Exactly a week after Illinois’ season ended with a Final Four loss to UConn, freshman guard Keaton Wagler officially declared for the NBA Draft Saturday. Wagler is a projected No. 5 pick after receiving consensus All-American honors this season. He is also the Illini’s third one-and-done player in the last two seasons, following in the footsteps of Will Riley and Kasparas Jakučionis.
“The past year has been the journey of a lifetime,” Wagler wrote on Instagram. “I never could have imagined what this season had in store for us. Our Final Four run is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Wagler started to move up NBA Draft boards about a month into the season, and the accolades only built up from there. By the end of the year, Wagler was a Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten honoree. He also won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year awards, becoming the first Illini since Ayo Dosunmu to win a national positional award.
From starting the season as the No. 150 recruit in the 2026 class to leading Illinois to its first Final Four since 2005, Wagler’s freshman season was nothing short of remarkable. Wagler averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while also playing 33.9 minutes each night, leading the Illini in both points and assists. After Wagler transitioned to Illinois’ primary ball handler early in the year, he truly took off, and Illinois’ offensive efficiency benefited because of it.
Wagler broke record after record, starting with his historic 46-point outing at Purdue and finishing by breaking the Illini freshman scoring record with 663 points. His January afternoon at Mackey Arena will be cemented in Illinois history books. Wagler broke the Illinois single-game freshman scoring record, the Big Ten single-game freshman scoring record and scored the most points by any visiting player at Mackey Arena in the win.
Even as a freshman, Wagler played with poise and maturity against top defenses whose goal was to speed him up and force him into mistakes. When the ball was in his hands, the freshman made the right decisions under pressure without turning it over, proving his unselfish style of play. As a scorer, Wagler’s tough shot-making ability at the rim and efficiency from the 3-point line made him the focal point of the Illini offense each game. Wagler shot 44.5% from the field, including 39.7% from 3 this season.
Even with the consistent body blows Wagler took night after night, that didn’t stop him from staying active on both the offensive and defensive glass as well. Wagler’s rebounding abilities add another layer to his game that will make him even more of an asset at the next level, especially if he keeps developing his body. The freshman’s lone double-double of the year was against a physical Houston team in the Sweet Sixteen, where he grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with his 13 points. Wagler has the chance to make even more history this June. If he is drafted in the top 10, Wagler will be Illinois’ first top-10 draft pick since Deron Williams went third overall in 2005, and Illinois’ first lottery pick since Meyers Leonard in 2012. The NBA Draft will be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
@evy_york2