Toni Bilic Heads to the Transfer Portal, and Illinois Is Moving On Fast
Illinois forward Toni Bilic is hitting the transfer portal. The 6-foot-8 Croatian just finished his first semester in Champaign, where he redshirted the entire season, and now he is looking for a new home. 247Sports first reported the news, which Verbal Commits confirmed.
Who Is Bilic and What Was His Illinois Year?
Bilic arrived at Illinois in December and spent the 2025-26 season on the sideline. He came in without the same recruiting pedigree as some of his Balkan teammates, but he has intriguing size and skill that caught the program's eye. The 21-year-old forward is represented by agent Misko Ražnatović, who also reps several other Illini players.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiBefore coming to Illinois, Bilic played for KK Cedevita Junior Zagreb in 2024-25, where he averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.4 minutes. The year before that, he put up 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists. At the international level, he showed more promise. In the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket Division B, he averaged 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. In the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship, he was a star, averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Why the Portal Move Makes Sense
Bilic's redshirt year was meant to be a transition period. He told reporters last month that taking it slow was smart. "It is in a way just so you can ease in slower a bit," Bilic said. "If I came here and started playing immediately, maybe things would be rushed a bit. This way, I think, we have a nice base for next season."
The reality is that Bilic was an end-of-bench option with limited playing time ahead. He still has three seasons of eligibility left, so he is banking on finding a spot where he can actually get on the court. Illinois is cool with it. The program now has an extra roster spot to fill and can lean on its returners plus an incoming four-person freshman class.
Bilic becomes the second Illini player to enter the portal this offseason, joining Mihailo Petrovic. The move opens doors for both player and program to move forward.
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