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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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/stojakovic-remains-both-feet-draft-195354319.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-14 19:53:00
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