After offering Jason Jakstys last month, Illinois and head coach Brad Underwood landed the 6’10 in-state power forward, center. The rising senior of Yorkville High School and Breakaway Basketball announced his commitment to the Illini on Sunday.
The Illinois coaching staff started its recruitment of Jakstys back in December before his recruitment started to take off. It was not until February for him to receive his first scholarship offer which came from Illinois State. He also received offers from Boston University, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Indiana State, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, Penn, St. Thomas, Valparaiso, and Yale before ending his recruitment.
“They have an amazing coaching staff as well as the guys on the team who are great people. They also have an amazing fan base,” are the top things he likes about Illinois.
When asked about how he fits in with their team, Jakstys said “I will be able to stretch out the floor on offense because of my ability to shoot the three allowing for easier drives to the basket.” He is one of the higher upside big men in the regions 2024 class. As well as his ability to stretch the floor, he moves very well for his size, runs the floor hard, and has good touch around the paint. He marks the second commitment in their 2024 class joining one of the top forwards in the nation, Morez Johnson.