Good Morning, Illini Nation: How could 5-for-5 affect Illinois? – The News-Gazette

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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:

The eligibility changes recently implemented by the NCAA could have real effect on the 2027-28 Illinois basketball roster. Jake Davis and Andrej Stojakovic would be eligible to return to the Illini for a fifth season. Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic, by virtue of their Aug. 9, 2003, birthday, would not. Their five-year window, applied retroactively, ends with the conclusion of the coming 2026-27 season.

Expanded eligibility, of course, isn’t the only variable Brad Underwood and Co. will have to face next season. Several other players — namely David Mirkovic, Quentin Coleman and Stefan Vaaks — have various levels of draft buzz basically a year out from the 2027 NBA Draft.

“I think we always set out in recruiting to recruit every position,” Underwood said. “We’ve gotten to the point we don’t know if guys are going to go in the draft, if guys are going to transfer. I think there’s an expectation you need every spot. You have to have the ability to pivot a little bit, as we did this year with a lot of guys back — especially frontcout depth — and we went the high school route and getting guys to be in our program, established in our program and develop.

“We know we’ve got guys who could potentially come back (in 2027-28), but we also know we’ve got guys who could be in the draft. It’s a nice spot to be in because you’ve got good players, but it’s challenging and you’ve just got to be prepared and recruit kids at every spot to try to fill every need.”

Illinois has a pair of commitments in the Class of 2027 from four-star Monarch Academy (Kan.) guard Quinton Kitt and four-star Neuqua Valley guard Mason Martin. Five-star Bolingbrook guard Brady Pettigrew is another in-state standout — and a potential reclass target — while the Illini have also offered five-star center Lewis Uvwo and other frontcourt options like five-star Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) forward Moussa Kamissoko and four-star Overtime Elite center Caleb Ourigou.