St. Bonaventure and Illinois Load Up on International Talent for Upcoming Season

With the influx of international talent like the Ivisic brothers and Andrej Stojakovic transferring to the University of Illinois, punters might consider Illinois as a strong contender in upcoming matchups, particularly if their international squad can consistently perform at a high level.

With NIL rapidly developing into the most appealing development setup for young basketball talent, it's no surprise that an influx of European talent has made its way to the States. Major programs across the country have tapped into the international market to improve their squads - Duke with Dame Sarr, Virginia Tech with Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia with Johann Grunloh, and plenty of others - but two schools have leaned into the newly energized market notably more than others.

The University of Illinois and St. Bonaventure are leading the way in international recruitment. The University of Illinois International Contingent Kasparas Jakucionis was the big international name for the University of Illinois last season. The Lithuanian guard turned his impressive youth performance for Barcelona into a coveted NIL deal, and then his strong collegiate season led to him being a first-round pick by the Miami Heat this past June.

While Jakucionis was the most well-known name on the roster last season, he wasn't the only highly-regarded international talent. The Ivisic brothers - Tomislav and Zvonimir - hailing from Croatia, both produced at a high level for head coach Brad Underwood. Tomislav averaged 13 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 49/36/75 shooting splits. Zvonimir has made his second transfer after spending his freshman season with Kentucky and his sophomore season with Arkansas. Last season, he averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on 47/38/72 shooting splits.

Together, Tomislav and Zvonimir will give Underwood one highly skilled stretch big on the floor at all times. That's a luxury few other teams have, even at the division I level. The two of them will not be alone for the Illinois international squad this season as they've been joined by transfer Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic. Stojakovic averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game on 43/32/82 shooting splits for the University of California last season. He and the Ivisic brothers will play nicely off of each other and form a dynamic scoring trio next season.

But Illinois is not the only school leaning heavily into international talent. St. Bonaventure and Adrian Wojnarowski Go All-In Internationally. As Adrian Wojnarowski left the world of breaking news to become GM of his alma mater, it seems to have directly led to the Bonnies bringing in more international talent.

Early in the offseason, they landed Achille Lonati, one of the best Italian prospects in the country, who was one of their leading scorers at the FIBA U18 European championships. Lonati was not the only Bonnie playing for Italy at the U18 championships either, it turns out. The Bonnies also picked up Andrew Osasuyi, a mobile five with a ton of defensive versatility and upside. He's got a powerful first and second jump, and has shown he has the ability to guard the pick and roll in multiple ways at the youth level.

Lastly, Lonati will have an international backcourt mate as Russian guard prospect Ilia Ermakov joined the Bonnies from CSKA Moscow's youth program. Ermakov is not the most explosive athlete but has good strength and body control, and sees the floor well. He'll be looking to set both Lonati and Osasuyi up for easy buckets this season.

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With the influx of international talent into college basketball having an impact on the majority of Division I universities, two schools stand out in regard to recruiting international talent: St. Bonaventure and the University of Illinois.

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