Illini Women's Basketball 2024-2025

#251      
Rlouizjr01
Champaign Toast said:
I think Parchment could be the last '25 commit of this cycle. We might now back off on Naomi Benson and Manuella Alves-Fernandez, or Parchment's commitment causes them to look elsewhere.

I look at our roster outlook and think that for 2025-26 we could only be looking to add via transfer portal another ballhandler and possibly another F/C. Upper class, one-year transfers at both spots could be logical. Obviously won't fully know till the end of this season.

Projected 2025-26 (my classifications):
Point Guard/Ballhandler (1): FR Destiny
Guard/Wing (5): JR Gretchen, JR Cori, JR Brown-Hagger, SO Berry, FR Finney
Forward (3): SR Shay, SO Noya Catoira, FR Cearah
Center (2): JR Lety, SO Hayven

Anyone think we keep pushing for class of 2025 high school recruits?
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We are losing 5 players should we replace all 5 as well?I'm still hoping to get Manuela and and another guard if possible.,A taller one
 
#253      
Champaign Toast
Rlouizjr01 said:
We are losing 5 players should we replace all 5 as well?I'm still hoping to get Manuela and and another guard if possible.,A taller one
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We certainly could replace five graduates with five first-years; and maybe that's the staff's goal. Though, looking at how next year's squad projects to have just one senior--Shay Bollin--I imagine a couple senior transfers would provide nice balance and valuable experience, particularly at the point. Not a requirement, of course. There are a lot of ways to craft a winning roster. And one can't assume there will be no one transferring out.

I'd love to have Manuella join the Illini. In the excellent highlight / player breakdown video posted earlier, the facets that stood out most to me were the way she played with fire and attacked the glass, and moved her feet on defense.

I've read that we are after Addi Mack, listed at 5'9". She scores in bunches up in Minneapolis, where girls basketball is historically strong. Watching her on YouTube, it looks like she patterns her game after Caitlin Clark. Who wouldn't these days?

We did just get a commitment from a 6'1" shooting guard, Erica Finney, whose strength is outside shooting.
 
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