CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Head Coach Brad Underwood announced Tuesday that Toni Bilic has signed a Big Ten Athletics Aid Agreement with the University of Illinois and will join the Fighting Illini as a midseason addition to the 2025-26 roster.
Bilic is a 6-foot-8-inch, 210-pound forward/wing from Trogir, Croatia. He will practice with the Illini and focus on strength training and development for the remainder of this season but will not participate in games.
"Toni is a multi-positional, skilled player who we are excited to have join us in practice," Underwood said. "He comes from a basketball family;Â he has good feel for the game and a high IQ. He is a downhill, slasher type player with a high motor. Toni will jump in right away with Coach Fletch in the weight room; he has a high ceiling and is ready to get to work."
Bilic is set to join the Illini after most recently playing three seasons with KK Cedevita Junior Zagreb (2022-23 to 2024-25) in the Favbet Premier League in Croatia. In eight games last season, Bilic averaged 3.0 and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field in just more than eight minutes per contest. In his final two games last May, Bilic averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in wins over KK Vrijednosnice Osijek and GKK Sibenk.
In 2023-24, Bilic played in 23 games, averaging 5.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists while playing 14 minutes per contest. In 2022-23 he played eight games with the main club and eight games on the youth team, KK Cedevita Olimpija Junior. Bilic averaged 18.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists with Olimpija Junior, shooting 49% from the field and 45.7% form 3-point range.
Bilic has also represented Croatia as a starter at the FIBA European Championships. In six games during the U18 Championship in 2023, he averaged 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 55% from the field, 38% from distance, and 72% from the free-throw line. In summer 2024 at the U20 Championship, he posted averages of 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in four starts, highlighted by a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double in Croatia's opening victory over Switzerland.
