How good is #Illini<\/a> freshman guard Keaton Wagler?<\/p>\n He had an ‘off night’ against Maryland \u2013 in which he flirted with a triple-double. 13 points, seven rebounds, eight assists.<\/p>\n Brad Underwood: “If that’s his ‘off night’ sign me up right now, because the greatest players in\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/wlTLbQRbBm<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI saw him in the preseason at practice and sent a message out to our guys and I don\u2019t really think they took it that seriously. Like, oh cool. They had no idea who he was,\u201d an NBA scout told The Athletic. \u201cAnd then I went with our assistant GM to see him in Alabama, and it was an immediate \u2018I don\u2019t know, not strong enough,\u2019 because he hadn\u2019t seen him and because he just didn\u2019t know the name. Now it\u2019s, like, \u2018Oh wow, he\u2019s a primary (prospect). Oh, we need to do more (research) on him.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI think there are some teams that are late to the party, but I also think there are teams that have seen enough that are like, he is a lottery pick.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to underestimate Keaton Wagler. I\u2019ve done it myself.<\/p>\n The first time I ever saw Wagler was in the winter of 2021. He was a freshman at Shawnee Mission Northwest, where my son Brayden was in the same class and where I also played high school basketball. Wagler would show up to the freshman games to watch and get up shots at halftime. His jumper was picture perfect and he could shoot with range, but he was only 5-foot-8, 130 pounds, and I wondered aloud, \u201cWho\u2019s little brother is that?\u201d<\/p>\n At that time, Wagler was a freshman, playing up on the junior varsity. But the varsity team, led by two star players \u2014 one of whom was his older brother Landon \u2014 started to face triangle-and-two defenses and needed a shooter who could make defenses pay. SMNW coach David Birch had been playing pickup ball with Wagler for years because his dad, Logan, would bring his boys along, and he used to get frustrated the young Wagler would find a way to score against his high school guys. He knew Wagler could make 3s, so he figured that was his solution. In Wagler\u2019s first varsity game, he made four 3s.<\/p>\n \u201cHe proved that he can make shots and he wasn\u2019t scared,\u201d Birch said. \u201cIt was kind of the same things back when he was 9 or 10, like, \u2018why is he scoring on these guys?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n After the season, Wagler had a major growth spurt \u2014 he was 6-2 by the start of his sophomore season \u2014 growing so fast that his mom, Jennifer, remembers constantly rubbing the soreness from his knees. He led the Cougars to their third straight state tournament as a sophomore, but he was far from the radar of Division I schools.<\/p>\n In the summer after his sophomore year, Wagler got his first scholarship offer from Rockhurst, a local Division II school where his dad played, and he burst from his room to share the news with his parents and brother.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone was so excited,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I was like, this is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Keaton Wagler was only 5-foot-8 as a high school freshman, but a growth spurt led to his first college offer as a sophomore. (Fred Zwicky \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n As a junior, Wagler grew to 6-4. The Cougars also had a 7-foot sophomore, Ethan Taylor, who was already getting recruited by high-major schools. (Taylor recently committed to Michigan State.) The other three starters, also juniors, eventually got college scholarships \u2014 two are at local Division II schools and another at a junior college.<\/p>\n Before the season, Birch pulled Wagler into his office and told him he was playing with a lot of guys who needed shots. \u201cGive them their shots, especially when you see them not (engaged) in the game,\u201d Birch told him.<\/p>\n The Cougars went 25-0, winning the first state title in school history.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason everybody felt good about their roles was because Keaton delegated all of it,\u201d Birch said. \u201cAnd you know that\u2019s something you really can\u2019t teach a guy to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Wagler got his first DI offer that season from UMKC, but he was still an unknown nationally and not fully recognized in the area. He didn\u2019t win player of the year in his school\u2019s league.<\/p>\n Birch thought Wagler would end up at a mid-major, crush it and then transfer up, because then the high-majors would see it. But he realized Wagler was about to ascend when he buried two bombs from well beyond the 3-point line early in the state title game.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was like, okay, this guy\u2019s not scared of the moment,\u201d Birch said. \u201cHe can probably play at a pretty high level earlier than maybe I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n In the spring after his junior year, Wagler had opportunities to join either of the shoe-sponsored teams in Kansas City \u2014 MoKan on the Nike Circuit or KC Run GMC with Under Armour. Those platforms are where it\u2019s easiest to get noticed because high-major coaches watch their games every weekend they\u2019re allowed in the gym.<\/p>\n But Wagler decided to stick with his local team, led by Victor Williams, a former Oklahoma State guard who played for Eddie Sutton in the early 2000s. Since graduation, Williams has operated a grassroots program in his hometown of Kansas City \u2014 VWBA \u2014 without shoe company money.<\/p>\n Williams entered tournaments with shoe-sponsored teams that summer, and VWBA went 4-1 in those games, the highlight a win in Atlanta over Nike-sponsored Team Thad, which featured five-star point guard Jasper Johnson, now at Kentucky.<\/p>\n \u201cThey probably had nine Division I players on that team, and Keaton Wagler was the best player on the floor,\u201d Williams said. \u201cAnd we beat them by 25.\u201d<\/p>\n 3 \u2b50\ufe0f #1 Player in Kansas, 25\u2019 KEATON WAGLER @KeatonW34<\/a> calls Game against Florida Pro in 2OT in ATL #Elite32<\/a>\u203c\ufe0f@vicwilli<\/a> @mattgore1234<\/a> @RL_Hoops<\/a> @OntheRadarHoops<\/a> @OTRHoops<\/a> @SmnwHoops<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/tTEO1h0GwX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 VWBA Elite (@VWBAelite) July 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n That summer, as Wagler said he realized he belonged on the floor with high-level players, he asked his dad to get in the gym constantly. Logan, who is the director of Parks and Recreation in Lenexa, Kan., where the family lives, made a deal with himself when his kids were young that because he had access to a gym, he would take them any time they wanted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was fine until Keaton got a little older and he just completely wore me,\u201d Logan said. \u201cWe\u2019d be on the road all weekend, come home on a Sunday, it\u2019d be early enough, he\u2019d be like, \u2018I wanna go get some shots up.\u2019 Like, Dad needs some rest! He made me break my rule.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams, who often worked out Wagler on the side, watched as Wagler put together one of the best summer seasons he\u2019d seen. Williams told Logan in the spring that he thought his son was a high-major player, then in July, on an elevator in Dallas, he went one step further: He\u2019s a pro.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of high-level basketball players,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna tell you this for a fact. He is the most self-confident, self-belief person, especially at that age, that I\u2019ve ever been around. He knows what he wants. You can\u2019t convince him to do things that he\u2019s not comfortable with doing. He\u2019s gonna be an everyday person, and if you\u2019re his guy, you\u2019re his guy.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams made his case to high-major coaches, and most passed. But when he sent the tape to Illinois assistant Tyler Underwood, he found a believer.<\/p>\n When Wagler was growing up, his dad used to get him a pair of basketball socks if he got 10 or more rebounds in a game. Scoring was never prioritized in the Wagler house. Just make the right basketball play. So Wagler never chased numbers (outside of rebounds) and never dominated the ball, and his talent didn\u2019t slap you in the face.<\/p>\n But the film popped for Tyler Underwood, and the first thing that sold him was the passing. Underwood\u2019s father, Illini coach Brad Underwood, loves players who can pass because he equates the skill to basketball intelligence, and Wagler played with his head up, advanced the ball at every opportunity and made every read.<\/p>\n In August before his senior year, Wagler started touring some of the mid-major schools who offered in July \u2014 Colorado State, Drake, Murray State and Southern Illinois. Wagler wanted to make his college decision before the high school season started, and Tyler Underwood told his dad they needed to make an offer to let him know they were serious \u2014 even though they had never seen him in person.<\/p>\n So on the afternoon of Aug. 22, 2024, with the Waglers driving on a gravel road headed to Southern Illinois from Murray State, Wagler\u2019s cellphone rang in the backseat, and it was Brad Underwood. They talked for a few minutes.<\/p>\n Then the call dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on back there?\u201d Logan asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI was on the phone with Coach Underwood.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderwood? Like Illinois?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCall him back!\u201d<\/p>\n Wagler suggested waiting until he had a better signal, then told his parents, \u201cOh yeah, he offered me before the call dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d Logan shouted. \u201cWhy isn\u2019t that the first thing out of your mouth?\u201d<\/p>\n This is Wagler. Nonchalant. Never braggadocios.<\/p>\n Wagler contemplated whether he should post anything on X, because he didn\u2019t want to take away from the visit he was about to take to Southern Illinois, but his dad told him he should be consistent. He\u2019d announced every other offer. Later that night, he had a video call with Minnesota, which also offered, and just like that, the offers Williams told him would eventually be there arrived in one day.<\/p>\n \n Illinois assistant Tyler Underwood, son of head coach Brad, led the recruitment of Keaton Wagler. (Taj Falconer \/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Wagler is the first American-born player Brad Underwood can remember who he has offered a scholarship without seeing live \u2014 so to show Wagler they were serious and get eyes on him, Tyler Underwood went to Shawnee in early September to watch Wagler in a three-on-three game with some of his high school teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cThree-on-three is an interesting way to evaluate just because he had the ball in his hands a lot,\u201d Tyler said. \u201cYou got to see some of the natural feel. You\u2019re like he\u2019s 6-6, can dribble, pass and shoot, like what am I missing?\u201d<\/p>\n A few weeks later, Wagler visited Illinois and the school and program felt perfect. The team chemistry, the development, a strength coach in Adam Fletcher who is considered one of the best in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing around the players, I could tell everyone wants to get better each day,\u201d Wagler said. \u201cI was like, this is the culture I wanna be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n Wagler committed four days after his visit and turned his attention to the high school season. Birch\u2019s theory why so many schools were slow to offer was they assumed Taylor, a five-star recruit, was the reason the Cougars were so dominant. Early in his senior season, Wagler got to show that was far from the truth when Taylor missed four games with strained ligaments in his hand and Wagler scored 30-plus in two of the games. He led the Cougars to a second state title and won every player of the year award in Kansas and Kansas City.<\/p>\n In June he left for Illinois not knowing exactly what to expect, but with a simple plan: \u201cTry not to do too much, work hard every day, keep my head down, and just grind.\u201d<\/p>\n One week into Wagler\u2019s time at Illinois, Tyler Underwood messaged Logan and said it was going well. In week two, Underwood called.<\/p>\n You need to get an agent.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when I was like, things must be going really well,\u201d Logan said.<\/p>\n Brad Underwood says for most freshmen, it takes them forever to make a shot, \u201cbecause they\u2019re getting used to the physicality, their brains are swimming with content and information and the newness of a whole new world.<\/p>\n \u201cKeaton never had that,\u201d he continued. \u201cKeaton never flinched when it came to not making shots or not finishing through contact. And it was day one.\u201d #Illini<\/a> Brad Underwood says Keaton Wagler earned this team’s trust in the offseason when he held his own in the summer against Kylan Boswell:<\/p>\n “It was a fight every day, because Kylan and Keaton were going against each other.” pic.twitter.com\/3cV9S6SEZW<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_28056157_168393355_lowres.jpg\")
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It was even more impressive this summer considering he was doing it against Boswell, one of the best defenders in college basketball. Boswell came into the office a few days after Wagler arrived and informed the coaches the freshman was \u201ccold.\u201d<\/p>\n