Keaton Wagler Scouting Report: Illinois Basketball 2025-2026

Every weekday leading up to Illinois' Nov. 3 regular-season opener at Champaign's State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report for each Illini player on the team's official roster. Today, in the last of 14, we shine a light on guard Keaton Wagler. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players (as they're added) by searching in your favorite browser or clicking in our projected depth chart.

Keaton Wagler | 6-foot-6 guard | Freshman | No. 23

Where is Keaton Wagler from?

Wagler is a four-star recruit from Shawnee, Kansas, where he attended Mission Northwest, played for VWBA Elite on the AUU circuit and won nearly all there was to win as a basketball player in the state. Ranked No. 143 overall in the class of 2025 by 247Sports, Wagler might have earned more national recognition had he come up in a more prominent basketball scene.

Keaton Wagler statistics and 2024-25 season

Wagler led Shawnee Mission Northwest to back-to-back state championships in his last two high school seasons, making a huge leap as a senior. He averaged 18.5 points (45 percent three-point shooting), 6.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals as a senior on his way to being named the 2025 Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year.

Illinois got in on Wagler's recruiting as his stock began to peak and the quality of his offers began to improve. After the Illini made him an offer in August 2024, Wagler signed just under a month later.

Keaton Wagler nails one from behind the arc 👌

Subscribe/watch on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/6tuXfJhRc8
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 19, 2025

Scouting Keaton Wagler

Any breakdown of Wagler's game has to start with his shot: It's smooth, quick and accurate. It starts a little low, which may cause him some trouble against tougher competition – especially when shooting off the dribble. But his height (6-foot-6) and the speed of his release should make up the difference anytime he has a little space. At the very least, he should make an impact as a spot-up shooter in Champaign from the start.

Much of the rest of Wagler's scoring package is built on craft and length. Although he lacks explosive burst or speed, he is athletic enough, has a solid handle and finishes off contact surprisingly well for someone with his thin frame (185 pounds). Wagler could even be an immediate threat in the post against smaller guards. He has past experience at the point, and Illinois' coaches have prioritized getting him minutes there, though for now Wagler seems more comfortable creating for himself than others.

His growth at the point and his defense will ultimately determine how much Wagler plays as a freshman. He'll need to show versatility to maximize his minutes, and he will have to prove he won't get knocked around by the Big Ten's more physically developed guards.

Keaton Wagler highlights

What they're saying about Wagler

"He's gonna be one of our best players on this team, not even a doubt in my mind. He's cold," Illinois senior guard Kylan Boswell said of Wagler in preseason practice.

What we expect from Wagler

Wagler should be the first guard off the bench for Illinois this season, and his arc could look a lot like that of another reed-thin, sweet-shooting Illini freshman of recent vintage in Will Riley. Wagler may struggle with the physicality of the Big Ten initially, but he has the shot to contribute right away and the overall tools to develop into a well-rounded guard who can push for All-Big Ten honors – if not this year then in the future. Whether he sticks around long enough to see that through is an open question, but Wagler should be at least an excellent floor spacer and dangerous scorer off the bench while in Champaign.