2025-26 Women's Basketball Preview
Editor's note: New author alert! Everyone welcome Heath to IlliniBoard. I mean, Heath has been around IlliniBoard for 10+ years. But everyone welcome him as a new writer.
Heath approached me about writing some WBB content six months ago. I told him I had some other people interested in writing about WBB (more on that in the coming weeks), but we figured out a way to make it all work together. I had been hoping to introduce this new thing with some other new things I've been working on, but that stuff will have to wait. For now, how about Heath introduces himself with a preview of Shauna Green's 2025-26 squad?
Let's go.
Friends, welcome to another season in which both Illinois basketball teams start the year with some optimism. My name is Heath Morber, long-time Illiniboard reader and now part-time writer. I’m sure I’ll divulge more about myself as the year wears on, but the basics: 2002 U of I grad, full-time church musician in C-U, married for 22 years, father of five, and diehard Illini fan since the first time I saw Richard Keene’s perfectly coiffed hair on channel 13 circa 1993.
I feel honored that Robert gave me the chance to write about the Illinois women’s basketball team this season. There have been many Illiniboard posts that have resonated with me, but I don’t know that any made me sit up in my chair and say, “YES EXACTLY” quite like this one. Read it all when you finish this one, but it’s basically Robert attending a men’s game on Saturday (the TSJ upside-down jersey game, God help us) and then a women’s game on Sunday (a hard-fought victory over a ranked Nebraska team). He wrote this:
The difference (at the women’s game), plain and simple, was the lack of angst. The absence of rage. I mean, there was rage – Nebraska's women's coach has some Fran McCaffery tendencies and it took a lot of restraint from the officials to not T her up – but the overall mood in the arena was "let's do this, ladies" and not "don't you dare make a mistake."
The support, both from the crowd and from the bench, was inspiring. No, it wasn't even half as loud as the men's game, and yes, a massive arena like that can echo when the 200-level is mostly empty. But I'm talking about support, not noise, and it was palpable.
Omigosh, YES. I’m a long-time men’s basketball and football season ticket holder, and I love it, I do…but I don’t know if you’ve noticed, it can get a little cynical in the stands. The SFC crowd has grown these past few years at the women’s games, and the optimism hasn’t changed in the building; it’s just gotten louder. This program needs some coverage so let’s get started.
Recent History
Let’s review the last 20+ years of IL women’s hoops since the turn of the century:
The latter Theresa Grentz years 2000-2007 (7 seasons)
Record: 111-96 (.536), zero NCAA tournament appearances
Jolette Law 2007-2012 (5 seasons)
Record: 69-93 (.426), zero NCAA tournament appearances
Matt Bollant 2012-2017 (5 seasons)
Record: 61-94 (.394), zero NCAA tournament appearances
Nancy Fahey 2017-2022 (5 seasons)
Record: 42-99 (.298), zero NCAA tournament appearances
(Do you spot a trend?)
Shauna Green (2022-present) (3 seasons)
Record: 63-35 (.643), two NCAA tournament appearances
We’re living in the Shauna Green era, folks. She’s engineered an unbelievable turnaround of one of the most moribund of moribund programs…in any sport. Before she showed up:
- Our last time with a winning conference record: 2012-13 (9-7)
- Our last time with a winning overall record: 2012-13 (19-14)
- Our last time winning 20 games: 2007-08 (20-15)
- Our last time in the NCAA tourney: 2002-03
- Our last time ranked in the AP top 25: 2000-01
- Our last time winning an NCAA tourney game: 1999-2000
- Our last time with at least 60 victories in three seasons: 1997-2000
She updated all these “last time’s” in just three years.
I suspect we all did a double-take in Shauna’s first season when they won the Braggin’ Rights game in Columbia. A team that had won seven (S-E-V-E-N) games the previous year had taken down an above-average SEC team on the road. And we kept winning, including an unforgettable New Year’s Day defeat of Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes in front of the biggest crowd in a looong time (annual elementary school game excluded). Season one culminated in an NCAA appearance with nearly the whole roster returning for season two.
Year two (I caved and got season tickets) was a step back, but the ladies got hot in the last stretch of the season and won the first WBIT tournament. And year three, despite a slew of key injuries, was an unmitigated success, culminating in the round of 32. It’s been fun.
The Storyline
In short: can Shauna keep the good times rolling after losing all of her veterans? Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, Brynn Shoup-Hill and their 60+ wins in the past three years are all gone. Those ladies had some talent, but their success came more from buy-in, experience, and cohesion.
This year: more pure talent, but way less experience. Kendall Bostic started 125 games in an Illinois jersey. The most on this year’s team? Jasmine Brown-Hagger with 17. How quickly can an inexperienced team replacing nearly all their minutes from last year play at their best? Shauna brought in some key transfers and roped in an excellent freshman class (number seven nationally…S-E-V-E-N!), but who knows how ready they’ll be in darly November or even when conference play starts.
The Roster
Let’s break this into categories:
Proven Returners
Jasmine Brown-Hagger
Junior Guard, 5’9”
2024-25: 8.1 ppg, 2.3 rbg, 1.9 apg
JBH started most of last year as a transfer, but battled some inconsistency at times. She’ll need to be rock-steady as a junior this year in the backcourt.
Gretchen Dolan
Junior Guard, 5’11”
2024-25: 10.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.0 apg
Oh, what could have been. Gretchen had some early season injuries, came back and played hero ball in the Oregon game (she hit three back-breaking 3’s), and then immediately went back on the injury reserve, never to return. I suspect, assuming she’s fully healthy, that a third-year Gretchen is going to be a scoring machine this season.
Berry Wallace
Sophomore Forward, 6’1”
2024-25: 9.0 ppg, 3.1, rpg, 0.7 apg
Shauna’s first McDonald’s All-American had a slow start to her freshman year and then broke her hand…but once she healed up and knocked the rust off, she was EXCELLENT for us down the stretch. Remember that Texas game in the round of 32? Berry was the only one that really looked like she belonged on the court with all that Texas talent. I think she’ll fill up the stat sheet this year and may wind up (quietly) being our best player. When she’s an upperclassmen? Look out, Big Ten.
Transfers that we hope are good in the Orange and Blue
Lety Vasconcelos
Junior Center, 6’7”
2023-24 (at Baylor): 1.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.2 apg
Poor Kendall Bostic, who thought she would finally get to play forward once we brought in this 6’7 Brazilian. Well, Lety tore her ACL and Kendall corralled enough rebounds for her and Lety both. She played very sparingly at Baylor her freshman year and is coming off a serious knee injury…it might take the redshirt-sophomore a bit to be the big we need her to be.
Maddie Webber
Junior Guard, 5’11”
2024-2025 (at Villanova): 13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg
What a great off-season pickup. Webber was a starter as a sophomore for a solid Villanova team and brings some veteran leadership in the backcourt that will be sorely needed.
Aaliyah Guyton
Sophomore Guard, 5’7”
2024-25 (at Iowa): 4.7 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.1 apg
We finally got a Guyton! AJ ‘s daughter was lured away to Iowa last year but her role was limited. We're hoping for a sophomore leap in her new and improved colors.
Returner that might see some floor time
Hayven Smith
Sophomore Center 6’5”
2024-25: 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.2 apg
Well, you can't teach height so I'll bet on spot minutes this year from Hayven when frontcourt foul trouble pops up. Beyond that, we'll see.
Freshmen that we hope are amazing
DID I MENTION THAT THIS WAS THE NUMBER SEVEN CLASS?? First impressions from the exhibition game vs. Maryville:
Destiny Jackson (ESPN #29)
Freshman Guard, 5’6”
Diminutive, but jet quick, great handles, and (a pleasant surprise) a savvy defender. She may have the keys from day one.
Cearah Parchment (ESPN #40)
Freshman Forward, 6’3”
I cornered someone close to the team this Fall (a SOURCE) and asked who would be the surprising freshman. The person in question didn’t hesitate to mention “Cece” Parchment. And boy, oh boy was she good vs. Maryville. She rebounded, she dribbled well in the open court, and her shooting form is LOVELY. As is Illiniboard tradition, I wrote a haiku in her honor:
Dub double debut,
Tall Canadian can shoot;
A small ball five, eh?
(I'll keep working on it)
Naomi Benson (ESPN #96)
Freshman Forward, 6’2”
Not much to react to, as she hardly played. She looks the part of a top 100 recruit, but I question how much playing time she'll get this year with a fairly deep roster.
Freshmen that will miss the year and I'm sick about it
We just got the news last week that F Manuella Alves (from Brazil, Four star, ESPN #48) and G Erica Finney (Aussie, Aussie, Aussie) will both miss the year with injuries and that suuuucks.
End of the bench, we love you too
F Irene Noya Catoira
G Mia Zenere
F Gisela Segura
“Put me in, coach!”
National Expectations
Considering how much we’re losing from last year, I was a little surprised to see the three votes we got for the preseason AP poll (which puts us at #35). This is a reflection of the trust that Shauna Green has engendered and the infusion of young talent. The catch? We’re behind nine Big Ten teams in those same AP rankings. The conference will be TOUGH this year.
(Bart Torvik recently released his own list and we're #65, but what does he know)
Schedule
I like the way Tyler breaks down the schedule in his Men’s basketball previews, so let me emulate him by putting games in tiers and adding my predictions:
Cupcakes at home
(SEMO, Illinois St., Murray St., W. Kentucky, Le Moyne, Bellarmine, N. Texas, Jackson St.)
Some nice tune-up games for a young roster. Prediction: 8-0
High-major non-con road games
(Oregon St., Florida St., Missouri)
I think we’ll steal one of these, but not more than that. Prediction 1-2
Conference home games
(Indiana, Maryland, OSU, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Minnesota)
UCLA and Maryland are both in the top ten, so let’s say losses. USC, OSU and Minny are above us in AP rankings, I say we take two of those. Indiana, Northwestern, Wisky, Rutgers all below us, let’s get em all. Prediction: 6-3
Conference road games
(Purdue, MSU, PSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon, Northwestern, Iowa)
I’m feeling less confident with an inexperienced team on the road. Michigan, Iowa, MSU, and Washington are all above us in the AP, let’s say those are all losses. Nebraska and Oregon will both be decent, two more losses. We’ll take down Purdue, PSU and Northwestern. Prediction: 3-6
Non-con record: 9-2
Conference record: 9-9
Overall: 18-11
NCAA bubble team in need of a win or two in the B1G tourney to get in. That sounds about right for this team. Hopefully the freshmen hit their stride in February and we make a run near the end of the year.
Now, NEXT year, with everyone eligible to return?
(*swoon*)