"He's a Nightmare": Andrej Stojakovic Doesn't Need the Three Anymore

After Saturday's exhibition, Cincinnati coach Jerrod Calhoun had a pretty simple scouting report on Andrej Stojakovic. His team couldn't trap him from behind, and couldn't keep him out of the paint.

Stojakovic scored 24 points that night, 16 of them in the first half. He went 8-for-8 at the line. And here's the part that tells you everything about who he is now: he didn't attempt a single three-pointer.

That's a funny thing to say about the son of one of the great shooters of his era. But for entry No. 9 in our Meet the Illini series, that's exactly the story. Andrej Stojakovic isn't trying to be Peja. He's figured out how to be Andrej.

Growing Up a Stojakovic

His dad needs no introduction for NBA fans. Peja Stojakovic played 13 seasons, made three All-Star teams with the Sacramento Kings, and won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Andrej was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2004 and grew up in the Sacramento area. He starred at Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California, became a five-star recruit, and played in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game.

That family tree comes with a choice to make. Through his mom and his birthplace, Andrej is eligible to play for Greece. Through his dad, he's eligible for Serbia. He told the News-Gazette in May that both federations want him, and that he'd decide when it feels right. For now his priority is his own development.

Stanford, Then Cal, Then Champaign

Stojakovic started his college career at Stanford in 2023-24, averaging 7.8 points in 32 games. Then he transferred across the Bay to Cal and broke out. As a sophomore he averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks, made the ACC All-Tournament first team, and dropped a career-high 37 points on his old Stanford team in the ACC Tournament.

In April 2025 he hit the portal again, and Illinois beat out North Carolina and Stanford for him. Underwood called him a veteran, proven scorer. Stojakovic said at the time that the Illini staff believed he was the missing piece to a national championship team. A year later, they were in the Final Four.

The Season That Changed His Game

Stojakovic's first year at Illinois wasn't smooth. He started 21 of 34 games, missed time with a high ankle sprain, and hit a rough stretch in February, with one field goal at UCLA and a scoreless night at Michigan. Underwood hinted that the ankle still wasn't right.

So Underwood challenged him to focus on rebounding. Stojakovic answered with 21 points and 12 rebounds against Oregon. Then he carried it into March, averaging 13.8 points on 55.3% shooting across five NCAA Tournament games and earning a spot on the All-South Region team.

But the bigger story was how his game changed. His three-point shooting fell to a career-low 24.4%. Meanwhile, everything else got better. He shot 58.3% on two-pointers, up from 47.8% at Cal, and 80.5% from the line on 128 attempts. He posted a career-best offensive rebound rate and his offensive rating jumped from 108.2 to 119.5. CBS Sports found he scored 1.107 points per possession on 103 drives, one of the best marks in the country.

Testing the NBA, and Coming Back

After the Final Four, Stojakovic said he'd return. Then he went through the NBA Draft process anyway, worked out at the combine in Chicago, and gathered feedback. ESPN had him projected late in the second round.

On May 27, the day of the withdrawal deadline, he made it official: he was coming back for his senior year. Illini Inquirer reported that a weaker 2027 draft class and a bigger payday in Champaign were part of the math. He put it more simply.

He also told Illini Inquirer what he wants to fix. He wants to make quicker, more confident decisions about when to shoot, which he called making ".5 decisions." He thinks the confidence and the shooting go together.

A Summer Knee Scare

There was one more hurdle. After the combine, he had his right knee scoped and then surgery, followed by what Yahoo described as a rigorous rehab. By mid-July he was back on the court, and Underwood said every day he's out there is a good day for the team.

If anybody still had doubts about the knee, Saturday should have ended them. He played 28 minutes, kept attacking the basket, and made all eight of his free throws.

What Illinois Needs From Him

Stojakovic is preseason All-Big Ten, and with Mirkovic still working back, he's the team's top healthy scorer. But Underwood has been clear that scoring isn't the only thing he wants. In September he predicted a "huge" jump for Stojakovic, specifically as a rebounder and defender.

CBS Sports laid out the to-do list. Be a perimeter stopper. Keep rebounding on both ends. And share the ball more: last season he had multiple assists in just nine games. If he does the role-player stuff while staying the Big Ten's best isolation scorer, CBS wrote, he can help push Illinois back into Final Four territory.

He also sees a different team this year. At Big Ten Media Days he said the biggest difference is pace, and that Illinois will play faster. A wing who lives at the rim and draws fouls is exactly who you want running in transition. And he's been talking up the freshmen too, saying he has great things to say about all of them and that they've made jumps that can help.

The Bottom Line

Illinois opened the season at No. 3 in the AP poll on Monday, matching the second-highest preseason ranking in program history. A lot of that is Mirkovic. A lot of it is continuity. But a big piece is a senior wing who knows exactly what he is now.

The three-pointer may come back, and if it does, look out. But Stojakovic doesn't need it to be a problem for defenses. Just ask Cincinnati. He's a nightmare either way.

I-L-L. 🧡

Reporting compiled from FightingIllini.com, 247Sports (Illini Inquirer), The News-Gazette, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated (Illinois on SI), Yahoo Sports, Eurohoops, Bleacher Report, and The Champaign Room.