#keaton-wagler

#keaton-wagler

In NBA Draft Analyst Jonathan Wasserman's most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report, the Washington Wizards find themselves at No. 5 overall, where they make the best out of a bad situation selection Illinois star Keaton Wagler. Obviously, Wagler isn't a name many fans are rooting for and with talents like Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer available, it's easy to get lost in the hype.

I'm tired of hearing about his high school [recruiting] ranking, I'm tired of hearing about he's 170 pounds when he got here, and he's physically skinny and weak. He's none of those things anymore. If the story is that everybody missed on him, we didn't. I'm tired of hearing that, too. We found him. He fit us. This is what college sports is all about, this type of situation.

Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 46 points, making nine 3-pointers, as No. 11 Illinois defeated No. 4 Purdue 88-82 on Saturday. Wagler, a freshman guard, shot 13 for 17 overall, 9 of 11 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 on free throws. David Mirkovic added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Illini (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten). Braden Smith led the Boilermakers (17-3, 7-2) with 27 points and 12 assists.