In 2025, I watched the Nike Hoop Summit.
The game featured big names like A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, Koa Peat, Nate Ament, and Chris Cenac.
But I tuned in to watch a future Illinois player. I wanted to see the international man of mystery, whom I knew would define the Illini season. The young, international prospect had the kind of game that mapped perfectly to the roster Illinois was in the process of building. He had proven experience playing well–known European club. He had positional size, skill, and the talent to make an immediate impact in the Big Ten.
That player is named Dame Sarr.
Sarr was straight out of Benedict Mathurin prospect dreamworld. He was the physical, athletic, two-way wing prospect Illinois had been seeking to fill the Terrence Shannon-sized hole on the roster.
He looked like he would produce brutal poetry in transition and be the best half-court lob threat Illinois had fielded since Kofi Cockburn.
Of course, the story didn’t play out that way. Sarr wound up committing to Duke.
Illinois was the perceived frontrunner for Sarr’s services, due in part to his long-time close friendship with Kasparas Jakucionis. The popular narrative is that Sarr’s price tag kept escalating, so Illinois instead chose to allocate resources to a more experienced college player.
Andrej Stojakovic entered the transfer portal, and resources were allocated well.
Incidentally, Jakucionis himself was a pivot for the Illini due to the price of their top target skyrocketing (eventual BYU guard and lottery pick Egor Demin).
But in that Nike Hoop Summit, there was a mysterious forward who had opened some eyes. The rumors that he would commit to the Illini existed before the game and only intensified after his performance.
That player is David Mirkovic. And much like the Jakucionis pivot, it came up aces for the Illini.
David Mirkovic is an excellent example of this staff and its roster construction philosophy.
Sure, Dame Sarr is the poetic ideal of a college basketball player. He has the kind of physical measurables that make NBA scouts drool and ignore his lack of consistent productivity.
Mirkovic is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. He doesn’t scream “lateral quickness to guard NBA wings” like former Illini and current Michigan Wolverine Morez Johnson (who looks like a no-doubt NBA player on Dusty May’s squad). But unlike Johnson, Mirkovic possesses the offensive skill set needed for the Illini to overwhelm even good opponents with scoring and ball movement progress.
In a normal year, Mirkovic would be a legitimate candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He’s averaging 13 points on 47% field goal shooting and 39% from behind the arc. He’s grabbing 7 rebounds per game as well. He’s able to function as a secondary facilitator in the Illini offense, triggering action from the high post and the wing.
Of course, there is a gentleman from Kansas whom Brad Underwood referred to as “the other guy” after the Indiana game. And that guy is truly that guy. So perhaps Mirkovic is going under the national radar because of the menace with whom he shares a freshman class.
Yes, he has been compared to a mini(!) Jokic. But there is another comparison out there.
The Sleepers Media podcast is a very successful show that often focuses on Big Ten programs. Two of the hosts are Michiganders who root for their home state’s two Big Ten clubs.
They are the internet gold medalists in the bloodsport of rage-baiting and trolling Illinois fans. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel for a fan base that goes on tilt after every loss.
So their comparison of David Mirkovic to serial groin striker Draymond Green is clearly an attempt to enrage Illinois fans.
- Draymond Green is a U.S. two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, a four-time champion, and spent significant chunks of his career as a de facto (undersized) center for a dynastic franchise.
- Draymond Green hunts the crotch regions of more black men than everyone named Kardashian combined.
- Draymond Green has caused his team to implode, including his going full Chris Brown on Jordan Poole.
The third point is the most relevant here. This Illini squad has exhibited tremendous on-court chemistry this season. Mirkovic has been a positive addition to the roster, unlike certain ex-Baylor energy drink enthusiasts.
After an off-game against a talent-inferior Badgers squad, Mirkovic manned the hell up. He acknowledged his mental fog. He told his coaches straight up that he was not in the right space to play the game his teammates needed from him. He showed maturity and accountability, two traits Mr. Green has been known to lack throughout his basketball journey.
While the physical similarities and basketball IQ are there, Mirkovic’s temperament has yet to go macro-psychotic this season. He is also a freshman still finding his way in American hoops, whereas even college Draymond Green was a highly sought-after prospect tailor-made for Tom Izzo’s tough guy “dawg” vision of Big Ten basketball.
Illinois fans can only hope Mirkovic has as long and fruitful an NBA career as Draymond Green, sure. But until the low-character antics emerge, there will be no “Real Housewives of Champaign-Urbana” wine glass chucking at Ubben.
The benefit of Mirkovic goes beyond his skill set.
It is easy to recruit around a player like David Mirkovic. He can facilitate, so you can surround him with shooters. He can shoot, so you can pair him with facilitators. He rebounds well, so you can play him in any spot in the frontcourt. He can play both sides of a two-man or high-low alignment.
Retaining Mirkovic will be the top offseason priority of Brad Underwood and company. With incoming freshman Lucas Morillo expected to play a massive role, Mirkovic can evolve into a better version of the savant he has looked like this season. With freshman Brandon Lee likely to step into a bigger role, Mirkovic’s presence underscores the potential impact of international big man Luigi Suigo.
Mirkovic would help that Illini iteration balance the floor and score efficiently. Despite Morez Johnson’s ascendant stardom and Dame Sarr’s supernova measurables, the Illini look like they wound up with the right guy for this roster.
But what do you think? Do you see David Mirkovic’s retention as the most important offseason roster priority for the Illini? Sound off in the comments section.