CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Head Coach Brad Underwood announced Wednesday that Kasparas Jakucionis (kas-PAR-es yah-koo-CHOH-nis) has signed a National Letter of Intent and Big Ten Tender of Financial Aid with the University of Illinois and will join the Fighting Illini program.
Jakucionis is a 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound guard from Vilnius, Lithuania. He joins the Fighting Illini after playing for European power FC Barcelona, primarily for Barca's second team and including limited action with the club's top team. Jakucionis has also represented Lithuania internationally, posted stellar performances at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, and earned experience at the Nike Hoops Summit.
"We are excited to add one of the top European guards in Kasparas Jakucionis," Underwood said. "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. He has trained with older, proven players for years which has allowed his game to flourish."
During the 2023-24 season, Jakucionis played 19 games for Barcelona's second team, averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 48% overall, 38% from 3-point range, and 88% from the free throw line. Jakucionis scored in double-figures 16 times with 10 games of 20-plus points, including a career-high 39 points on Feb. 3 vs. Alfinden. He followed that performance with a triple-double effort of 26 points, 17 rebounds, and 11 assists in the team's next outing, Feb. 11 vs. Navas. Jakucionis also played up in two Spanish League games and made his EuroLeague debut.
During the Adidas Next Generation Tournament this spring, Jakucionis earned all-tournament team honors after averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, a tournament-best 9.0 assists and 2.9 steals. He led U18 FC Barcelona to a 4-0 mark in the group stage while earning MVP honors in Belgrade, Serbia, for a berth in the Berlin finals for the second straight season. In 2022-23, Jakucionis was named MVP of the qualifier in Zadar, Croatia, and was selected to the ANGT Finals All-Tournament team in Kaunas, Lithuania, after averaging 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals. He also participated in the 2024 Nike Hoops Summit in April where his World Team took on fellow future Illini Morez Johnson Jr. and Team USA.
Jakucionis represented Lithuania at the FIBA U16 European Championship in 2022 and the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2023. During the U16 Championship he was key to Lithuania's run to the gold medal, averaging 9.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 steals. In the championship game vs. Spain, Jakucionis posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double with five assists and five steals. In the U18 tournament last summer, he tallied 13.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
