5-star Illinois basketball forward named to top impactful freshman list

The women’s Illinois basketball program is poised for a great season, as many familiar names are back and some big-time players have joined the cause.

In today’s game, there is so much movement with players for one reason or another. Not with this Illini bunch, though.

Players like Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, and Kendall Bostic are all coming back for one more run at glory. Joining these talented players, and the rest of the Illinois roster, are incoming freshmen from the class of 2024.

Illinois currently has four freshmen on the roster, and all of the players will contribute to this program. The most notable of the names is Berry Wallace.

Wallace is coming out of the high school ranks as a five-star recruit. She was an elite 6-foot-1 forward from Ohio, but now she joins a stacked Illinois roster. That won’t deter her from making a big impact in year one, though. That seems to be the consensus with some of the national media as well.

On Tuesday, Shane Laflin of ESPN women’s hoops posted his list of the top 2024 impact freshmen. Topping the list is incoming UConn freshman, Allie Ziebell. Who was next on the list?

Berry Wallace.

Illinois basketball is loaded with talent, and Berry Wallace could put us over the top

Take what Illinois has done the last two seasons out of the equation, the fact we have a five-star recruit coming into the program has to get this fanbase excited.

The Illini talent level is elevated another notch with the addition of Wallace. Now let’s fold in the talent that is already on the roster.

Bryant, Cook, and Bostic are all back and will start for the Orange and Blue. Adalia McKenzie also returned for the Illini. She started every game last season too. That takes care of the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 spots.

I think it would be smart for Bostic, at 6-foot-2, to start at the No. 5 spot while slotting Wallace in at the No. 4 spot. I imagine Shauna Green is likely to start a five-star recruit and doesn’t let them ride the pine.

That leaves Brynn Shoup-Hill, Shay Bollin, and Hayven Smith to round out the frontcourt. Lety Vasconcelos, an incoming transfer from Baylor, is out for the season. That is still a stacked frontcourt for the Illini.

Illinois has a ridiculous amount of talent for the 2024-25 season. Wallace is the icing on what should be one of the best cakes in college basketball.