Illini guard Keaton Wagler stacking accolades in freshman season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois Basketball Freshman Guard Keaton Wagler is stacking up awards in his first year with the Illini.

Wagler is having one of the best seasons in program history midway through his freshman campaign, averaging 18.1 points, 5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

He had a historic 46-point performance in a win at then #4 Purdue, and he helped Illinois to a win over then #5 Nebraska, scoring 28 points.

Wagler was named as a mid-season top-10 candidate for the 2026 Jerry West Award.

Named after NBA Hall of Fame Guard Jerry West, the award highlights the top shooting guards in Division 1 men's college basketball.

The list will be narrowed from 10 to 5 in mid-March, and a winner will be selected in late March.

Wagler was also selected as the Oscar Robertson High-Major Player of the Month for January. For the month, he averaged 21.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds while helping the Illini to an 8-0 record.

Wagler is the third true-freshman to win the award this season, following Duke's Cameron Boozer in November and BYU's AJ Dybantsa in December.

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