Stefan Vaaks Is Heading to Illinois and the Big Ten Just Got More Dangerous
Well, that was fast. Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks, one of the biggest surprises to pop off this college basketball season, just committed to Illinois. His agents at Excel Sports Management confirmed the move on Sunday, and yeah, this is a really big deal for Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini.
Vaaks was a top-10 transfer target on ESPN's radar, and it's not hard to see why. The 6-foot-7 perimeter player from Estonia spent one season with the Friars and absolutely turned heads with what he could do on the court. We're talking 15.8 points and 3.2 assists per game with a smooth 35% clip from deep. For a big wing, that kind of playmaking and offensive range? That's different.
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What really jumps out when you look at Vaaks' season is how he showed up against Providence's best opponents. He dropped 23 and 20 in two games against St. John's. He went for 25 and 21 in two matchups with Villanova. Then he torched Butler for 28 in the Big East tournament. The dude scored in double figures in all but two games this season. When the competition got real, Vaaks got better. That's the kind of mentality you want on your roster.
Filling the Void at Illinois
Here's the thing for Underwood: Illinois just made the Final Four and now they've got some serious gaps to fill in the backcourt. Kylan Boswell is done, out of eligibility. Keaton Wagler, a projected lottery pick, declared for the NBA draft. So Vaaks walks in as Illinois' first recruiting haul since that Final Four run and suddenly you've got a veteran wing who can create and score in a lot of ways.
Underwood has also built something interesting in Illinois' roster construction. The Fighting Illini had six players with Balkan ties on this year's roster: Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, David Mirkovic, Mihailo Petrovic, and Toni Bilic. Petrovic and Bilic both entered the transfer portal last week. Now Vaaks adds another layer to what's clearly a developing pipeline for the program.
Illinois just reloaded. The Big Ten is about to feel it.
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