Illinois men’s basketball landed another top recruit Tuesday morning. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Lithuanian prospect Kasparas Jakucionis has committed to the Illini after being recruited heavily by head coach Brad Underwood, along with assistants Orlando Antigua and Geoff Alexander.
The 6-foot-5 guard is considered to be a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and is one of the top European prospects deciding to go to college in the class of 2024. He is the second international prospect that Brad Underwood has landed this year, along with 7-foot-1 Croatian center Tomislav Ivisic.
Jakucionis made his debut for Barcelona in the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto at 16 years old before making his first Euroleague appearance this January. His skills as a facilitator were on full display at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) this season, where he dished out nine assists per game and was named the MVP of the ANGT Belgrade. For the entire season, Jakucionis averaged 17.7 points, six rebounds and 5.2 assists over 34 games. He also demonstrated a strong three-point stroke, knocking down 37% of his attempts from long range.
Jakucionis will join an Illini backcourt that currently includes rising sophomore Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and rising juniors Kylan Boswell and Ty Rodgers. With his ability to score on multiple levels and create for his teammates, expect Jakucionis to be a major part of Underwood’s guard rotation this upcoming season.
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