Good Morning, Illini Nation: Mirkovic back in a boot
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- Good Morning, Illini Nation: Mirkovic back in a boot
Oct. 24—David Mirkovic half walked, half rolled onto Lou Henson Court ahead of Friday's exhibition game against Baylor at State Farm Center. The 6-foot-9 forward was back to wearing a protective boot on his surgically repaired left foot and was using a four-wheeled scooter to stay mobile.
Brad Underwood didn't call it a setback for Mirkovic, but the visual of the preseason All-American back in a boot after he had returned to some contact in practice in the last two weeks was jarring.
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"We'll be without Mirk for a little while," the Illinois coach said. "They put him back in a boot. I've said from day one we're going to be very patient and diligent with that. We want to make sure that heals correctly and in a fashion that allows him to sustain not only for the year, but for the rest of his career."
A recent scan of Mirkovic's surgically repaired left foot showed the screw inserted to fix the break was in place and fine. The 20-year-old Montenegrin injured his foot on the final day of Illinois' summer workouts and had the corrective surgery Aug. 1 in Indianapolis.
"The scan showed everything is correct," Underwood said. "It's just the extra time to make sure that fully heals, and there's nothing accountable to anything other than just that. Everybody heals differently and goes through their process, but he's in great spirits. We'll see what the timeline is."
Underwood said he did expect Mirkovic to miss at least some regular season games. Illinois officially opens the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2 at home against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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"No one's going to replace Mirk, but we've got to do it collectively in different areas," Underwood said. "Mirk's a winning player that does a lot of things that impacts winning. It's not just him scoring. It's his ability to elevate (his teammates)."
Three of those teammates left Friday's game against Baylor with injuries. Underwood said he hadn't spoken to the team doctor, but Tomislav Ivisic "dinged" his knee and both Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic hit their heads on the floor after taking hard falls in the second half against the Bears.
