Top basketball prospect Kaspars Jakusionis has committed to Illinois, a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, a source told ESPN on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6 point guard from Lithuania is considered one of the most promising international prospects in the 2024 class.
Jakusionis was one of the youngest players to play for European powerhouse Barcelona when he made his ACB debut at the age of 16, and recently made his EuroLeague debut in January. He was named ANGT Belgrade MVP this season with 9.0 assists for the prestigious Adidas Next Generation tournament.
Jakousionis was named to the all-star team at the NBA Basketball Without Borders camp in January and was then invited to the Nike Hoop Summit World Team in Portland in April. He is averaging 17.7 points, 6 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 24 minutes in 34 games this season, shooting 37 percent from 3-point range.
Along with Arizona transfer Keelan Boswell, he is expected to play a big role in Illinois’ backcourt, along with returning guards Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Ty Rogers. The Illini will sign a pair of highly touted freshman centers in Moretz Johnson and Tomislav Ivicic in Louisville wing transfer Trey White, Mercer wing transfer Jake Davis, Notre Dame forward Kerry Booth, Evansville big man Ben Hamrichius.
The proliferation of NFL deals has made the NCAA a more attractive route in recent years, with many graduate international prospects expected to announce their commitment to some of the top programs in college basketball.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.