If there’s one thing we know about Illinois coach Brad Underwood, it’s that he is as good as any coach in college basketball at landing international players. Two years ago, it was Italy’s Niccolo Moretti. Last season, it was Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Will Riley, from Canada, Croatia’s Tomislav Ivisic and likely NBA first-round draft choice Kasparas Jakucionis, of Lithuania.
This year? Underwood began locking down one of the most loaded international classes college basketball has seen when he signed Montenegrin forward David Mirkovic on Monday.
Welcome to the 217, David! 🔸🔹 pic.twitter.com/kSnaQggX0a
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) May 5, 2025
The 6-foot-9 Mirkovic, 19, will join Illinois after two seasons at SC Derby, a member of the Adriatic League (ABA) First Division, which also produced Tomislav and his twin, Zvonimir (who transferred to Champaign last month). In 50 career ABA games for SC Derby, Mirkovic averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
What is Illinois getting in David Mirkovic?
Mirkovic a 6’9 do it all big will rank among one of the top European prospects in all of division one next season
Mirkovic is a matchup nightmare, with his ability to either shoot, post you up, take you off the dribble or playmake.… https://t.co/wqym0T0qXu pic.twitter.com/UoInlwW6jH
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) April 8, 2025
So what exactly does the Mirkovic signing mean for Illinois? Above all, it means the recruitment process is over – Mirkocvic is officially an Illini.
That’s a big deal given the departures of Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan) and Carey Booth (Colorado State), who made up the entirety of the depth at power forward last season. Although the unexpected return of graduate sharpshooter Ben Humrichous and the arrival of Zvonimir Ivisic bring dimension and depth to the position, Mirkovic provides the beef and interior element Illinois is otherwise missing.
Underwood and his staff continue to recruit as expertly as any other group in college basketball – especially when it comes to international talent. Now he must transform that success into a deep tournament run to make it pay off.
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