HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston has rounded out its 2025-26 signing class with the addition of a 6-10 transfer from Serbia.
 
Veljko Ilic, a 240-pound forward from Loyola, signed on the dotted line to play for the Bearkats and head coach Chris Mudge announced Thursday. Ilic averaged 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season.
 
The Gornji Milanovac, Serbia native, bounced back last season after missing more than a year with an injury. He played in 28 games, starting the final 11 of the season, and averaged 17.9 minutes while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor, which was eighth best in the Patriot League.
 
Injuries put a damper on his sophomore and junior campaigns, but Ilic had a solid freshman season in 2021-22. He played in all 30 games and averaged 14.6 minutes per contest to go along with 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 55.1 percent from the field.
 
Prior to college, Ilic attended The Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York, where he averaged 18 points as a junior and 20 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. He also played on multiple age-group national teams in his native Serbia.