PressBox recently chatted with Loyola men’s basketball senior Milos Ilic about Serbian hoops, playing alongside his brother, recovering from a torn ACL and more. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward averaged 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Greyhounds in 2023-24. His twin brother, Veljko, also plays for Loyola. They are natives of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia, and graduates of Hoosac School in Hoosick, N.Y.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Milos Ilic: My father, [Zeljko], used to be a professional basketball player, so it was always going to be basketball from when I was 6 years old. I started playing with my father at first and then started with local teams and then slowly going up to high school and America.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
MI: When I first started, I liked the players like Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan and obviously Serbian players like right now Nikola Jokić, who is the three-time MVP. Big inspiration coming from Serbia and being able to have that level of success in the NBA is pretty huge and inspirational.
PB: What’s the basketball culture like in Serbia?
MI: It’s huge. We have pretty good history. [We’re] considered a basketball country, I think. Back when it was Yugoslavia, before the war came, we used to win gold medals in every World Cup and European Cups and everything. Basketball is pretty huge.
PB: What’s the difference between the style of play in Serbia and the States?
MI: In general, in Serbia and Europe we play more team basketball, more motions and actions instead of here running one-on-one and shoot. It’s much technical, I think, in Serbia than here. Here we are relying on individual skills more than I think we do in Serbia. We are more team-based than here.
PB: When did you and your brother decide to come to the States to play basketball?
MI: It was actually a big decision. It was at the end of our sophomore year of high school. We were deciding, “Should we go pro in Serbia or should we do something else?” We knew [former Loyola assistant coach Ivo Simovic], who at that time was the assistant coach at Loyola. We came in contact with him. He said, “Maybe it would be a good idea to come over to the United States, two years in high school.” I think it was a good decision.
PB: Why did you and your brother choose to go to Loyola?
MI: We had a few more offers but it was mainly because [Simovic] was there. Having somebody from your country being there, it was pretty huge. That first year of transition, it was pretty good.
PB: What’s your favorite memory from your time at Loyola so far?
MI: I have a lot, obviously. Obviously, my first game of freshman year against North Carolina, that’s a huge one. That was my first D-I experience.
PB: How have injuries impacted both you and your brother?
MI: At the end of my freshman year I injured my knee and it was not a terrible injury. It was like four or five weeks off. At the end of the summer before sophomore year, I tore my right ACL. I didn’t play all season. Then at the end of that season, my brother tore his ACL. He missed the next season when I played, so basically we played only freshman season together and the next two we didn’t play together. This one is going to be huge because both of us are healthy and hopefully share some minutes.
PB: What’s the most frustrating thing about an ACL rehab?
MI: The timeline. It’s pretty long. When I heard the doctor say, “You won’t play the season. Nine to ten months off without running” — not being able to run, not being able to play, you have to have patience and it’s really, really hard sometimes.
PB: Was it challenging to get back up to speed last season after the knee injury?
MI: Yeah, actually more on the mental side because you are scared to injure it again. It’s more mental than physical. You had like nine months to prepare, so that’s good, but mentally that took a little longer.
PB: You and your brother have been waiting two years to play on the same floor again. What does it look like in practice?
MI: Right now, it’s fun. Playing against my brother, it’s exciting, it’s fun. After two years off, everything is good.
PB: The Greyhounds have a new coach in Josh Loeffler. What can fans expect in terms of style of play?
MI: We’re going to be a tough team to play against — a lot more winning than last year, for sure. Last year was disappointing a little bit, but definitely a lot more winning. Great toughness. Like our coach likes to say, “Habits make a man.” Right now we have great habits, so it should translate the game to the season. We’ll see. Obviously, it’s still early, but right now we’re in a great space. This season is going to be huge for us.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
MI: My freshman year definitely Cam Spencer, who was there at the time. His leadership on and off the court was huge. My freshman year, also Jaylin Andrews and Kenny Jones — they’re also big influences, just to see how they lead and how they communicate, that was huge.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players, particularly those overseas who are looking to play in the States?
MI: Definitely believe in yourself and have toughness. First, believe in yourself that you can do it and everything else will follow.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
MI: Probably start some personal business, either in Serbia or here, with my brother or something like that. I don’t have a perfect picture of it right now, but something like that maybe.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Loyola Athletics
Issue 289: October/November 2024
Originally published Oct. 16, 2024