Illinois basketball forward Jason Jakstys to miss remainder of season

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood met with the media on January 31st to talk about the upcoming game vs the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While doing so, Underwood announced that redshirt freshman big man Jason Jakstys will miss the rest of the 2025-2026 season while being on treatment for a blood clot in his shoulder.

Jakstys played in nine games this season and averaged 5.2 minutes per game. He was averaging 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, and was typically used as a depth piece to the Ivisic twins and David Mirkovic. With Jakstys out, hopefully the Ivisic twins and Mirkovic can avoid any kind of injury or sickness that would prevent them from playing.

Moving forward…

Jakstys was announced to have a blood clot right around the Purdue game on January 24th. Deep blood clots can be serious and have the possibility of moving to the lungs and causing severe, life-threatening complications. Jakstys will be on treatment for his blood clot for at least 3 months. Hence, it is imperative that he stay safe and avoid falls or any further trauma.

Jason Jakstys has been a developmental piece during his year and a half with Illinois basketball. Hopefully, he can complete treatment and continue developing into the skilled, versatile big man that the Illini envisioned.