INDIANAPOLIS — In the wake of Illinois’ loss to Connecticut in the Final Four on Saturday night, coach Brad Underwood gathered with his players and told them he loved them.
He told them they always would be a part of his life, and if the players needed anything moving forward, they had his number and he would do everything he could to help them.
“It was really emotional, knowing that this group will never exist again,” freshman forward David Mirković said.
Amid queries about missed shots and the failed comeback against UConn, there were already questions about the future for Illini coaches and players. They still were catching their breath from losing the biggest game of their lives, but decisions about next steps must be made quickly after the season in college basketball. The transfer portal opens Tuesday.
What will this group look like moving forward? Who has seen their last game in an Illinois uniform? Who will return to try to lead the Illini on another quest for the program’s first national championship?
Underwood already had a pitch for those who can return.
“Please come back,” he said. “Let’s go do this again.”
Of the eight main rotation players, the Illini know they will be without starting guard Kylan Boswell and reserve forward Ben Humrichous, who are out of eligibility.
The departure discussion starts with All-America freshman guard Keaton Wagler, a projected lottery pick in the NBA draft. Wagler said after the game he hadn’t yet thought about what is to come.
Underwood said Wagler’s success story — rising from a recruit ranked No. 261 a year ago — is what college sports should be about, helping players to better themselves. He’s happy Wagler, “a wonderful human being,” has decisions to make.
Boswell doesn’t think it’s a hard decision for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
“It better be the last time he wears an Illinois jersey,” Boswell said. “He was one of the best freshmen to walk across this campus. What he’s done for this team all year, you put in a freshman with the ball in his hands 90% of the time, asking him to make the right decisions, and he constantly makes the right decisions. Asking him to make tough shots, and he makes tough shots. Helping lead a team to a Final Four.
“He’s one of a kind. He’s very special. I can’t wait to continue to see him grow and be in the league and flourish because he deserves everything that came his way this year.”
Mirković, who is from Montenegro, has spoken often about how much he loves what he found at Illinois among coaches and players. He said after the game that “this place means everything to me” and that it changed his life
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“180 degrees” in a season in which he was named to the Big Ten’s all-freshman team.“This is the place that totally understood me, both in a basketball way and my personality,” he said. “They just let me be myself, both on the court — I have a lot of freedom — and off the court. Everyone liked it and it was really successful. I just finally got a chance to be myself, and it was great.”
He said he believes he could be a leader for the team next season after a full offseason at Illinois. But Mirković also noted he doesn’t know what the future holds.
Croatian junior twin centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić reunited this year at Illinois, where Tomislav started his career last season. It was Zvonimir’s third school in three years.
They both gave up some production to the collective whole this season. But if the Illini retain Mirković and the Ivišić brothers, it would give them notable frontcourt size and experience.
“It means a lot, made a lot of friendships, a lot of brothers for life,” Tomislav Ivišić said of this season. “I’m just glad to share moments on and off the court with every guy in here, and, yeah, I just wish luck to all of them in the future.”
Junior wing Andrej Stojaković talked during the tournament about how he arrived at Illinois after two other schools with the goals of winning and improving his all-around game, and he has done both. After battling injuries during the season, he was one of Illinois’ main scoring threats during the NCAA Tournament.
Will those factors keep Stojaković around? Will junior forward Jake Davis spend another year as an Illinois leader?
Underwood and his staff have to piece together the puzzle, which will include a freshman class with two four-star guards — recent commitment Quentin Coleman and signee Lucas Morillo — and some bench pieces from this season who could flourish with another year of development.
They have the transfer portal as well as deep international connections that helped them build this season’s roster, which was versatile and talented.
“Our staff deserves all the credit,” Underwood said. “We had unbelievable role players. We had every piece of the puzzle. It wasn’t without challenges because of injuries and some different sicknesses. But they did an unbelievable job. I’ve got an unbelievable staff. And we’ll go do it again.”
Underwood said a key will be finding players who will buy into their roles, to put winning as a team first. The Illini talked often about how that mindset is what got them to the Final Four.
He expects Illinois’ run to its first Final Four in 21 years will help draw more attention from players. But he said the Illini will be selective about finding the right guys.
“It’s not (hard) if you do your job,” he said. “If you buy all the scouting service crap and how many stars they’ve got and all that, you’ll probably fail. You’ve just got to go find Keaton. You’ve got to go find (Mirković). You’ve got to go find the kid at Iowa, Tate Sage. You’ve got to find those guys and you can win.
“It’s hard because the talent pool is not huge at the highest level. But you’ve got to find guys you can coach and you’ve got to find guys who can play the right way.”
Underwood believes Illinois can carry the momentum from its tournament run — its second trip to the Elite Eight in three years — into next season. He said the Illini will “schedule the world” and come out ready to fight in late 2026.
He has a taste for the game’s biggest stage now, and he thinks that will carry over for him, his staff and his players who are back next season.
“This is incredible,” Underwood said. “This is a drug. This is addictive.”