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Greenville, S.C. — The preseason hype surrounding a kid named Keaton Wagler felt rather obscure back then. Today, Keaton Wagler is considered one of the recent great Illini to grace the wooden State Farm Center court.
On Tuesday, Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler was named to the All-American Second Team, the first Illini Freshman ever to receive such an honor.
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At least one prestigious national honor? Check.
One day later, Wagler was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Second Team All-American.
Receive two? This means much more than a ‘check.’
It means Wagler will have his jersey lifted to the rafters, and his name will forever brush shoulders with the rest of the Illini greats.
“It means the world to me. Growing up, you always dream of this. It’s just really awesome to have it done as a freshman, too, big shout out to teammates and coach, too, to allow me to play my game and have fun,” Wagler said on Wednesday.
Wagler broke the Illini freshman scoring record for most points scored in a season. He was also among three freshmen in the entire NCAA to average at least 17 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, and four assists per game.
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“I think it’s really special, it shows how little scouting services know, it’s also a tribute to him and his piie, I think his teammates deserve a lot of credit,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “Keaton’s work is very bery hard, it’s fun to see when teams have success, it’s fun to have individual success as well.”
Wagler will almost certainly be a lottery pick in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft, but he has the opportunity to make this season even sweeter starting Thursday night.
If he can be the reason Illinois makes an extended run in the NCAA tournament, his legacy in Champaign could grow to be larger than his predecessors, all in what would be one oh-so-magical season.
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/keaton-wagler-earns-american-honors-050657127.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-19 05:06:00
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