Ayo Dosunmu Challenges Andrej Stojakovic to Become an All-American

Illinois basketball legend Ayo Dosunmu was recently inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. Ayo became the youngest Illinois basketball player to be inducted after helping bring the Illini back to national relevance.

The Chicago native committed to Illinois when the program was at rock bottom and helped lead the Illini to a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The tournament ended earlier than expected, but that 2021 team was still one of the best in program history. Illinois went 24-7 and won the Big Ten Tournament championship for the first time since 2005.

Ayo averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists during his third and final season in Champaign. He was a First-Team All-American and won the Bob Cousy Award, which is given to the nation's top point guard. He was overlooked by NBA general managers following his college career and was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft, but his value in the league is now showing in full force.

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed him to a $112 million contract, and he is expected to play big minutes for the Wolves this season.

Ayo was back on campus for the Hall of Fame ceremony and documented his time in Champaign for his YouTube channel. He mentioned in the video that he plans to record content throughout the year for fans to enjoy.

On his second day in Champaign, Ayo attended Illinois basketball practice before heading to the football game against the Duke Blue Devils.

“No reason why you can’t be an All-American,” Ayo said to Andrej Stojakovic.

Ayo gave freshman Lincoln Williams and senior Andrej Stojakovic advice following practice, and he did not hold back his opinion.

“You should want to be a First-Team All-American,” Ayo added.

Stojakovic is entering his senior year of college and his second season as an Illini. He had his ups and downs last season but played phenomenal basketball in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 21 points in the Round of 32 against VCU to help lead the Illini back to the Sweet 16 for the second time since 2005. He followed that performance by scoring in double figures against Houston and Iowa.

Stojakovic was a composite five-star recruit coming out of high school and has an opportunity to take his game to the next level this season. This will be the first time Stojakovic has stayed at the same school for consecutive seasons, which could give him the confidence to establish himself as one of the best players on the team.

The former five-star recruit also developed into a reliable defensive piece for the Illini last season and helped slow down talented players such as Christian Anderson and Bennet Stirtz. He has an opportunity to become an elite defender this season and establish himself as one of the best two-way players in the country.

Stojakovic's ability to slither into the paint and get to the rim is one of a kind. If he can shoot slightly better from beyond the arc this season, he could put himself in position to be an NBA Draft pick.

It remains to be seen who will emerge as Illinois' best player next season, but as Ayo said, there is no reason why Stojakovic cannot become an All-American this season.