Two of Illinois’ best players declared for the NBA draft Monday.
ESPN first reported that Illini freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis, a projected lottery pick from Lithuania, will enter the draft. A few hours later, Canadian freshman forward Will Riley posted on social media that he, too, is headed to the draft.
Riley thanked coach Brad Underwood and his teammates in his Instagram post and said playing for Illinois “has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
“Over the past year, I’ve grown immensely — both as a player and a person — and after careful thought and reflection, I’ve decided to declare for the 2025 NBA draft,” Riley wrote. “Since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of playing in the NBA. That dream has fueled my passion and my commitment to the game. Now, I’m ready to take the next step and chase that dream at the highest level.”
Jakučionis, a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team in his only season in Champaign, led Illinois with 15 points and 4.8 assists per game and also averaged 5.7 rebounds.
Riley was named the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year, though he moved into the starting lineup late in the season. He averaged 12.6 points and 4.1 rebounds.
“I’ll always remember this group and those guys for their love of the game,” Underwood said last month when asked about their potential departures. “Those two guys impacted our program at a high level. They’ll all have decisions to make. We’re better for having them, and I think they’re better for being here.”
Jakučionis’ exit seemed inevitable, even though his play was up and down at times late in the season. Though the 6-foot-6 guard declined to speak much at the end of the season on the topic of leaving, Underwood and Jakučionis’ teammates all spoke as if they knew he was a one-and-done player.
The 6-8 Riley joins Jakučionis as a projected first-round pick.
“He’s gifted,” Underwood said after Riley scored 22 points in Illinois’ first-round NCAA Tournament win over Xavier. “He’s very talented. He’s an elite shotmaker. I say he’s very slippery because he’s very hard to be physical with. Everybody tries, and he finds his way to his spots.”
Their departures mean only two of five starters will return from the team that lost to Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last month.
Guard Tre White transferred to Kansas, but guard Kylan Boswell and center Tomislav Ivišić declared their intentions to return. Reserves Morez Johnson Jr. and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn also entered the transfer portal.
The Illini added 7-2 former Arkansas center Zvonimir Ivišić — Tomislav’s twin — through the transfer portal and also received a commitment from 6-9 forward David Mirkovic from Montenegro.
