Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood Breaks Down Andrej Stojakovic's Role With An Impressive Comp

For the past few years, Illinois has had a go-to scoring option on the wing. From 2022-2024 it was Terrence Shannon Jr. – who was one of the best players in all of college basketball.

Last season, it was Will Riley, who was a drastically different player than Shannon, but a high-level scorer nonetheless. This year, Andrej Stojakovic (a Cal transfer) is set to take over that role.

And despite being the son of one of the greatest shooters the game of basketball has ever seen (father Peja shot over 40 percent from three on his 13-year NBA career), Andrej’s primary weapon isn’t his long ball, it’s attacking the basket.

Joining a deep Illini roster, and surrounded by talent in a manner Stojakovic hasn’t been throughout his two-year collegiate career, he’s going to be asked to do less. He also appears to likely be put in better positions for his skill set to thrive – and, ideally, his efficiency will see an uptick as a result.

Brad Underwood speaks on Stojakovic's role

“We’re going to ask him to be different than he was at his last two schools,” said head coach Brad Underwood of Stojakovic.

“I see him as a guy who is very downhill. A little bit like TJ (Terrence Shannon Jr.) was. He’s extremely athletic. He’s got the ability to be an elite defender. I love him paired with Kylan in the backcourt,” continued Underwood.

“I don’t know if his shot volume needs to be quite what it was in the past with our team, but he is a guy that can really score the ball. He is a great finisher. He’s going to be a guy that is probably going to shoot more threes than he shot in the past. I like his versatility and his ability to step in and play multiple spots,” said Underwood on Stojakovic.

Stojakovic, a former McDonald’s All-American, came out of high school as a lauded shooter with a diverse array of pull-ups, fadeaways, and an all-around versatile shot-making package.

He wasn’t exactly known for his athleticism or ability to attack the basket. But over the past few seasons, Stojakovic has evolved into a bona fide downhill threat.

Andrej Stojakovic was HOOPING today:

▪️ 31 PTS (career-high)
▪️ 10-14 FG
▪️ 4-6 3PT
▪️ 7 REB
▪️ 4 AST
▪️ 3 BLK pic.twitter.com/nZa4mIgsFY
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 14, 2024

A slithery driver with a solid first step, Stojakovic isn’t the twitchiest athlete attacking the rim, but he has just enough quickness and such a crafty package that he can get a step on nearly any defender.

Vertically, though, Stojakovic is indeed explosive. And, working with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher over the summer, one can only imagine the leaps and bounds Stojakovic has made as an athlete, and in filling out his already solid frame.

Unfortunately, for the time being, Stojakovic remains sidelined by an injury, but appears to be well-positioned to be fully recovered by the regular season-opener, and ready to make massive contributions to this Illini squad on both ends.