Will Riley, Kasparas Jakucionis Quickly Getting On Same Page Key For Illini Hoops

Shandel Richardson | Aug 27, 2024

Mar 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks on during the second half against Duquesne Dukes in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

By no means is Illinois Fighting Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood complaining

His team was unable to get much work done as a full unit this summer. There were late arrivals. Some participated in international tournaments. Other dealt with paperwork issues.

"You just want familiarity," Underwood said. "You want comfort. You want to see how guys play and react. You want to see different lineups ... There's a lot of things out there that we're really excited to look at from a lineup standpoint and see how they interact."

Here's a rundown of what caused it:

-Croatian big man Tomislav Ivisic was late because he dealt with paperwork issues to enter the country. He was among the key additions after playing for SC Derby in Montenegro last season. He averaged 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 22 games.

-The Illini were unaware they landed freshman forward Will Riley until June. Many felt Kentucky was his first choice. When Riley picked Illinois, he moved up his arrival a year after reclassifying for this season.

-Point guard Kasparas Jakucionis spent the summer playing for the Lithuanian national team in the FIBA U18 tournament. Though he showcased his abilities to the world, he did not participate in any summer workouts in Champaign.

"We haven't seen KJ [Jakucionis] and Will together," Underwood said. "[Kylan] Boswell with KJ has been very minimal. Tomislav spent no time in any situation with KJ."

The Illini still have plenty of time to develop chemistry. It just won't be easy fast-tracking the process once practices resume this fall.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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