On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
Andrej Stojakovic, who blossomed in his one year at Cal before entering the transfer portal, will play basketball at Illinois next season, he announced on Monday.
One of the highest-rated players in the transfer portal, the 6-foot-7 sophomore wing chose the Illini over North Carolina and Stanford. The Sacramento-area native and son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic played his freshman season at Stanford.
"I think the main reasons were pretty clear to my inner circle as a basketball fit," Stojakovic told ESPN. "Coach (Brad) Underwood has been very aggressive recruiting me from the start and constantly reiterating how much I'm wanted and needed as a basketball player there. They really believe I'm the missing piece to what they think is a national championship team.”
Stojakovic, who averaged 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Bears, will join his third team in his third conference, following one-year stints in the Pac-12 and ACC. At Illinois, he will test his skills against the Big Ten, regarded as one of the nation’s two best leagues, behind only the SEC.
"Being able to be one of those guards that can handle the ball, it helped me a lot this past year. The confidence coach (Mark) Madsen gave me, being able to be that ball-handler," Stojakovic said. "I'm confident I can go to a top-25 team and do the same.”
There was some talk a week ago that Stojakovic still was considering a return to Cal. But Illinois never let up in its aggressive pursuit of him.
Stojakovic finished his Cal season with a flourish. He scored 21 points in a four-overtime loss to Notre Dame in the regular-season finale, then had 29 points in an ACC tournament win over Virginia Tech before scoring a career-high 37 points in a five-point loss to Stanford.
Stojakovic had 13 games of at least 20 points, including three of 30 points or more.
At Illinois, as ESPN noted, Stojakovic joins fellow Serbians Mihailo Petrovic and David Mirkovic and Croatian brothers Zvonimir and . "I'm confident we can become one of the best offensive teams in the country, but it's going to take a lot defensively," Stojakovic said.
His official departure follows the exit of six other Golden Bears, topped by freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who averaged 15.1 points, including 19.5 over the final 14 games after moving into the starting lineup. Wilkinson will play at Georgia in his home state next season.
Forward Joshua Ola-Joseph, who averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 24 games for Cal last season, has committed to Loyola-Chicago. Also gone from the 2024-25 roster are forward BJ Omot (transferring to Minnesota), guard Christian Tucker, forward Spencer Mahoney and forward Devin Curtis.
Madsen has added seven transfer players to the Bears’ roster this spring, including John Camden, a forward from Delaware, whose arrival Cal made official on Monday. Camden, who also spent one season at Memphis and two at Virginia Tech, averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and shot 41.6 percent from 3-point range for the Blue Hens last season.
"John is a multi-dimensional player who will bring a tremendous level of toughness, experience and versatility to our roster," Madsen said of Camden, who previously had announced his intention to play at Cal.
"He plays with a competitive edge that aligns perfectly with our culture, and he'll make everyone around him better. John shoots the lights out from beyond the arc and will put the ball on the floor and attack.”
Others joining the Bears are Syracuse forward Chris Bell, Grand Canyon post player Sammie Yeanay, Virginia guard Dai Dai Ames, Michigan guard Justin Pippen, Campbell guard Nolan Dorsey and Loyola-Maryland forward Milos Ilic.
Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky
Recent articles:
Wide receiver Tobias Merriweather latest to head elsewhere
Cal LB Hunter Barth enters transfer portal
Jacksonville State offensive lineman Daveion Harley commits to Cal
Four-star defensive end Camron Brooks commits to Cal for 2026
Cal lands North Carolina State transfer running back Kendrick Raphael
More must-reads:
- U.S. Open once again raises the bar with record prize money
- Preseason breakout puts Arsenal teenager in the spotlight
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Browns play cruel joke on Shedeur Sanders before preseason opener
The Cleveland Browns aren't setting fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders up for success before he makes his debut against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Amid hamstring injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, the Browns are giving the start to Sanders, hoping to keep QB1 Joe Flacco healthy before the regular season. However, the Browns aren't making Sanders' life easy before Friday's game. Per Zack Jackson of The Athletic, Sanders has yet to receive reps with the first-team offense in practice and has mostly worked with the third team in training camp. "Through 10 days of camp, Sanders is the only one of the four Browns quarterbacks not to take snaps with the No. 1 offense," Jackson wrote. "He piloted the No. 2 offense in one drill last week against the Browns’ No. 1 defense, but the majority of his snaps in camp have come with and against the No. 3 units... "Wednesday’s joint practice should provide some clarity on the Browns’ exact thinking and availability for Friday. Sanders likely won’t take No. 1 reps in the joint session, but he’ll have that practice and a Thursday walk-through to prepare further — and potentially get the chance to play the full game in the preseason opener." Per Fred Greetham of 247 Sports, Sanders did not receive reps with the first-team offense during the joint practice on Wednesday, but did take part in four plays during an 11-on-11 period against the Panthers following Flacco's reps. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski thinks Sanders has received enough reps from the second and third team units to be ready for Friday night, arguing that the only thing different about the players on the first team is the "batteries" they're built with. "That's part of, I think it's just preseason ball, where you may have some ones going against twos," Stefanski said. "Two's going against one's. You could have, there's different guys in there at different times, but I think both sides, particularly in that first game, it's all about playing fast. "So you typically don't see a ton of looks that are unusual per se. So if you stick to your rules and you stick to what you've been taught over the last few weeks, you should be able to operate and function well." Sanders is going into his first NFL game flying blind after the Browns played a cruel joke on him this week. Frankly, there is a considerable difference in throwing to the equipment staff and players signed as undrafted free agents versus the speed that a first-team offense in the league has. The Browns aren't giving Sanders a fair fight by allowing him to practice a few reps with the first team. It's now up to Sanders to quickly respond to the differences if he wants a chance to move up the depth chart.
Sophie Cunningham, Sparks HC react to third incident of object tossed onto court
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
NFL Hall of Famer reveals why he chose to join Deion Sanders' Colorado coaching staff
Marshall Faulk is Colorado's new running backs coach, and the Buffaloes could not ask for someone with better experience for the job. That's, of course, because this is Faulk's first coaching gig. As a player, though, there were few better than the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In 12 seasons in the NFL, he rushed 2,836 times for 12,279 yards and 100 total touchdowns. He was a league MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champ. Faulk was the real deal, and now he has a chance to pass his experiences on to the running backs at Colorado. For him, it's more than just the opportunity to coach football, though. He gets to coach under Deion Sanders, whom he views as a major difference-maker for the game of football. "You guys know him in a different way than I know him," Faulk said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). "We’ve been friends for many years. We worked together in television. We always talk just about the game and probably more about kids coming up in the game. How do you affect and make sure they come into the game the right way? He’s one of those way makers. When you pay attention to kids that’s gonna leave this program and go to the next level, they’re gonna do it in a certain way and you’re gonna say, 'Wow, they were coached by a guy who understands how to get it done.' I identify with that." Colorado can certainly use Faulk's expertise heading into 2025. There are several players battling for the starting role after Isaiah Augustave transferred to South Carolina. Even then, he was Colorado's leading rusher last season while rushing for just 384 yards and four touchdowns, so it's not like the Buffs have a big gap that they're trying to replace. Dekalon Taylor transferred in from Incarnate Word, where he rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns last season, so he'll be a player to watch. Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch, Simeon Price and Charlie Offerdahl are also names to know. Faulk will have his work cut out for him, but he seems excited to make a difference both on and off the field for these young Buffaloes. "So coming here not just to win games on the field, but to win the game off the field, which is to make sure that these young men in life become what they want to become outside of football. They become the father that they want to be, the brother, the husband. Making sure that they do that, that’s the important part. That was attractive," he said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gets harsh reality check over Micah Parsons drama
ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick gave Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a reality check on Wednesday. During the most recent edition of "Get Up," Riddick blasted the longtime Cowboys owner's handling of edge-rusher Micah Parsons' contract negotiations. It's the second time in as many weeks that Jones has received an unkind reality check over the Parsons situation. While the two-time first-team All-Pro has been extension-eligible since the end of the 2023 regular season, the Cowboys have strung along talks, pushing Parsons to request a trade on Aug. 1. Riddick blasted the approach, suggesting it's time Jones stops living in the past. "He may say, 'I did this kind of thing with Emmitt [Smith], we still won Super Bowls,'" Riddick said. In 1993, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back missed the first two games of the regular season due to a contract dispute. He eventually signed a four-year, $13.6 million contract on the Thursday before Week 3 and after the Cowboys had started 0-2. Smith led the league in rushing that season, and the Cowboys would go on to win their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy. Riddick made it clear to emphasize that the situation is far different from the one with Parsons. "You had Troy [Aikman], you had Michael [Irvin] ... You had an all-time team. They don't have an all-time team right now," Riddick said. "He's the one that says all the time, 'I'm all in... My clock is ticking. I need to win another championship.' This isn't the blueprint for it," the former NFL defensive back added. "You don't have that team anymore, but you're conducting business like it's back in 1993 again, and it's not," he finished. The Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl since 1995. Over the past 29 seasons, Dallas has more losing seasons (nine) than postseason wins (five). The Cowboys are often more relevant for their off-field drama than on-field accomplishments, and that's no different this season. It's a song and dance Jones has perfected, and it's one preventing Dallas from maximizing its future.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
