Source: Illini land Lithuanian prospect Jakucionis

Top international basketball prospect Kasparas Jakucionis, a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, has committed to Illinois, a source told ESPN on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-6 point guard from Lithuania is considered one of the most promising international prospects committing to the college route in the Class of 2024.

Jakucionis was one of the youngest players ever to play for European powerhouse Barcelona when he made his ACB debut at 16, and he recently made his Euroleague debut in January. He led the prestigious Adidas Next Generation tournament in assists this season at 9.0 per game, being named MVP of the ANGT Belgrade.

Jakucionis was named to the all-star team at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Camp in January and was subsequently invited to the Nike Hoop Summit World Team in Portland in April. He averaged 17.7 points, 6 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 24 minutes through 34 games across several different competitions this season, shooting 37% from 3-point range.

He is expected to play a significant role in an Illinois backcourt featuring Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell, along with returning guards Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Ty Rodgers. The Illini also reeled in Louisville wing transfer Tre White, Mercer wing transfer Jake Davis, Notre Dame forward Carey Booth, Evansville stretch big man Ben Humrichous and will enroll a pair of highly regarded freshman centers in Morez Johnson and Tomislav Ivisic.

A flurry of elite international prospects are expected to announce their commitments to some of the top programs in college basketball, as the proliferation of NIL agreements has made the NCAA a far more attractive route in recent years.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and international teams.