
Stevens: One-and-Done Moments For Jakucionis & Riley Represent ‘source of achievement’ for Illini Program
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and several members of the Illini coaching staff will be in New York City to view two one-year talents get drafted for the first time in program history.
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer
June 25, 2025
(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)
To suggest tonight is a historic moment for the University of Illinois men’s basketball program is a giant understatement.
Neither Kasparas Jakucionis nor Will Riley were born the last time Illinois had two first round picks in the same draft class. Because there’s been a 20-year gap between when Deron Williams and Luther Head heard their name called in 2005 by then-National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern at Madison Square Garden and tonight’s 2025 draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood doesn’t know when this kind of moment will happen again.