Article: Transfer Portal Target: California’s Andrej Stojakovic

He's visiting Illinois, fwiw he never visited Florida during high school recruiting.

 

Reads like the kind of player CTG would want, a hybrid 2/3 who can potentially play both positions well.

 

I doubt UF has the kind of NIL bank that Stojakovic is looking for.

 

Sounds perfect. I wonder if this means we're not counting on Henshall??

 

much lower shooting %s than I would have expected from Peja's kid

 

Things have changed in the last two weeks. A lot.

 

Oof....this guy would be a big get ....but does Florida have the biggest bag?

 

If his dad didn't squander all of his money from playing pro ball this kid doesn't need the money. He played ball at Stanford and Cal so academics are a big deal. Illinois and UF are both very highly regarded public universities but I can tell him from personal experience that winters in Gainesville are WAY nicer than winters in Champaign/Urbana.

Anybody know what degree he is seeking? That was a HUGE deal with getting Canyon Berry here. Not many places have Nuc Engineering graduate programs. Not that I think he wants a Nuc Engineering degree. LOL.

Comparing UF and Illinois I would say that Illinois is better in STEM and UF is much better elsewhere. Very broad brush.

 

I have enjoyed Champaign/Urbana when I've visited. But be honest - is there much to do in the surrounding area when compared to Gville? Access to Chicago might be considered better than Jax/Tampa/Orlando? They also have Indy & St Louis nearish. Otherwise, Champaign appears to be surrounded by cornfields. I realize Gville is also no mecca of tourist attractions, but there are beaches nearby and plenty of cool nature explorations, like Ichetucknee & other springs. Curious about your perspective as someone who has lived in both places.

 

Chicago is reachable by Amtrak and is a fairly pleasant trip by train. Downtown Chicago is much more interesting than Jax, Orlando or Tampa Bay. Parking in downtown Chicago is outrageously expensive so going by train makes good sense. Or one could drive up to Homewood or the Beverly neighborhood and take the Metra downtown as well.

One very cool place near Champaign is Allerton Park. I used to ride my bike out there and back.

I am not a huge fan of deep dish pizza but Papa Dell's in Champaign makes one as good or better than what you can find in Chicago.

I don't know if it is still true but there used to be excellent student concerts at the Krannert Center at UIUC and admission was CHEAP.

When it comes to basketball arenas the O'Dome is a much better place to see a game compared to the Assembly Hall at Illinois. The Assembly Hall is much larger but it is circular and not shaped to the court like the O'Dome. I heard it was built to host rodeos. LOL. And unless they have changed things a lot from when I was there the students at UF get MUCH better seats.

Let me finally say that late in my search for an academic position I finally got an offer from Florida and the next day I got an invite to Michigan State. Pretty decent school. It was around May 1st and I happened to be in Cincinnati at the time and drove up. Driving into town the trees were just in bud and didn't have leaves. I made up my mind right then.

Also my fiancé said that if I chose MSU over Florida the wedding was off.

 

I have my MS and PhD from Illinois and I love Illini basketball but if he is deciding between Illinois and Florida for improving himself as a player no doubt he should chose Florida. We have the new genius that is changing the game.

If it is academics he can't make a bad decision.

 

Downtown Chicago is great. Loved my one visit to the city.
O-Dome is still a better place to watch basketball than most, although my sample size is admittedly small. O-Dome seating was intentionally modeled after The Swamp, with its steep seating, and with seating very close to the sidelines, like in the old Alligator Alley (which is still the loudest venue I've ever been in). This was at the insistence of Coach John Lotz; he knew the things that gave his team the home court edge.
Your fiance' was very smart.

 

Perhaps not. But we have the biggest sack.

 

Does Illinois? I highly doubt it.

 

Is this kid related to Pete?
I will never live in cold places. 65 deg. is already too cold for my arthritis. But that's me.

 

No, no relation to Pete Stoyanovich of NFL placekicking fame.

He is Peja Stojakovic's son, though

 

I was on the Cal campus a couple hours ago.

Should I go back with some Gator gear and some cash?