Guard Stefan Vaaks will transfer to Illinois, agents say

Thrift transfer stephen waxOne of the surprise freshmen in college basketball this season, has committed to Illinoishis agents at Excel Sports Management told ESPN on Sunday.

Wax was ranked as a top-10 transfer in ESPN’s rankings.

A 6-foot-7 perimeter player from Estonia, Vaks showed impressive athleticism and offensive versatility for his size during his lone season with the Friars. He averaged 15.8 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 35% from 3-point range.

Wax had a knack for strong performances against Providence’s toughest competition in Big East play. He had 23 points and 20 points in his two games against St. John’s and 25 points and 21 points in his two games against Villanova, as well as 28 points over Butler in the Big East Tournament. He scored in double figures in all but two matches this season.

Wax is Illinois’ first player back since the Fighting Illini reached the Final Four earlier this month, and he will help replace the starting backcourt. kylan boswell And Keaton Wagler. Boswell is out of eligibility, while Wagner – a projected lottery pick – has declared for the NBA Draft.

Wax is also the latest in a growing pipeline of players with European backgrounds at Illinois. Brad Underwood had six players from this area on last season’s roster: Andrej StojakovicTomislav and Zvonimir Ivicic, David Mirkovic, Mihailo Petrovic And Tony Billick. Petrovic and Bilic both entered the transfer portal last week.