Inside Illinois basketball roster: How Brad Underwood used European influence to build Fighting Illini program

· Yahoo Sports

Inside Illinois basketball roster: How Brad Underwood used European influence to build Fighting Illini program originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Visit newssport.cv for more information.

Brad Underwood has helped bring Illinois back to prominence, producing a consistent contender since being hired in 2017.

Underwood's success is partly due to his recruiting, as the 62-year-old coach looks beyond the United States to fill out his roster. His international recruiting has helped turn the Illini into a destination for players from abroad, as seen with his 2026 squad.

As the Fighting Illini aim to return to the Final Four for the first time in over two decades, Underwood is relying on several European players to lead the way. Here's how he built his team by going beyond the United States. 

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

Illinois basketball roster

PlayerPositionYearHometownDavid MirkovicForwardFreshmanNiksic, MontenegroBrandon LeeGuardFreshmanSan Juan, Puerto RicoAndrej StojakovicGuardJuniorThessaloniki, GreeceBen HumrichousForwardGraduateTipton, IndianaKylan BoswellGuardSeniorChampaign, IllinoisAJ ReddGuardSeniorChicago, IllinoisBlake FagbemiGuardFreshmanNaperville, IllinoisToni BilicForwardSophomoreTrogir, CroatiaTomislav IvisicCenterJuniorVodice, CroatiaZvonimir IvisicForward/CenterJuniorVodice, CroatiaJake DavisForwardJuniorMcCordsville, IllinoisTy RodgersGuard/ForwardJuniorSaginaw, MichiganKeaton WaglerGuardFreshmanShawnee, KansasJason JakstysCenterFreshmanYorkville, IllinoisMihalo PetreovicGuardSophomoreProkuplje, Serbia

Where is Illinois basketball roster from?

Illinois' roster comes from all over the world, as Brad Underwood has scouted globally to fill out the 15-man squad. Underwood acquired players from five different countries and one U.S. territory, including six players from Europe alone.

Within the United States, players come from four different states. Notably, five players were born in Illinois, while players from three other states also contributed.

Illinois players come from the following locations:

  • Illinois
  • Michigan
  • Kansas
  • Indiana
  • Puerto Rico
  • Croatia
  • Greece
  • Serbia
  • Montenegro

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

How Illinois basketball built roster

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has made recruiting international players a priority for the Illini roster. Beyond fitting the school's identity, Underwood said he admires the way Europeans play basketball.

"It fit me, it fit what I liked, the big three: dribble-pass-shoot guys," Underwood said. "I love the fact that they have tremendous passion for the game, they've been extremely well-coached in their young days, they're fundamentally very sound."

Underwood added that the NIL landscape has allowed the school to compete for top European prospects, further reinforcing the priority. He also believes Illinois is simply following the trend set by the NBA.

"The best players in the NBA are European players now," he added. "We're following a trend; it's exciting for them to come here and play."

In the past, some of Underwood's best players were Kofi Cockburn from Jamaica, Giorgi Bezhanishvili from Georgia and Kasparas Jakučionis from Lithuania. This year's team is largely built around brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic from Croatia, David Mirkovic from Montenegro and Andrej Stojakovic from Greece.

Of Illinois' 15 players, seven were born outside of the United States, which includes one player from Puerto Rico, and another five players are from Illinois. That means there are only three players on the team who were born in any of the other 49 states

MORE MARCH MADNESS NEWS:

Read full story at source