GREENVILLE, S.C. — The day earlier than Illinois cruised by Penn within the first spherical of the NCAA Tournament, Andrej Stojaković wore a mic and had an Illini digicam comply with him on his stroll to the court docket.
He slapped arms with followers within the stands watching the general public apply after which stepped onto the court docket at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
“Feels good. Feels good,” Stojaković repeated. “Feels really good.”
That was the second that received him, he stated, when after three years and three stops he formally had entered the NCAA Tournament area.
Coach Brad Underwood stated he has liked watching Stojaković in his first run within the event, which can proceed for No. 3 seed Illinois within the second spherical Saturday in opposition to No. 11 seed VCU (6:50 p.m. CT, CBS-2). The 6-foot-7 junior guard was the primary one to reach on Selection Sunday, the primary one to take his seat on the watch social gathering.
“It’s everything I asked for,” Stojaković stated. “To be put on this stage, this team helping me to get to this point and then vice versa, me helping this team to reach a different level. I think we all understand what the reward is in making it far in this tournament. We all have the same goal in our head.”
This season has appeared totally different for Stojaković.
He arrived in Champaign from California, the place he led the Golden Bears with 17.9 factors per recreation as a sophomore after a freshman season at Stanford.
He joined an Illinois staff with a deep roster of proficient gamers, together with freshmen Keaton Wagler and David Mirković, who’ve taken over video games offensively many instances this season.
Stojaković, the son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, is succesful of that too. He has scored in double figures in 16 video games, together with 22 factors in opposition to USC and 21 in opposition to Oregon. Illinois assistant coach Tyler Underwood touted his athleticism, his skill to place strain on the rim, his “unbelievably good handle” and his skill to attract fouls.
Stojaković showcased these talents a handful of instances Thursday in opposition to Penn, together with on the primary NCAA Tournament factors of his profession. As the Illini had been attempting to construct a first-half lead, Stojaković took a cross on the high of the important thing, drove left, then proper, then spun to the basket for a layup and a foul. He hopped sideways and yelled in celebration at his first of 9 factors for the night time.
But the Illini even have requested Stojaković to be greater than only a scorer in a season through which he’s averaging 13.3 factors and 4.6 rebounds, most just lately as the primary participant off the bench behind starter Jake Davis.
Stojaković stated coaches have talked to him so much about making profitable performs that don’t essentially present up on stat sheets, equivalent to crashing the boards to assist one other participant snare the rebound.
Tyler Underwood stated Stojaković has embraced the position change, understanding that almost all of a recreation is about what a participant does with out the ball in his arms. He believes Stojaković has change into one of the Illini’s finest cutters and has the very best offensive rebounding charge of his profession with 40 offensive boards. He has change into somebody the Illini look for in transition as somebody robust to protect within the open flooring. He has grown in playmaking and studying the sport.
“He talked about winning a lot,” Tyler Underwood stated. “He’s finished an unbelievable job of holding himself accountable to that normal. He’s wished to study.
“Just the type of teammate he is, what he’s been able to do with David and Keaton Wagler, pushing those guys as an older guy, someone they look up to, but also letting them play their game. He’s a very selfless kid, and I don’t think that gets talked about enough.”
It hasn’t all been a clean path. Tyler Underwood stated it at first wasn’t a wrestle however “a learning process.”
Stojaković was sidelined by a sprained knee within the preseason, which price the coaches time pushing him in his revised position. He additionally missed time with a excessive ankle sprain in February and had a quiet recreation — no factors and one rebound in 12 minutes — within the loss to Michigan a pair of video games after his return.
Brad Underwood known as the preseason harm “very frustrating for me as a coach” as a result of of the time missed.
“Because I love him as a human being, just an unbelievable person, unbelievable listener, wants to be great,” Brad Underwood stated. “He missed seven weeks, and we didn’t get an opportunity to assist information him and push him by way of some of these issues. Then he has a pair of video games early the place he doesn’t seize a defensive rebound, doesn’t have a rebound interval, and to me these are profitable performs. I all the time felt like he may very well be an elite defender, simply wanted to be pushed, wanted to be challenged on that facet, and he has finished all of these issues.
“Offense comes easy for him. He knows how to score the basketball. It was all those other little things that impact winning at a high level.”
The means the teaching workers has pushed him isn’t essentially a shock to Stojaković.
He stated he understood what he was getting when choosing the Illini and Brad Underwood — “a hard-nosed coach” who calls for his gamers get behind him. But Underwood additionally has their again, Stojaković stated.
“That’s what makes it so special is he finds things every player can get better at, and he challenges each and every one of us to work at it,” Stojaković stated. “Our team is allowed to have those honest conversations with each other where when it’s time to work on something, we do it, and we’re just very comfortable with the criticism we receive because we know it will make us better.”
Now the Illini hope all of that work ends in a visit to the Sweet 16 subsequent week in Houston.
The Illini had been on their recreation offensively Thursday in opposition to their overmatched Ivy League opponent, scoring 65 factors within the second half, with 9 gamers contributing after halftime. That included a 3-pointer from Stojaković halfway by way of the half as they stretched their result in 21 factors.
The Illini hope to proceed that dominance Saturday in opposition to VCU however know they might have a stiff problem on their arms with a staff that stormed again from a 19-point, second-half deficit to beat sixth-seeded North Carolina. Brad Underwood stated he was impressed with VCU’s tenacity and can to maintain preventing, led by guard Terrence Hill Jr.’s 34 factors.
A win would proceed unprecedented territory for Stojaković. His final two groups each maxed out at 14 wins, whereas the Illini enter Saturday’s contest at 25-8.
Stojaković stated he picked the Illini partially as a result of he was enamored with what they might do with large males Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić — and has been pleasantly shocked with what Wagler and Mirković have finished.
Despite sharing the load with all of them, he stated he “wouldn’t change it for anything.” He is aware of his contributions in a number of aspects of the sport might go a good distance.
“It’s kind of the culture we established,” Stojaković stated. “We’re very different from a lot of teams, especially off the court. We have a different mindset. I think we almost love each other too much. … I think that translates to our chemistry on the court.”
