Illinois basketball lands big-time class of 2024 guard from Europe

Illinois basketball has added another player to the class of 2024.

Over the past few days, the rumblings about the Illini bringing in a player from Europe grew louder and louder. The potential of landing a talented guard to help in the backcourt seemed like it could end up being a real thing.

On Tuesday, those rumblings turned into a reality. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, Illinois has landed guard Kasparas Jakucionis.

Jakucionis is a 6-foot-5, 200-pound shooting guard from Lithuania. He isn’t rated or ranked in the class of 2024 because he was a player from Europe, but he is someone who is going to help the Illini immediately.

Kasparas Jakucionis can put up big numbers across the board for the Illinois basketball program

It has been a wild ride for Illinois basketball fans this offseason. The dominoes started to fall early and often, and in the blink of an eye, we only had two players left from the 2023-24 team we saw in the Elite 8.

Brad Underwood went to work filling the holes, though. Landing a player like Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell was huge. The former Champaign native came back home and will lead the Illini into the Big Ten fray next season.

Illinois needed more backcourt depth. Landing a player like Jakucionis will help with that cause. He is a talented ball-handler. This kid can do everything on the court, and he can shoot from all levels.

Jakucionis just got done playing seven games in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, and he averaged 17.9 points, 9.0 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game. He will bring versatility to the Illini roster as well. I think Underwood is going to be able to use him in different roles.

I believe landing Jakucionis shows you the impact Orlando Antigua has on the Illinois program. He comes in as a new assistant coach, and immediately, the Illini land a talented guard from overseas. This addition will pay off for the Orange and Blue in a big way.