Edvardas Stasys Gains Attention with Illinois Offer

The recruitment process has started for Edvardas Stasys, a standout player at Benet. The 6-foot-8 senior forward recently received an offer from Illinois, marking his first from a Big Ten school.

I’m super grateful for it, for sure. I’m definitely grateful for the Illini staff. It’s definitely an opportunity of a lifetime.

Stasys expressed his gratitude for the offer but plans to keep his options open. He intends to visit several schools and make a decision in the coming months. Stasys considers majoring in finance or business and plans to carefully assess his options.

In addition to Illinois, Stasys has offers from Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Belmont, Central Michigan, Harvard, Holy Cross, Robert Morris, Western Michigan, and Yale. The addition of Illinois, a Final Four team under coach Brad Underwood, has added excitement to his recruitment process.

Notably, Illinois’ roster includes sophomore point guard Blake Fagbemi, who was Stasys’ teammate and instrumental in Benet’s Class 4A state championship win in 2025. Illinois has been actively recruiting in Chicago’s western suburbs, securing a commitment from Neuqua Valley senior guard Mason Martin. Cole Kelly, a junior forward and teammate of Martin, has also received an offer.

Benet coach Gene Heidkamp applauded Illinois’ recruitment strategy.

It’s great for all those individuals. Illinois is a great program. They have one of our players in the program right now. It’s great to see them doing so well and recruiting kids in the western suburbs,

he stated.

Stasys’ growth as a player is evident with such an offer.

I’m happy for him. He’s starting to see all his hard work with all the attention he’s been paid by multiple schools. There’s a long way to go in his process. But being offered by a Big Ten school is certainly a huge deal,

Heidkamp added.

Stasys will be a key player for the Redwings next season. As a third-year varsity player, he averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists as a junior. With the graduation of Jayden Wright and Colin Stack, Stasys will be the team’s star attraction.

He took on a larger role last season, helping Benet return to the state championship game where they lost to Marist. Stasys is expected to contribute more, especially in offense.

He’ll play wherever we can take advantage of his abilities. He’s done a lot more handling the ball. He’s somebody who can play in the post, slash, and is a great offensive rebounder. He runs the floor well in transition. He’ll do a little bit of everything for us,

Heidkamp explained.

Stasys embraces the challenge and is focused on honing his offensive skills.

Shooting the ball is definitely an emphasis. Playmaking, I think I’ve gotten a lot better with that, and just overall confidence having the ball in my hands more. Sophomore year, I didn’t really have the ball in my hands much,

he noted.

Despite his expanded roles, Stasys remains clear about his ultimate goal.

We’re just trying to win the state championship.

At Benet, he is playing center, leveraging his height, and aims to be versatile.

Stasys is also discerning in his recruitment journey. He has connections to Illinois through Fagbemi, and his sister Gabby, a volleyball player at Yale, introduces a link to that institution.

She loves the Yale community, and I’ve seen that it’s treated her well. But I’m on my own recruiting journey, so we’ll see how it goes. I look for a program with high-level basketball and a great community. I’m also looking for great player development with great guys around it. Academics would be a bonus on top of all that,

Stasys concluded.

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.