CHICAGO – Illini fans have been patiently waiting and wondering if Illinois’ second-highest scorer last season will be back for one more.
After David Mirkovic, the Ivisic twins and Jake Davis all announced their plans to return to State Farm Center for the 2026-27 season, veteran guard Andrej Stojakovic followed in their footsteps and stated that he’d be coming back to Illinois for one more year as well.
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But Stojakovic entered his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, and after a few impressive workout sessions, the reality is that neither Illinois fans nor Stojakovic himself will know the definitive answer until May 27.
“The more we get closer to that deadline, I’ll know more,” Stojakovic said. “I think the group around me has done a really good job of kind of evaluating and staying level-headed no matter what kind of feedback we hear.”
During the Combine’s media availability Wednesday, Stojakovic mentioned that making it to the NBA has been a dream of his since he was young.
“I’m in the draft with both feet in right now,” Stojakovic said.
And the Illini staff is right there beside him, supporting him every step of the way.
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“They’ve all shown tremendous belief in what I can do, especially throughout this process,” Stojakovic said. “Something that, you know, the staff has been by my side with. And I’m sure they’ll be by my side no matter the decision.”
Andrej looks at the decision as a win-win.
“I think I’m in a special situation where my option to go back to school is one of a kind,” Stojakovic said. “Not many people in this combine have the option to go back to a Final Four team with most of the guys returning.”
But even with a big chunk of the roster returning, Stojakovic knows that Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell won’t play another minute at State Farm Center.
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“We see each other at the hotel. Um, it still hasn’t hit me that, you know, if I do decide to go back to school, they won’t be in the same locker room as me.”
Although Andrej is bought into the NBA Draft, his main factor in his decision is to go wherever he’ll be able to grow the best. If he decides to stay in Champaign, it’ll be a season of proving what he can do and coming back even more ready for the draft next year.
A major point of growth for Andrej, whether it be at the college level or in the NBA, is his shooting percentage. It’s also one of the only concerns that the NBA has about Stojakovic.
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“I’ve been very, you know, upfront and realistic with that,” Stojakovic said. “Going back to school is another chance where I can go prove that, you know, shooting the ball is one of my strengths.”
But Stojakovic’s early career revolved more around his shot than driving to the rim. Illinois changed that.
“Growing up in high school, I was always viewed as a shooter in my class. You know, especially going to Illinois, they kind of unleashed a certain mindset for me to go to the rim. They saw something in me,” Stojakovic said.
“The size we had as a team this year kind of allowed me to, you know, space the floor and drive because we had bigs that could shoot the ball. That was something that we were comfortable with going to in a lot of the games.”
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So, why did Andrej announce his return to Illinois if he was uncertain?
“Announcing coming back to Illinois was more so, having a plan either way. I love Illinois, I loved it this year, and if I do go back I’m looking forward to hopefully making more history with the team,” Stojakovic said.
“But yeah it’s just for my peace of mind, knowing that obviously it’s a dream of mine but there is a chance I’m gonna go back and I’m looking forward to participating in another Final Four hopefully.”
Regardless, he won’t forget about the historic year with a special group.
“I think we’d all love to take a moment and embrace it at some point. If I go back, I’m looking forward to seeing everybody playing at State Farm once again,” Stojakovic said. “And I know moving forward for the rest of our lives when we go back there, it’s going to be all love.”
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