UNC Basketball Loses High-Profile Battle in Portal

UNC basketball came up empty in the 2024 Andrej Stojakovic sweepstakes despite landing among the then-outbound Stanford freshman's three finalists. Fast forward a year, and Hubert Davis' Tar Heels were once again just one of the two eventual placeholders, in effect, among the now-outbound Cal sophomore's final three.

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This go-round, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound Stojakovic committed to Illinois over UNC and his first college destination, Stanford. His list popped up on Sunday afternoon, roughly 24 hours before he confirmed a winner on Monday.

NEWS: Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic, one of the best available players in the portal, has committed to Illinois, he told ESPN.

"They believe I'm the missing piece to a national championship team." pic.twitter.com/CnNxeliBKc
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 28, 2025

And the son of former three-time NBA All-Star forward Peja Stojakovic has already put his pledge in ink, joining a Fighting Illini program that stood as the perceived frontrunner down the stretch.

Andrej Stojakovic led Cal in the scoring department last season at 17.9 points per game, albeit for a collection of Golden Bears who finished 14-19 overall and 6-14 in ACC play. He added averages of 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks as a full-time starter.

A four-star transfer prospect, Stojakovic currently stacks up at No. 35 overall and No. 6 among small forwards in this year's portal, per 247Sports. As a five-star out of Jesuit High School (Calif.) two years ago, he checked in at No. 25 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Composite.

The UNC basketball recruiters have reeled in five transfer additions for Hubert Davis' fifth roster as the Tar Heels' head coach. Their collection features four four-star talents.

Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball transfer portal news.