All-American. Jerry West Award Winner. Final Four. And now, a NBA Draft Green Room Invite. Keaton Wagler has done all these things. The one-and-done to the NBA Draft Illinois Fighting Illini superstar has a very bright future in front him. He’s only just getting started. The league decides which prospects extend a green room invite based on a poll of NBA teams, who vote on which 25 guys they think will be selected first. The idea is to have a player be on site when he hears his name called.
NBA Draft Green Room Invites
For the latest and greatest NBA Mock Draft go here. Click the names where highlighted for exclusive interview feature stories.
AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
Cameron Boozer (Duke)
Caleb Wilson (UNC)
Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
Darius Acuff (Arkansas)
Mikel Brown (Louisville)
Kingston Flemings (Houston)
Nate Ament (Tennessee)
Aday Mara (Michigan)
Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
Karim Lopez (Mexico)
Morez Johnson (Michigan)
Hannes Steinbach (Washington)
Labaron Philon (Alabama)
Allen Graves (Santa Clar
Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
Bennett Stirtz (Iowa)
Cameron Carr (Baylor)
Chris Cenac (Houston)
Dailyn Swain (Texas)
Isaiah Evans (Duke)
Ebuka Okorie (Stanford)
This development is absolutely huge for Keaton Wagler, and the Illini basketbal program. Recent years have seen a resurgence of Illini in the NBA Draft, with Ayo Dosunmu, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley. Illinois is establishing itself as a premier destination to play college ball, if you’re a guard who wants to make the association someday.
The draft is Tuesday, June 23, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on ABC/ESPN. The second round is Wednesday, June 24, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.