Just six months ago, almost nobody in the college basketball world had heard much about David Mirković. So when the Illini signed him in April, he was not expected to be the face of the program. Instead, most expected Mirković to be an effective backup coming off the bench.
Fast forward half a year, and Mirković might just be the most productive player on Illinois’ roster so far. The Montenegrin freshman forward has made a major statement just four games into his college basketball career, averaging a double-double of 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds.
“He’s a young man that strives for greatness,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “He doesn’t settle.”
Not only did he win the first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, but he received the honor back-to-back weeks after putting up career highs of 27 points and 21 rebounds on Friday against Colgate. That outing was not only a personal best for Mirković, but a performance for the history books. Mirković broke the freshman single-game rebound record, previously set by Kofi Cockburn, and became the first Illini to register a 20-20 game in 53 years.
“After coach said that (it had been 53 years), I got poured with cold water all over me,” Mirković said with a smile.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
That historical outburst came following a small blip on his resume: an 11-point, four-rebound game against then-No. 11 Texas Tech. Mirković did not play up to his standard or Underwood’s, and that lit a fire that burned bright against Colgate.
“I think he would tell you that I’ve been on him pretty good for a couple of days about his performance rebounding,” Underwood said on Friday after Mirković’s dominant performance. “I think he had an 18% go rate in the Tech game. And that was not very good, awful. And especially for a guy that was coming off some pretty good rebounding games. I think he took that personal (against Colgate). He likes to win.”
The young gun has impressed with ability to impact winning in many ways, whether that be crashing the boards, posting up, playing on the perimeter or pushing the pace in transition. Specifically though, rebounding has been easily the most impressive part of Mirković’s arsenal. Yes, that has always been a part of his game, which Mirković showed playing professionally in the Adriatic League overseas. However, Underwood’s intense emphasis on rebounding has turned that up to another level.
“Listening to Brad talking about rebounds, everyday and all day, 24/7,” Mirković said about what gets him going.
Mirkovic’s immediate contributions may have come as a welcome surprise to those outside the team environment, but to the players and coaches who have been around him since August, his productivity and versatility are nothing new. If anything, they knew it was coming.
“We’ve already seen everything,” said junior forward Zvonimir Ivišić after Mirković posted 19 points and 14 rebounds in an exhibition win over Illinois State last month. “It wasn’t a surprise. We were expecting it.”
Mirković plays with the confidence of a seasoned veteran despite only being 19 years old. But his personality still shines through, whether it is off the court making TikToks or on the court sticking his tongue out, smiling wide and bringing high levels of energy. He likes to have fun, but his competitive energy trumps everything, and it comes out in a good way on the practice court when Mirković gets challenged.
“He just gets angry at me and screams and cusses in Serbian, and I scream at him some more,” Underwood said. “He’s just a really good competitor. And it’s all in a really good way. And he was very dialed in, he was very aggressive on the glass in practice.”
That want to always win has been there since day one, but it seemed to reach a whole new level on Friday. Now that Mirković has seen what he is capable of, the question is whether he can parlay his play from low and mid-major opponents to the best of the best. When the No. 8 Illini (4-0) take on the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1) Wednesday night in Chicago, that will be tested. Underwood is confident that Mirković will bring an edge, but that doesn’t mean he will stop pushing his promising young star.
“I’m going to keep hammering him,” Underwood said. “We’ve got to get Andrej (Stojaković) rebounding more. He’s got to have some help. Everybody’s going to try to hit him and block him out. … He’ll draw some attention, so it should open things up for others, and that’s our deal, man, we got to rebound the ball.”
@sahil_mittal24
