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Logan is the dad. The writer has known Wagler since he was a freshman, as the writer went to the same high school, and his son was in the same class at the school as Wagler.

“As far as the playing, we didn’t have any expectations,” Logan said. “Like, honestly, we were just crossing our fingers and praying that, what if he just finds a way to crack the rotation and get onto the court and help his team win some games?”

Instead, Wagler has turned into an All-Big Ten level player, and one of the bargains in all of college basketball, considering the Illini were paying for a player not considered a top-100 talent. As high as Wagler is projected to go in the draft, most would assume he’d leave. But if Wagler returns for his sophomore year, he’ll likely be one of the highest-paid players in college basketball while getting another year to work on his body with Fletcher.

The selling point for the Illini: They could return a core that would make them one of the preseason title favorites and the 2027 NBA Draft class is not nearly as strong as the current one. It would fit the narrative arc of his career, as someone who patiently believed he’d get where he wanted to go if he just put the trust in his coaches.

Coach Brad:

“Keaton isn’t trying to go be famous,” he said. “He’s not trying to date some supermodel. He’s not out there longing for the next nice car, the next nice whatever. That’s not him. His Midwestern, wholesome values we see every single day. It’s be a great teammate, play hard, compete, because it’s what you do in basketball. To me, Keaton’s what the game is about — the kid who is 261 — and just finds his way.”