Every day over the two weeks leading up to Illinois’ Nov. 4 regular-season opener at Champaign’s State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report highlighting each Illini player listed on the team’s official roster. Today, in the seventh of 14, we shine a light on forward Jason Jakstys.
Tuesday: Kasparas Jakucionis
More Illini scouting reports
Where he’s from
An Illinois native, Jakstys went to Yorkville High School, helping lead the team to 44 wins and a Class 4A Regional final across his junior and senior year. Jakstys played his AAU ball for Breakaway Basketball on the UAA circuit, and his father, Tom, played college basketball at Illinois Wesleyan.
What he’s done
In his senior year, Jakstys averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds, earning third-team All-State honors. He finished his high school career rated as the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois from the Class of 2023.
How he helps
Jakstys is a long and agile big who can run the floor and make plays around the rim on both sides of the ball. He also has catch-and-shoot ability, with range extending out to the 3-point line. The Illini hope to further build and sharpen all those skills to develop Jakstys into a versatile stretch 4.
Meet the Newcomer ➡️ Jason Jakstys#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/b2QndV0Jow
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) July 13, 2024
What they’re saying
Brad Underwood has dubbed Jakstys – who arrived on campus (like many freshman bigs) undersized – the unofficial offseason eating champion:
“Jason maybe became the waffle-eating champion of our team via Adam Fletcher in the weight gain process,” Underwood said. “Fletch just says, ‘More syrup,’ and Jason just keeps eating them. That’s all part of his process. He’s going to be a terrific player down the road. He does a lot of really good things now. “
What we expect
At 210 pounds, Jakstys has already added strength to his frame, but he needs to continue to fill out in order to bang with mature Big Ten frontcourt players. Playing behind a deep frontcourt rotation that includes Tomislav Ivisic, Ben Humrichous, Morez Johnson Jr. and Carey Booth, Jakstys figures to to see limited action in his first season in Champaign and would seem a reasonable candidate to redshirt. Over the long-term, Jakstys could grow into a do-everything forward who gives opponents matchup fits.
