Illinois’ Brad Underwood on Transfer Stefan Vaaks’ Progression – And His Next Step

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.

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Brad Underwood calls Stefan Vaaks addition a ‘home run’

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“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.

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“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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/illinois-brad-underwood-transfer-stefan-171421874.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-07 17:14:00

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