Jul. 31 -- CHAMPAIGN -- The Illinois men's basketball program generated two notable roster-building storylines last season.
The "Where did Keaton Wagler come from?" narrative took hold in December when he made the first public steps from freshman guard with promise to likely one-and-done star.
But the bigger storyline started months earlier when Illinois coach Brad Underwood first built his 2025-26 squad with an all-out raid on the Balkans and lasted through the Illini's Final Four run.
That team featured three Croatians, including a pair of twins, one fun-loving Montenegrin, one Serbian/Greek former McDonald's All-American and one veteran Serbian guard relegated to minimal backup minutes because of Wagler's breakout season.
What was missed was the seventh Balkan -- Jake Davis.
A native of McCordsville, Ind.
Is Davis more an honorary Balkan given his Hoosier roots? Maybe so.
But the 6-foot-6 Illini forward is now represented by the same agency based out of Belgrade, Serbia, that reps three of his teammates, and he's started to learn the language.
At least enough Croatian to introduce himself in a couple weeks when he heads to Croatia with Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic....
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/european-vacation-davis-join-ivisic-144700725.html
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