Illinois basketball freshmen impressing at summer workouts

Brad Underwood gave the media over 15 minutes of his time during the Kendall Gill Golf Outing, speaking on how Illinois basketball freshmen Brandon Lee and Keaton Wagler have performed during summer workouts so far.

Underwood stated, “They both have been really well coached. I think their feel has been very very good.”

Keaton Wagler is a four-star recruit from Shawnee, Kansas. The 6’6″ guard attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

Underwood had high praise for Wagler, saying, “I have been very pleased with Keaton. He has great size at 6’5/6’6. We have done a lot of the same things we did with Will Riley with him, playing him on the ball almost exclusively. At this point we know he can really shoot but his passing has been tremendous.”

What to expect from the Illini freshmen

Brandon Lee, also a four-star incoming freshman, hails from Hillsdale, New Jersey. The 6’4 guard attended The Patrick School for high school.

Underwood gave insight on Lee as well, saying, “Brandon has been a guy that is a downhill guy. He has a scorer’s mentality. He uses that body on his drives.” Lee has a college basketball-ready frame that should help him earn some spot minutes. 

Both Lee and Wagler bring great size and are expected to provide depth to the Illini backcourt this season.

While it may take time for them to develop and earn meaningful minutes, early impressions are encouraging for their long-term potential in Champaign. I expect both Lee and Wagler to fill in the role that Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn held while at Illinois basketball. They both should provide energy and shotmaking off the bench in relief of Kylan Boswell, Andrej Stojakovic, and Jake Davis.

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