Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular

June 30, 2025

Wednesday night featured the third set of Illini players to be drafted in the first round in the same draft. Nick Anderson and Kenny Battle, Deron Williams and Luther Head and now Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley join that elite group. They also created a new group as the first two Illini one-and-dones ever.

The next day Josh Whitman, the Illinois Athletic Director gave his Illini Athletics State of the Nation speech to media in Champaign. That gives plenty of things to write about.

Hail Mary #1 – The Time is Now for the Fighting Illini to Move Up in the B1G Pecking Order

Josh Whitman talked about how the changes in college sports have disrupted the environment and this is providing the Fighting Illini with an opportunity to move up. One thing Josh has done during his tenure is to objectively look at the changes being implemented and try to figure out how to best compete within this new environment.

Change adoption is tough. Think of the times you’ve gotten a new computer program to use at work. How many people didn’t use the program, or delayed using the program, or had to be dragged into a place where they would use the new technology? Josh has embraced change and focused on tomorrow and has not ruminated on the way things were done in the past. That is a huge advantage. And it might be easier for the Illini to pull that off as prior to Whitman becoming the Athletic Director, Illini sports were a trainwreck. Very few inside the school or fans and boosters outside the school were proponents of defending or maintaining the status quo.

This willingness from the top down to embrace change might be the Illini’s greatest advantage. Timing might be another.

With the Smith Center for football, Ubben for basketball and Atkins Golf Club all finished for use, it really helps to have facilities at peak levels at a time when investments have been needed for NIL deals. Whether one believes Josh was a visionary with the abilities to foresee the future, just a lucky guy who timed his projects fortuitously or a bit of both, it puts the Illini in a great place as the collegiate environment is evolving rapidly.

One thing is certain; under Whitman the Illini have learned from their mistakes and accurately planned and strategized during a time with constant uncertainty. The Illini still managed to elevate the on the field performance of three of the big four revenue sports (football, men’s and women’s basketball) with only volleyball not dramatically moving up the ladder from a win-loss standpoint.

The Illini are financially in a much better position than they were coming out of the COVID year - and on the field the Illini are in their best position in decades, if not ever. Fans need to appreciate the current success and not just focus on the anticipation of future successes.

The Illinois Athletics State of the Union is positive, but this is a journey not a destination. With on field success comes increased expectations. The Illini must keep elevating to take advantage of the opportunities that are there for the taking.

Clearly Josh Whitman is in the zone right now. He’s got a powerhouse lineup of coaches, facilities are great, ticket revenue is up, and fan enthusiasm is high.

Now, it’s time to win more games in the 2025-2026 school year.

Heat Check #1 – Illini 1^st Round NBA Draft Success

In an era of player movement and pressure to succeed both on the court and in the NBA, the Illini have found a way to do both.

Kasparas Jackucionis and Will Riley have doubled the number of Illini players in the NBA, moving the number up to four. With Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls) and Terrence Shannon Junior (Minnesota Timberwolves) being joined by KJ (Miami Heat) and Will (Washington Wizards), many Illini fans will have a reason to buy the NBA League Pass to watch out-of-market teams play games to continue supporting their favorite Illini players.

The Illini have had three first round picks in two years. Also, the Illini have two one-and-dones that they can point towards with recruits. The Illini will leverage this success in their recruiting efforts. In the past, the Illini could point towards B1G success only. Now they have an Elite Eight to brag about and with Illini in the NBA, there’s another reason to feel great about committing to the Illini.

The timing is great for the Illini as there seems to be less chances of the multi-million-dollar NIL deals being possible with the new salary cap and the new NIL rules that require all contracts to be approved nationally by NIL GO. Many old fans (like me) who are a bit jaded by a lifetime of watching NCAA futility in curbing the use of illegal recruiting incentives, it’s hard to believe that the old money distributing “bag men” won’t return. Many of us have a hard time believing that the Dukes or Ohio States of the basketball and football world will “lay down” and let other programs land talented players because they’re out of cap money.

We will hope for a system where teams will look at the approximately $20 million dollars as a hard salary cap and decide to adhere to the rules as one would see in the NFL. We are hopeful - but not necessarily optimistic that college sports will avoid sliding backwards to resemble the “good old days” in this respect.

In talking with staff members, it’s a great time to be an Illini coach. Players are excited by the opportunity to play for the Illini and:

• Develop their skills and play in the NBA
• Be on a team that plays meaningful NCAA games in March
• Learn how to keep themselves in shape with the best Strength and Conditioning coach in the country
• Enjoy some of the best facilities in the country
• Have a chance to maximize earnings with robust and lucrative NIL funding
• Create a relationship with one of the most passionate fanbases in the country

With recruiting having less focus on the transfer portal and less players granted additional seasons (the COVID year is now done), we will see the Illini focusing on high school players to maintain and grow their talent pipeline. This should translate to highly talented players looking to commit to Illinois and continue the success that Brad Underwood has had since taking over the Fighting Illini basketball program.

Now it’s time to string another NCAA tournament season together and see if the team can make a deep run at the end of the season.