Two International Players Enter Transfer Portal
In addition to losing Waggler, Illinois saw Mihalio Petrovic and Toni Bilic enter the transfer portal yesterday.
Petrovic saw limited action with the Illini, totaling 103 minutes in 19 appearances, and struggled mightily when on the floor. The 6-3 point guard finished the campaign with 33 total points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds while shooting 33.3/20.0/83.3.
Petrovic is a ball-dominant, rhythm-based creator who had a lot of success in the ABA before leading Illinois. The 23-year-old had a couple of good performances with the Illini — scoring 12 points UTRV and doled out five assists versus Alabama — but struggled with the athleticism and physicality of the college game. He was also hampered by a hamstring injury early in the season. He will have two years of eligibility left.
“He’s stayed with it. He’s been very mature,” Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander told Illini Inquirer’s Joey Wagner last month about Petrovic. “Obviously, he’s been kind of in a tough spot with the elevation of Keaton and some others. Just as far as an everyday attitude and coming to work. He’s been an outstanding teammate. Kind of the biggest thing is he’s gotten a whole lot better.”
Bilic redshirted this year with the Illini after joining the program in December. The 6-8 Croatian was expected to use his time with the Illini this year to work on adding strength and developing his game.
“He was one of those intriguing long-term pieces Illinois has come to value more in recent years: skilled, versatile, and full of developmental upside,” Pranav Hedge of the Illinois Fighting Illini on SI said. “That makes his exit both a loss and, in a weird way, another opportunity.”
