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Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-8.
- #30 Morez Johnson Jr.
- #29 Marcus Arnold.
- #28 Matthew Mayer.
- #27 Kevin Turner.
- #26 Mike Davis.
- #25 Trent Frazier.
- #24 D.J. Richardson.
- #23 Tyler Griffey.
- #22 Will Riley.
- #21 Dain Dainja.
- #20 Jack Ingram.
- #19 Marcus Domask.
- #18 Tomislav Ivisic.
- #17 Robert Archibald.
- #16 Brandon Paul.
- #15 Frankie Williams.
- #14 Marcus Griffin.
- #13 Sergio McClain.
- #12 Alfonso Plummer.
- #11 Lucas Johnson.
- #10 David Mirkovic.
- #9 Damir Krupalija.
- #8 Terrence Shannon Jr.
In the grand scheme of things, Illinois has had more talented and highly-regarded freshmen than Keaton Wagler, my 7th favorite Illinois men's basketball player of my 30-year fandom, though the program will never see another freshman season like the one Wagler just provided.
As Wagler continues his amazing journey this last calendar year, from three-star recruit to one-and-done in Champaign to likely top-five NBA Draft pick in a few weeks, there is not much to say but "Thank you and good luck Keaton."
You were a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime player, leading Illinois to the Final Four for the first time in 21 seasons.
Please read the following post to understand why Wagler cemented himself as one of my favorite Illini of all time:
Wagler will surely climb higher on this list with time, definitely at some point next season when I inevitably think, "Man, I wish Wagler was still on this team" or "Things aren't just the same without Keaton."
In those moments I might have to turn to these videos below to relive Wagler's incredible season at Illinois and cope with the fact that he is no longer around to save the Illini when needed. :-)
As Wagler continues his amazing journey this last calendar year, from three-star recruit to one-and-done in Champaign to likely top-five NBA Draft pick in a few weeks, there is not much to say but "Thank you and good luck Keaton."
You were a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime player, leading Illinois to the Final Four for the first time in 21 seasons.
Please read the following post to understand why Wagler cemented himself as one of my favorite Illini of all time:
Wagler will surely climb higher on this list with time, definitely at some point next season when I inevitably think, "Man, I wish Wagler was still on this team" or "Things aren't just the same without Keaton."
In those moments I might have to turn to these videos below to relive Wagler's incredible season at Illinois and cope with the fact that he is no longer around to save the Illini when needed. :-)
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