Underwood figuring out team without star sophomore
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 13—CHAMPAIGN — David Mirkovic will not play Saturday at Cincinnati in Illinois' first of three exhibition games this month.
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That's the only certainty Illini coach Brad Underwood has when it comes to the return of his 6-foot-9, 250-pound star sophomore.
Mirkovic remains in a "procedural buildup" following offseason foot surgery required by a broken left foot in Illinois' final day of summer workouts in July. The latest evolution in that process came Monday when Mirkovic got some live reps in practice against his teammates for the first time since official practices started at the end of September.
"He was literally out there about six minutes, and we needed oxygen and he needed help," Underwood quipped during his annual appearance on 'The News-Gazette Sports Page' radio show on Monday at the Esquire in downtown Champaign.
"He's lost a lot of conditioning, and we're sensitive to that," the Illinois coach continued, noting patience was paramount in Mirkovic's gradual return to full participation. "But it was great to see him out there. He was actually out there banging some bodies. That's where your fatigue sets in when you start hitting bodies all the time. No timeline, but will not play this week. I do know that."
Not having Mirkovic available since the team reconvened in late August when the new school year began has created a unique challenge for Underwood and the Illinois coaching staff.
So much of what the Illini want to be this season — particularly on the offensive end — was built around Mirkovic's unique set of skills. What Underwood called a "dominant" summer from the 20-year-old Montenegrin reinforced that shift in scheme. Mirkovic, when healthy, will be one of several initiators offensively for Illinois after he spent his summer refining his ball-handling skills and face-up game.
Playing without Mirkovic the last several months, however, has given Underwood an idea of the team he has around his point forward.
Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks has impressed the Illinois staff the last two weeks with his full repertoire, going beyond just being the elite shooter the Illini knew they landed in the transfer portal. Underwood said 7-2 center Zvonimir Ivisic "had his best two weeks of practice" since arriving in Champaign last season, and his 7-1 twin brother, Tomislav, is moving better and doing more on the court.
A six-strong freshman class has also stood out to Underwood the past couple months.
"It's been really interesting because (Mirkovic) had such a good summer," Underwood said. "We planned a lot of stuff in and around him. We've seen a lot of growth. Our freshmen have been sensational. We haven't lost anybody. In the last few years, there's always one or two where you say, 'Yeah, he's probably not ready. I'm not real comfortable putting him in a game.' I don't have that."
Underwood's challenge is figuring out what his team will look like once Mirkovic returns to a full-time role. While Mirkovic won't play in Saturday's exhibition, facing the Bearcats will give Underwood and his staff a better idea of what they've got to work with following two months of summer workouts and more time in the gym this fall.
"I know there's going to be game slippage with those freshmen, but now, it becomes about, as games start to count and matter: Who makes the fewest mistakes?" Underwood said. "Who keeps growing? Who keeps learning? How they all work together? I don't know yet. How that works with Mirk will provide some different challenges as we move forward because we saw it this summer, but we haven't seen it in 21/2 months. There's still a lot of challenges and a lot of work, but I've been really pleased."
Illinois at full strength will present a different type of challenge for the coaching staff. Underwood's rotation the previous five seasons ran eight or nine deep. The early evaluation of this season's roster inside the Ubben Basketball Complex walls has been acknowledgment this team has the ability to run much deeper — even if that's not the ultimate outcome.
"Everybody comes here with a mindset of they want to play," Underwood said. "Not everyone can play. It's impossible in a game to play everybody. I think we look for lineups that fit and work."
Underwood reinforced his point by using last season as example.
Mihailo Petrovic, who Underwood expects to have a "terrific year" at Seton Hall this season after transferring, barely played for Illinois' Final Four team. The Illini simply found comfort in an eight-man rotation centered around Keaton Wagler and Mirkovic.
"We were going to slow down, those guys were going to have the ball a lot and everybody else would play into roles," Underwood said. "Even when (Andrej Stojakovic) and Kylan (Boswell) got hurt, I didn't sub. I played six guys."
Underwood admitted he could be faced with some difficult choices in the next few weeks as Illinois continues to prepare for a Nov. 2 opener against Fairleigh Dickinson that marks the start of a 32-game regular-season slate.
I think it's about finding a way that fits and then getting those guys to understand because they may not play doesn't mean they don't need to be ready," the Illinois coach added. "It doesn't mean they're bad players. They have to be ready for their opportunities, and we'll see how this unfolds.
"I tell every player, 'Don't lose sight of what our job is — to win games, and your job is to be a great teammate whatever that role is.' We've got very talented guys. They will eliminate themselves sometimes, and sometimes, they make decisions really hard. We'll figure that out through some of these exhibition games. It's a part I enjoy and the part I hate, yet it's what we have to do to figure out how to win games."