Andrej Stojakovi\u0107 is withdrawing his name from the NBA draft and will return to Illinois for his senior season.<\/p>\n
Stojakovi\u0107 made the announcement on social media<\/a> Wednesday, about five hours before the NCAA deadline to withdraw and retain college eligibility. His return means the Illini will have five key pieces of their Final Four team<\/a> back for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-7 wing first announced his return to Illinois on April 17 but then declared for the draft while maintaining his eligibility. He said at the NBA draft combine in mid-May that he was \u201cboth feet in\u201d<\/a> the draft process. He was hoping to gain feedback from NBA teams about his longtime dream before making a decision.<\/p>\n But he maintained that returning to Illinois would be a \u201cone-of-a-kind\u201d opportunity given the depth of experience the Illini are bringing back. Starters David Mirkovi\u0107, Tomislav Ivi\u0161i\u0107 and Jake Davis and key reserve Zvonimir Ivi\u0161i\u0107 also will return and will be joined by Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and a highly regarded freshman class.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the goal \u2014 go back to the Final Four and then strive for a national championship,\u201d Stojakovi\u0107 said on May 13. \u201cUnderstanding what we have back at Illinois is extremely special, I\u2019ve just got to make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n Stojakovi\u0107 is expected to be a major driver toward that goal with guards Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell off to the NBA draft. His return could place the Illini among the top 10 \u2014 if not top five \u2014 in preseason national rankings.<\/p>\n In his first season at Illinois after transferring from California, he averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds. He provided a key ability to get to the basket and also played crucial defense.<\/p>\n Another season in Champaign also will give Stojakovi\u0107 a chance to boost his draft stock. ESPN\u2019s last mock draft had him as the No. 50 pick after a season in which he shot just 20-for-82 (24.4%) from 3-point range. He acknowledged he needs to prove to teams he has the ability to score from anywhere, and he hopes quicker decision-making on when to shoot will help that quest.<\/p>\n