Illinois’ Kasparas Jakučionis inspires after the first NCAA tournament

Milwaukee – Kasparas Jakučionis never saw NCAA basketball when he grew up.

The time difference in his home country of Lithuania was impractical and usually concentrated on European basketball instead. But a few years ago he withdrawn from March Madness and understood his attraction.

“You can see how every detail counts in the game,” said Jakučionis. “Every possession is important and you win or go home. And that is the beauty of basketball.”

The Illinois Freshman Guard will receive its first personal taste of the NCAA tournament on Friday when seeds No. 6 Illini is faced with the 11th Seed Xavier at 8.45 p.m. Illinois’ tournament run, as it takes, could also be very good for Jakučionis, the team leader with 15 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

In the latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft in front of the NCAA tournament, the Nets from Brooklyn will take 22nd place in the 6-foot 6-Jakučionis and the Miami Heat-Select-Select-Selinis Freshman striker Riley.

After their quarter -final loss of Big Ten tournament against Maryland last week, the Illini spoke about the need to understand the urgency of this season in College basketball. The Junior Guard Kylan Boswell said that the potential near future without some of its best teammates increases the urgency even more.

“(Will) and KJ are certainly gone. There is not even a question about it,” said Boswell. “We know that this could be the last time when we play together. We had a great year, but we don’t want it to end so early.”

If his time in Illinois is just blinking in a long basketball career for Jakučionis, he is determined to enjoy the moment – and not to focus on the NBA attention he gets.

“I’m not thinking about it now,” said Jakučionis before training on Thursday from the Illinois changing room in Milwaukee. “We are now in March Madness. The only focus is on the game of tomorrow against Xavier, and that’s it.”

“I love how much he is interested in”

For a moment at the Big Ten tournament in the second round against Iowa, Boswell would do the four foul shots, which came from the then Hawkeyes coach Fran McCafferys two technical fouls. But Boswell knew that Jakučionis had difficulty getting his offensive game going, so he offered the shots to the newcomer, who made all four.

“He decided to trust me and give these free throws for me,” said Jakučionis. “He said:” Make a few simple buckets, then you will feel the ball and the game will be easier. “And it really helped me that it helped me a lot and I really appreciate it.

Listen to Coach Brad Underwood and his players, which impressed you the most with Jakučionis for a season, an all-Big Ten player from the third team, and they give them a number of properties.

Underwood has talked about the maturity several times that Jakučionis and the other international recruits of Illini brought into his program, and he said more than once that the guard was “one of the smartest people I’ve ever been to be”.

Illinois meets Xavier in the NCAA tournament. 5 snack bars to the opponent of the 1st round of Illini after his victory against Texas.

Riley pointed out how modest Jakučionis is, as he does not talk about himself and instead tries to raise others. The guard Tre White said he admired how Jakučionis is fearless, relentless and decides to win.

Boswell has received something else – how his friend was dealt with the good and the bad this season.

“How his persistence was all year round,” said Boswell. “He always takes so hard on himself and he always comes to me and relies on me. I love how much he takes care of the game, he takes care of what he does for his team to win.

“The bad games, he is in the gym immediately afterwards, 5 a.m. and so on.

Underwood praised the relationship between Jakučionis and Boswell on Thursday and said that the newcomer had an “enormous reaction” on Boswell’s advice.

“KJ’s respect for Kylan is enormous and vice versa,” he said. “Everything KJ wants to do is great, and Kylan knows how good a player is.”

In Jakučionis’ first season that played outside Europe, it wasn’t all easy and he had up and down in the last month.

In the event of a loss in Wisconsin, he only scored six points and had seven sales. A few weeks later he had 17 points and four templates in a surprise from Michigan and then met the 3-pointer, who prompted Underwood, to say: “He is not afraid of that moment in the last minute in the home final against Purdue.” He is not afraid to fail. “

In two Big Ten tournament games, Jakučionis was 25 points, 13 rebounds and four templates, but he also had 12 sales.

“I didn’t do a very good job to be honest,” said Jakučionis when I was asked about his game last month. “The shots may not have dropped. I still tried to lead to offensive rebounds in the defensive end, and simply help the team, but I can help the team. My teammates did a very good job to only play them themselves as they can, to show who they are.”

After Maryland Illinois had blown out in the conference tournament, Underwood emphasized the mixed results of his star.

“There were some great moments. There were some – I want to say not bad game – but there were some challenges,” said Underwood after the game. “He is at the top of the scouting report. I know how good he is. We all saw that. He met Big Shot about Big Shot all year round.

“I am more about turning on him defensively so that he is not worried about the offensive. And he was not very good this evening. The offense will take care of himself if he worries about the other end.”

Despite some of the fights, underwood also believes in the present and future of Jakučionis.

The pressure of the end

Jakučionis was much familiar with playing in loud atmospheres before he arrived in Illinois. After starting his career in Lithuania, he pulled for FC Barcelona.

“There were fewer fans in Barcelona, ​​but they were very passionate,” said Jakučionis. “The atmosphere is pretty similar as honest. In Europe it is also like crazy fans. Here I expected fewer fans and less attention, but now I can see that they are also very passionate.”

Illinois is a young team against an experienced Xavier group against a veteran group, with Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn as the only hold of the group from the group that made eight in the elite last season. But Boswell and White transmits some post -season experiences.

No. 6 seeds

And the experience that Jakučionis and the 7-foot 1-Croatian center Tomislav Ivišić played in Europe gives Underwood the trust that they can rise in the greatest games of their college career.

“The good thing for these boys, they were in many big games,” said Underwood. “You have a kind of secular knowledge and understanding.

“This phase is different. It is unsurpassed. There is nothing better than the NCAA tournament. But it is still basketball and you have to play the game and you have to compete.”