Peja Stojakovic's son, Andrej, reflects on basketball aspect behind Illinois move: "Being out of the tournament in my first two years sucks"

In an appearance on The SchuZ Show on Thursday, Andrej Stojaković detailed his decision to transfer to Illinois, describing a process that followed previous stops at Stanford and Cal.

Stojaković said the decision was based on the desire to compete at a higher level. He said that the move was not financially driven:

"I didn't, I didn't, I didn't choose Illinois because they were the highest bidder,” Stojaković said. “I chose them because that's who I felt that was going to give me a role and if I wanted in terms of winning, being out of the tournament my first two years sucks.” [Timestamp – 27:29]

Stojaković mentioned watching his peers compete in March while he remained sidelined created what he called a “healthy envy.”

“Seeing players in my class have success in the tournament is what I really was looking for,” he added. “I was envious of that. And I think it was a healthy envy that I was looking for just being competitive in a bigger stage. And I think that's what I wanted.”

The coaching staff, led by Brad Underwood, remained in consistent contact throughout the process and outlined a role centered on helping the team win, according to Illini shooting guard.

Andrej Stojaković commits to Illinois with national title in sight

Andrej Stojakovic (2) brings the ball up court - Source: Imagn

Andrej Stojaković committed to Illinois with one goal: winning. He chose the Fighting Illini over offers from North Carolina and Stanford, citing his belief that Brad Underwood views him as a key piece in a national title run.

“I want to win. Period. That’s it,” Stojaković said [28:04].

"I've struggled statistically, I've had success statistically. I've scored points, I've rebounded the ball,” he added. I've shown that I can get my teammates involved, I've shown that I can block a lot of shots. But I think the main thing is just winning on a big stage. I think that's what I want, and I'm super hungry for that."

He sees joining Illinois as an opportunity to compete for a national championship and feels there is no limit to what the team can achieve.

Andrej Stojakovic had a stellar sophomore season for Cal last season, averaging 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.