Portal prizes

In partnership with

Good morning! And congrats to Sacramento State, which became the latest college hoops program to land a former NBA star as its GM: Shaq.

Yes, Shaquille O’Neal played at LSU, but his son, Shaqir, will play at Sacramento State. So the big fella will volunteer some time to help fundraise.

Let's get to the rest of Monday’s news.

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

Sign up to start learning.

1. Illinois adds Stojakovic, completes the Balkan 5

Illinois earned a commitment Monday from Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic, which was good news for the Illinois. Adding a 6-7 sophomore who averaged 17.9 ppg last season and can serve as a scorer or playmaker? Not bad.

But for those of us seeking entertainment on a random April Monday, it was great news.

Stojakovic marked the fifth player with Balkan heritage who’ll be in Champaign next season — Serbians Mihailo Petrovic and David Mirkovic, and Croatian brothers Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic — prompting coach Brad Underwood to post this photo.

That, dear reader, is how one owns the process.

Back to Stojakovic. He pointed to Illinois’ recent history as a program that thrives with bigger players who can either create their own shot or facilitate.

"Their track record. Ayo Dosunmu, T.J. [Shannon], [Marcus] Domask, Will Riley, Kasparas [Jakucionis], bigger guards that are considered ball-handlers, that can relieve pressure for their teammates," Stojakovic told ESPN. "I'm looking forward to being part of a team where I can bring the ball up and have shooters all around. I can also be a shooter, play on the wing, when someone else is bringing the ball up."

That certainly fits Stojakovic. He’s not a dead-eye perimeter shooter like his NBA dad, Peja (Andrej is a 32.2% career shooter beyond the arc), but a player who excels getting to the rim and the free-throw line. And when you have a roster filled with shooters, there should be plenty of driving lanes.

So what do we call this squad? The Balkan 5? the Balkan Ballers? The Fighting Illinovics?

Bottom line: If Illinois’ on-court product outshines the nicknames, they’ll be Final Four good.

2. Duke’s first portal addition is a big one

Part of Duke’s formula for success this season was its positional size. All five starters were 6-5 or taller. Get ready for more of the same next season.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.