Chambana Sun

Head Coach Brad Underwood has announced that Kasparas Jakucionis has signed a National Letter of Intent and Big Ten Tender of Financial Aid with the University of Illinois. The Lithuanian guard will join the Fighting Illini program.

Jakucionis, a 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound player from Vilnius, Lithuania, previously played for FC Barcelona's second team and occasionally for the top team. He has represented Lithuania in international competitions and participated in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament and Nike Hoops Summit.

"We are excited to add one of the top European guards in Kasparas Jakucionis," said Underwood. "He is extremely talented with great positional size. He is an elite point guard in pick-and-roll and a fabulous passer. He's also a scorer, so he has versatility at multiple guard spots. Kasparas has tremendous experience; he's played against top international talent with Lithuania and Barcelona, and at his young age even made a EuroLeague appearance."

During the 2023-24 season, Jakucionis averaged 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.6 steals over 19 games for Barcelona's second team. He scored double figures in 16 games with ten games of over 20 points each, including a career-high of 39 points on February 3 against Alfinden.

At the Adidas Next Generation Tournament this spring, Jakucionis earned all-tournament team honors by averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and leading with nine assists per game while securing MVP honors in Belgrade.

Jakucionis also represented Lithuania at both the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2022 and the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2023.