North Carolina's Andrej Stojakovic whiff a symptom of Tar Heels' fall from blue blood status
North Carolina's basketball program suffered a significant setback as they failed for the third time to recruit Andrej Stojakovic, a top transfer portal wing and son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, as he committed to Illinois. Despite being a top choice alongside Stanford and UNC, Illinois was considered a favorite due to their belief in Stojakovic as a crucial piece for a potential national championship team. This miss highlights broader challenges for UNC, as they face criticism for having a potentially weaker roster despite efforts to strengthen their team, including hiring a new GM and raising funds. The loss of Stojakovic is compounded by promising freshman Drake Powell's entry into the NBA Draft and uncertainties surrounding other key players' eligibility, straining the team's prospects for the upcoming seasons. Stojakovic's nearly 18 points per game last season underscored his potential impact, making his decision to join Illinois a notable loss for UNC's recruitment efforts.
North Carolina's basketball team failed to secure Andrej Stojakovic, a top transfer portal player, as he committed to Illinois, marking the third time UNC has missed out on recruiting him.
Andrej Stojakovic, son of NBA champion Peja Stojakovic, was also considering Stanford and UNC, but ultimately chose Illinois, which views him as a crucial addition for a national championship run.
UNC's efforts to recruit Stojakovic included pursuing him out of high school, as a transfer last offseason, and again when he entered the transfer portal, all ending without success.
The inability to recruit Stojakovic is seen as a major miss for UNC, especially as they face criticism for having a potentially weaker roster despite organizational changes and raised funds.
Compounding UNC's challenges, freshman Drake Powell is set to enter the NBA Draft, leaving Seth Trimble as the only top-six scoring player from last year's roster with confirmed availability.
Fox Sports Radio's Aaron Torres criticized head coach Hubert Davis, questioning the team's off-season strategies and roster management after failing to land Stojakovic.
Stojakovic's decision is significant as his 18 points per game from last season could have made him a top scoring option for UNC, highlighting the impact of his absence on the team's future.
The third time wasn't the charm for North Carolina basketball this week, as they failed to recruit top transfer portal wing Andrej Stojakovic for a third straight time.
"As much as UNC basketball fans wanted to see Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic in Carolina Blue, they were once again disappointed to find out he committed to Illinois on Monday, shunning the Tar Heels for a third time," Nick Delahanty wrote.
On Monday, Illinois landed Stojakovic, the son of former NBA champion and three-time all-star Peja Stojakovic, landing one of the top scorers in the country. Stojakovic's top three also included North Carolina and Stanford, the school where he started his collegiate career.
“They really believe I’m the missing piece to what they think is a national championship team,” Stojakovic told ESPN.
"While Illinois was presumed the favorite from the jump, the UNC basketball program made a strong effort to lure Stojakovic to Chapel Hill," Delahanty said. "The Tar Heels recruited him out of high school, pursued him as a transfer last offseason and rekindled their interest for him when he entered the transfer portal a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, all three recruiting processes ended the same way: Stojakovic not becoming a Tar Heel."
While North Carolina has enjoyed a strong portal haul this offseason, writers and fans are both lamenting at how big of a miss Stojakovic will be to the team's on-court product.
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"This is a major miss for the UNC basketball program on the transfer portal recruiting trail, as landing a player of Stojakovic's caliber would have been a massive addition to next year's squad," Delahanty said. "Unfortunately, the Tar Heels came up short once again in pursuit of the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, a player they have coveted for quite some time."
Fox Sports Radio's Aaron Torres was blunt in his criticism of the miss, going as far as to call out head coach Hubert Davis.
"UNC went out this off-season, hired a GM, raised a bunch of money... and ended up with arguably a worse roster than they had a year ago. Hubert Davis is so cooked, man," Torres said.
Missing on Stojakovic is also more than just not having a big-name player. The Tar Heels received confirmation that promising freshman Drake Powell would be entering his name into the NBA Draft. That left Seth Trimble to be the only top-six scoring player from last year's roster to remain with the team next year, though Ven-Allen Lubin's eligibility is still up in the air.
"Davis signing Stojakovic would be a program-changing move," Braulio Perez wrote before the player's commitment to Illinois. "With Drake Powell entering his name into the NBA Draft, it leaves a massive hole for this team in 2025-26. Stojakovic averaged nearly 18 points per game last season and he'd immediately become a top scoring option for Davis if he indeed chooses the Tar Heels."
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