Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

September 18, 2024

Champaign, IL – Illinois men's basketball has kicked off next year's recruiting class by landing Keaton Wagler, a four-star shooting guard from Shawnee, KS. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound standout is expected to bring strong shooting talent with a scorer mentality.

Wagler’s interest in Illinois surged after head coach Brad Underwood personally called to offer him a scholarship. His interest grew further after following the Illini’s Elite Eight run last year, and previous Big Ten championships along with player development.

“Illinois is a great community,” Wagler said. “You can tell just by being there that everyone loves the town. Their fans are passionate. It has everything I would look for in a school.”

Illinois assistant coach Tyler Underwood, who led the recruitment effort, played a key role in securing Wagler's commitment. “Tyler is a great guy. He always checked on me and made sure I knew about past and present players, and how they could develop me as a player,” Wagler added.

Illinois is particularly excited about their new recruit’s shooting ability, as Wagler is a 50 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He led Shawnee Mission Northwest to a perfect 25-0 record and a state championship last year while averaging 13 ppg. and 6.4 rebounds.

The Kansas Jayhawks recently started showing interest in Wagler, which could have made it more challenging for Illinois to pull him away from his home state. However, Tyler Underwood and the rest of the staff did a commendable job presenting what Illinois had to offer this past weekend.

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email: KedIlliniGuys@gmail.com