INDIANAPOLIS — Andrej Stojaković walked off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday morning after Illinois’ open Final Four practice in front of a surprising sea of orange-clad fans.
He waved with both hands to some of the people leaning over the wall to greet the Illini players on their way to the locker room, then stopped to sign a hand-drawn poster board that read that he wore No. 2 on the court but was No. 1 in that fan’s heart.
One of the first things that often is mentioned in reports on Stojaković is that he is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković.
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The cameras sometimes find his father in the crowd watching his games. One of CBS Sports’ social media features for the Final Four was Andrej trying to guess his dad’s NBA stats. Their hug after Illinois’ Elite Eight win over Iowa circulated online. Andrej, wearing a backward Final Four cap, slapped his dad’s hand, went in for a hug and listened as his dad said a few words, both breaking into big smiles.
But Andrej Stojaković is trying to forge his own path beyond his father’s legacy, and he has made a name for himself in this NCAA Tournament. During Illinois’ run to its national semifinal against Connecticut at 5:09 p.m. Saturday, the 6-foot-7 junior wing averaged 15 points on 59.5% shooting and three rebounds in the four games. He was named to the All-South Region team.
He has done it with a smooth, athletic, downhill game that is different from that of his dad, who was a lethal shooter during his 13-year NBA career and is second all time in 3-pointers made for the Sacramento Kings.
“I’m sure nobody can put themselves in his shoes,” Illinois assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Geoff Alexander said. “That’s a lot to live up to. Peja was one of the best players in the world and a guy that has won. For him to have to live in his footsteps, I think he’s done an unbelievable job.
“He’s very secure in his own skin. He knows he’s Andrej Stojaković and not the son of Peja Stojaković. He’s trying to carve out his own path, his own lane, his own identity. It’s a beautiful thing to see.”
As coach Brad Underwood made his media rounds over the weekend to preview Illinois’ first trip to the Final Four since 2005, he told a story on “The Rich Eisen Show” about Peja’s visit to Illinois with Andrej, who transferred in after a freshman season at Stanford and a sophomore season as the leading scorer at California.
Peja walked into Illinois’ gym — hadn’t touched a ball — and nailed 13 straight 3-pointers.
“The man still can fill it up,” Alexander said. “He can put it in the basket.”
Andrej admitted there’s a pressure in that — trying to make his own way in a game his father played so well. But at this point, it’s nothing new.
“I’ve dealt with that expectation and pressure my whole life,” Andrej said. “So I haven’t really bought into anything that’s been said recently in the tournament.”
Underwood said a couple of times this season that Peja tries to let Andrej be himself — not Peja’s son. As Illinois has garnered more and more media attention during the tournament, Peja has declined interviews, wanting the focus to be on Andrej.
Both of Andrej’s parents have helped him with his career. His mother, Aleka Kamila, is “everything” to him and has helped him when he has struggled mentally with his confidence or the pressure he faces.
Andrej said Peja has offered advice throughout his career — “not just about basketball but life in general.” But he also hasn’t interfered, which Andrej said comes in part from the natural obstacles that an NBA player’s family faces.
“Throughout my life, I’ve dealt with when I was younger, stretches of not being around him, him being on the road so much,” Andrej said. “When he lived in different cities, me visiting on the weekends. We have a really good relationship of when I’m busy, he lets me experience things on my own and not really get in the way.”
Illinois forward Jake Davis said that comes through because Andrej is “100% his own player,” though he does think it has been “super sick” to have an NBA legend around the program.
“He wants to get better and wants to learn and strive to win games as a team,” Davis said. “He’s very much a team player for us.”
Andrej looks forward to spending more time with his parents in the offseason, but right now he has business to handle.
After battling injuries at different times this season — a knee issue in the preseason and a high ankle sprain in February — he has made himself a player crucial to Illinois’ success down the stretch. He comes off the bench to provide a key scoring spark, often changing the game’s dynamic with his ability to get to the rim, and has scored 17 points or more in four of Illinois’ last seven games. But the Illini also have relied on him to be a multifaceted player.
Alexander pointed to his help defending Iowa star guard Bennett Stirtz in the Elite Eight game. Stirtz came out in that game hot as the Hawkeyes jumped to an early lead, but Stirtz went 2-for-8 from the field and 1-for-5 from 3-point range in the second half.
“We made an adjustment and used (Andrej’s) length, his athleticism, his ability to make Stirtz take hard shots. It was huge for us,” Alexander said. “Not that he couldn’t do that before. He just knows how important it is now to winning. Those are the things he’s grown in from year to year.”
Andrej picked Illinois because he wanted to expand his game and he wanted to win. He wants to continue doing both.
He has no idea what to expect when he returns to a packed Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday evening to face UConn, how the atmosphere inside a football stadium will feel. But he’s confident in his ability to handle it.
“I think I’ve done a good job of trying to maintain the same focus level from regular season to NCAA games so far, not letting the crowd faze me, especially in our two Houston matchups where it was loud in there,” he said. “As a team, we’ve done a really good job of staying focused on the task and not worrying about the media outside.”
Peja will be watching, though Andrej can’t say if he will be wearing orange and blue as some have pleaded on social media. His dad likes to wear plain things without logos, though he does have Illini gear.
“Oh, he has stuff,” Andrej said. “He has a lot of stuff.”
Andrej said he knows all his dad wants is for him to have a great experience.
“He’s someone who enjoys watching basketball, and all he cares about is myself and the rest of the guys on the team finding enjoyment from playing,” Andrej said. “He doesn’t care we made the Final Four. It’s not about that. It’s about the hard work we put in is finally paying off. And the idea of us loving the game is showing right now.”
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