Rising basketball star Will Riley of Kitchener to enter the NBA Draft 

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 3:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

After an awesome freshman play with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini men's hoops team, Kitchener's Will Riley has his sights acceptable connected the large league.

Riley announced Monday that helium is declaring for the NBA draught successful June.

His caput coach, Brad Underwood, says Riley's work ethic was unparalleled.

"Will is 1 of the astir talented violative talents I person ever coached," Underwood said successful a merchandise sent retired by the University of Illinois.

"He came successful arsenic 1 of the highest rated recruits successful our school's history, and owed to his hard enactment and commitment, helium present has the accidental conscionable 1 twelvemonth aboriginal to unrecorded retired his NBA dream."

Riley, a 6 ft 8 inch freshman guardant who averaged 12.6 points disconnected the seat this season, is projected to beryllium picked successful the archetypal circular of the NBA draft.

He earned the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, which is fixed to the subordinate who has the highest constituent total.

Along with the 12.6 points, Riley had 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists and played successful each 35 games, according to the University of Illinois hoops statistics.

The Fighting Illini Basketball squad registered 22 wins successful the season.

Riley, who is conscionable 19-years-old, was calved successful Kitchener and attended Preston High School successful Cambridge and Grand River Collegiate Institute successful Kitchener. He past transferred to The Phelps School successful Malvern, Pennsylvania for the past 2 years of precocious school.

In the merchandise sent retired by the University of Illinois, Riley credits his ma for influencing his vocation saying "she gave maine my competitory borderline and thrust to succeed."

As acold arsenic the squad goes, helium says helium chose Illinois due to the fact that "I emotion the coaches, the players, and the ambiance that surrounds the program, and they acceptable my playing style." 

The 2025 NBA draught volition beryllium held June 25 and 26 astatine Barclays Center successful Brooklyn, New York.