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Kasparas Jakucionis, Tomislav Ivisic Bring International Feel To Illini Basketball

Zachary Draves

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
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Illini coach Brad Underwood has watched international players bring experience and talent to other college basketball programs.

Now, he gets to experience it up close with Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic.

Jakucionis is a 6-foot-6 point guard from Lithuania who is a projected first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

In January, he was named to the NBA's Basketball Without Borders All-Star team. He later got an invite to the Nike Hoop Summit World Team back in April, where he averaged 17.7 points, six rebounds, and 5.2 assists.

Ivisic is a 7-foot-1 center from Croatia .He comes in after playing three seasons with SC Derby in Podgorica, Montenegro, a member of the Adriatic League First Division (ABA).

In 69 games, Ivisic averaged 6.4 points while shooting 54.2 percent. He averaged 3.5 rebounds as well as shooting 85 percent from the free throw line. He's also represented the Croatian national team at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2018 and 2019.

Underwood has noticed his ability to adjust to a different style of play in terms of tempo, athleticism, and the shot-clock.

"We see his athleticism," he said. "That's always an adjustment for some international guys, they get on their team and there's a lot of, I don't want to say slower pace but there's a lot of sets and trying to flow."

More than anything, it is their overall basketball IQ that stands out.

"All of those guys, they're extremely sound in their fundamentals," Underwood said.

Zachary Draves is a contributor to IlliniNow. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.

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Zachary Draves
ZACHARY DRAVES