Basketball
Illini Guard Keaton Wagler in top 25 of ESPN NBA Prospect List
Keaton Wagler is becoming a national story. It was not long ago when the top-150 prospect was playing at Shawnee High School with just two high-major offers. After a ton of preseason hype, Wagler has lived up to the hype and more. In fact, he continues to build a case as the Illini’s next one-and-done prospect. ESPN’s Jeremy Woo recently released a Big ESPN top 100 draft prospects. Five Illini made it: Wagler, Tomislav Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic, Kylan Boswell, and Zvonimir Ivisic.
The Illini who was placed the highest amongst the five? That’s right, it was Keaton Wagler.
Five Illini make the top 100 big board, including Keaton Wagler at #25 #illini x #NBA https://t.co/Be51eAIOy9 pic.twitter.com/8wPATp7XGi
— 🆃ⓐ🅹🅷 ♕ (@Recru1t1ng_Guru) December 16, 2025
An all-around game at just 18 years old
Through 11 games, Wagler averages 15.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He shoots 38.9 percent from the three and only averages 1.4 turnovers per game despite having the ball in his hand a majority of the time. Ever since a tough game vs UCONN, Wagler has averaged 19.3 points and 6.7 assists on 45.8% from the three-point line. What’s even more impressive is that Wagler has played a total of 113 minutes in those three games alone. He didn’t even ever leave the court in the home loss vs Nebraska.
Though that is not sustainable, it just goes to show how important the young freshman is to this Illinois Basketball team. He is an indispensable piece to a ranked team at just 18 years old. If this type of trajectory continues, just know that Illinois fans should enjoy their time with Keaton Wagler in the Orange and Blue.
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