"Need this outfit," "That's my coach": Fans react as Illinois HC Brad Underwood boasts Balkan transfers in latest social media post

Brad Underwood had a special welcome for his Balkan heritage players who joined Illinois this offseason. The Fighting Illini landed Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivišić from the transfer portal, while also getting a commitment from Mihailo Petrovic.

In celebrating their arrivals, Underwood changed his X display picture to a traditional Balkan outfit in orange as part of the Fighting Illini culture, sparking wild reactions from fans.

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"I need this outfit," one tweeted.

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"I need that jump suit. @Nike get on it please. give it a little style and sell it," another added.

"Dope track suit," a third commented.

Some also simply hyped the coach for his bold dressing style.

"That’s my Coach #ILL," one added.

"You guys need to wear those as travel gear now. Congrats Coach!" a user wrote.

"It takes a confident man to wear an orange jumpsuit," a fan commented.

Stojakovic, son of NBA champion Peja Stojakovic, announced his transfer from Cal to Illinois on Monday. Meanwhile, Ivišić transferred from Arkansas to Illinois in the first week of April. On Tuesday, Serbian point guard Mihailo Petrovic committed to Illinois.

As per reports, Illinois now has the most international players of any team in the Big Ten. It will be interesting to see how Underwood gets the best out of them next season.

Brad Underwood's Illinois crashed out of 2025 NCAA Tournament in second round

NCAA Basketball: Illinois HC Brad Underwood - Source: Imagn

Brad Underwood's Illinois qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 6 seed in the process. The Fighting Illini got off to a good start by beating No. 11 seed Xavier 86-73 in the first round.

However, Underwood's team crashed out of March Madness in the second round, following an 84-75 loss to No. 3 seed Kentucky.

Illinois hired Underwood in 2017. He has compiled a 165–101 record with the team across eight seasons. Underwood led the Fighting Illini to Big Ten regular-season title in 2022 and also won the Big Ten conference tournament titles in 2021 and 2024.

About the author

Arnold is a journalist covering College Sports and the NFL at Sportskeeda. He has been with the company since August 2022.

Arnold graduated with a degree in Mass Media from MIC. As a sports fanatic, he pursued writing to express his thoughts and opinions on sports events across the globe. He has also worked at Wizcraft and Publicis.

Arnold began supporting the Kansas City Chiefs after watching Patrick Mahomes lead them to Super Bowl glory in 2020. He also has a soft corner for the New York Yankees since he's lived in New York for two years. Arnold's favorite coach of all time is Andy Reid, and the Chiefs dynasty looks far from over.

In his free time, Arnold enjoys reading, exercising, and traveling. He follows several other sports including football, cricket, tennis, basketball, boxing and F1.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat