got the positional size. Our four pillars we use in recruiting – positional size, shooting, basketball, IQ and high character – he was a home run. He hit all of them.

“And so it’s a guy that has 30 college games under his belt now. And for us to lose a guy like Kylan [Boswell], lose a guy like Keaton [Wagler], to find a guy with experience that physically could handle the Big Ten ...

“[He] provides a skill set in his shooting that is maybe one of the best in the country, and at least the Big Ten, anyway. He’s proven that. As a freshman, [he] had some very big games. Now it’s just fine-tuning it with the other pieces of the orange and blue.”

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