Illinois basketball notches top international newcomer for 2024-25

Illinois basketball is just over two weeks from tipping off the 2024-25 season.

That is a crazy statement to say considering it felt like just yesterday the Illini were making their trek to the Elite 8. Those times are officially behind us, and it is time to put the hopes and dreams in the new-look Orange and Blue.

With essentially an entirely new roster coming into the season, Illinois fans will have to get to know the new names and numbers. One big-time player who is coming into the program with a lot of buzz is freshman, Kasparas Jakucionis.

Jakucionis is a 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard from Lithuania. Before August, he didn’t have a rating or ranking on 247Sports, but when they did get around to evaluating the recruit, he finished as the No. 36 player in the class of 2024.

While that ranking is good, ESPN has even higher expectations for the talented Euro. Back on October 9, ESPN released their Big Board for the 2025 NBA Draft. Illinois had a handful of players in the top 80 on this Big Board, but checking in at No. 15 was Jakucionis.

On Friday, ESPN took things a step further as well. They released the top international newcomers for the men’s game. There were a lot of great names on the list, but taking the overall No. 1 spot on the list was Jakucionis and all he brings to the table.

From top to bottom, I am not sure I have ever seen a more talented Illinois basketball roster

Illinois has had some great teams in the past. The 1989 Flyin’ Illini had a ton of talent. Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill had long NBA careers and numerous players on that team at least dabbled in the NBA. The 2005 national championship squad also had impressive talent. Deron Williams would have been a Hall of Famer if it wasn’t for injuries, and numerous players dabbled in the NBA from that team too.

All of those teams had some great players at the top and then solid role players when you went down the roster. That isn’t the case with the Illinois basketball program we are about to see in 2024-25.

Illinois does have that top talent. Jakucionis is a projected top 15 NBA talent. Fellow incoming freshman Will Riley is a projected first-round pick. The last time two Illinois players were picked in the first round was 2005 when Williams and Luther Head went No. 3 and No. 24, respectively.

The talent keeps going too. Illinois has four total players in the top 80 on the NBA Draft Big Board. And then you lay out the rest of the talent. Morez Johnson Jr. is coming in as the Illinois Mr. Basketball and is a double-double machine. Tre White transferred in after averaging 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds with Louisville. Carey Booth played his freshman season at Notre Dame and averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds. He transferred in this offseason too.

I haven’t even mentioned the experience of Ty Rodgers, the size and potential of Tomislav Ivisic, and the fact Illinois is bringing in transfer Jake Davis who averaged nearly 10 points as a freshman with Mercer.

While the top of the Illinois basketball roster is loaded, I can go down to the No. 8 or No. 9 man on the roster and be perfectly fine with them taking over a game. This could be one special season for the Illini.