Does Illinois Basketball Have a New Star? 'He's Got Some Jokic in Him'

Illinois State Ryan Pedon's impression of David Mirkovic

Ryan Pedon, a former Illinois assistant under John Groce who lifted the Redbirds from 11 wins in 2022-23 to 21 wins last season, saw more than enough by the end of Sunday's game to render a verdict:

"We were only able to see film and footage of him, obviously, before he got here, so you're never sure about the level of competition," Pedon said of the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Mirkovic after the game. "He's got some [Nikola] Jokic in him, is what I see. He can wheel and deal, he can dribble, pass and shoot. And he's got tremendous size. I don't know how old he is, but for him to be a freshman – he's 19, yeah – I mean, that's a big boy there. So, yeah, you want to keep him around as long as you can."

As Pedon described, it wasn't just the numbers Mirkovic put up in his first action in orange and blue – it was how he produced them. From the opening tip, he would pluck the ball off glass and immediately dart up the floor, looking not for an outlet but for assists. He drove the lane, sucked the help inside and kicked behind him to Kylan Boswell for three. He breathed life into "Booty Ball," posting up and either finishing or dishing to an open cutter – often out of his initial field of vision. On one play, he jumped an errant Redbirds pass at halfcourt and, with a one-handed flip, dimed up Zvonimir Ivisc at the rim for a dunk that roused even a somewhat sleepy Sunday crowd at State Farm.

"I play, all the coaches – like, a lot of coaches before – forced me, when I was getting the rebound, to push the ball ahead, and that's what they want me to do here," said Mirkovic. "And, like, I played point guard before – I feel comfortable doing that. I had good passes before, too."

Why Brad Underwood is preaching patience

A point guard in a power forward's body? Comparisons to NBA MVPs? Underwood sees and hears it all, too, but he doesn't want anyone getting too far ahead on Mirkovic's development curve – least of all Mirkovic himself.

"Yeah, he was really good today," Underwood said after the game. "You know, I'm really pleased with his rebounding. We see his offensive stuff every day. You know, he's a unique guy with that size and that physicality. He's not just a block guy. He's a guy who was a point guard for many years, and I've been really impressed with his playmaking."

Underwood even envisions a day when Mirkovic, who was a point guard until only a couple years ago, registers a triple-double in an Illini uniform. But he also cautions that there will be days in between that don't go as well as Sunday, and from which Mirkovic will need to learn, grow and respond on the court.

"It'll always be an adjustment," he said. "I think the next step for these guys now, there's film out, and we'll see what teams counter with and how they do it. He's got a pretty full plate, you know? He can pass it, he can dribble it, he can shoot it. We'll see what that looks like in the next matchup. They're all learning experiences, but he's found out a lot from us [already] in practice. We've guarded him different ways, and so we'll keep throwing those things at him. He'll run into some speed bumps, but we'll try to help him through those."