Illinois Basketball: Key piece returning to the Illini for the 2023-24 season

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 03: Genesis Bryant #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket while Diamond Miller #1 of the Maryland Terrapins defends in the second half of the game in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Target Center on March 3, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Terrapins defeated the Fighting Illini 73-58. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 03: Genesis Bryant #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket while Diamond Miller #1 of the Maryland Terrapins defends in the second half of the game in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Target Center on March 3, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Terrapins defeated the Fighting Illini 73-58. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The women’s Illinois basketball program had a special run this past season, and we are getting back one of our best players for the 2023-24 campaign.

When Shauna Green took over the Illini, this program was in shambles. It was a mess, and it had been a mess for most of the last 20 years. But Green brought her great coaching and a few key pieces along with her to help give a jolt to what I believe is a sleeping giant in the women’s game.

One of those key pieces that Green brought with her was Genesis Bryant. The 5-foot-6 guard transferred in after two seasons at North Carolina State and was instantly a shot in the arm for the Orange and Blue.

Bryant was one of the key cogs in the great resurgence of the Illini program this past season, and buckle up Illinois fans, she is returning for one more run.

A key piece in Genesis Bryant is returning for the 2023-24 season

On Wednesday, Bryant took to her Instagram account, and later Twitter account, to send out a heartfelt message to Illini Nation. There were a lot of great words in that message that meant a lot to Illinois fans everywhere, but the biggest part of the message was the last line.

"“We Will Be Back!!”"

This ending sent goosebumps down my arms. I had a feeling around early January that I have never had in my life. I trusted what the Illinois women’s program was doing more than I trusted what the men’s program was doing.


Illinois women are building something special in Champaign. There is still a way to go before we are in the same conversation as a South Carolina or UConn, but with the improvements I saw this past season, the ascension might not take too long.

Bryant was a huge part of that massive improvement by Illinois this past season. She came in and averaged 15.2 points, 3.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game.

What impressed me most was Bryant’s great three-point shooting ability. She was able to hit shots from deep at a clip of 40.4%, which was the best on the team among the starters.

Illinois has been in desperate need of depth, guard talent, and three-point shooting. We received that when Bryant transferred in. Now we are getting Bryant back for another season. The future of this program is so bright.