NCAA D1USA

Stefan Vaaks

Illinois Fighting Illini

Big Ten Conference

United States2026-27 Placement confirmed

The Tabasalu guard joined Illinois for 2026–27 after a record-setting freshman season at Providence.

Stefan Vaaks against the dark AUT portrait background

AUT portrait treatment · Source: University of Illinois Athletics; photographer unconfirmed · Background edited using AI

THE ATHLETE’S JOURNEY

Teams & competitions

Illinois Fighting Illini

2026-27

United States · NCAA D1

Big Ten Conference

Home venue · State Farm Center1800 South 1st Street, 61820 Champaign, Illinois, United States

Map Location source

Checked 7 October 2026View source

A club can compete in several leagues. First-team and youth-team placements are separate; a roster listing does not guarantee an appearance in a particular game.

About the athlete

Stefan Vaaks plays for Illinois as a sophomore in 2026–27. At Providence in 2025–26, he averaged 15.8 points and 3.2 assists, set the school’s freshman scoring record with 491 points and earned Big East All-Freshman honours.

Before moving to the United States, he played for KK Viimsi in 2023–24 and Kalev/Cramo in 2024–25, including FIBA Europe Cup appearances. He has also represented Estonia in EuroBasket qualifying.

In October 2026, Vaaks described Illinois’s offensive spacing as a fit for his strengths in pick-and-roll play and facilitating. His coaches were working on his shot selection and defensive effectiveness.

He sustained a knee injury in the 2025 Estonian championship finals and underwent surgery that summer. On 17 October 2026, he scored 19 points in Illinois’s 105–96 exhibition win at Cincinnati. In an interview report published on 21 October, he said the previous knee injury had affected how he felt during his Providence season, but that he felt considerably better heading into the Illinois season.

FOLLOW THE GAME

How to watch

CBS / Paramount+

Illinois and Boise State: CBS and Paramount+

Selected CBS television games can also have US Paramount+ coverage.

More viewing options

Illinois

Illinois: game-by-game viewing information

Illinois games are divided between several networks and services. The October 17, 2026 exhibition at Cincinnati has an official audio-only YouTube recording; no game footage is offered and recording completeness is unconfirmed.

B1G+

Illinois: selected B1G+ games and replays

B1G+ is a separate subscription service and does not carry every Illinois television game live. Estonia is outside its officially supported territories.

ESPN