It was a pretty remarkable season for the women’s Illinois basketball program, as they fought through a ton of adversity.
The Illini have been on the rise the past three seasons, making two NCAA tournaments in that stretch. It has been a long time since Illinois has been this relevant in the women’s game, but Shauna Green has the program not just trending in the right direction, but we are skyrocketing upward with great force.
Illinois made it back to the NCAA tournament this season and won a game for the first time in a quarter-century. Going up against No. 1 Texas in the second round was a tough ask, but the team fought and still made the game respectable.
With so much momentum and a great coach leading the charge, Illinois is seeing success on the court. The recruiting has taken a huge jump, too. The top commit for the Illini is Destiny Jackson, and this weekend, she earned a huge honor.
On Friday night, Jackson posted on social media that she has officially won the Illinois Ms. Basketball award. This honor goes to the top player in the state of Illinois.
Honored to be Ms.Illinois Basketball and the 1st ever in @Ladydolphinsgbb history thank you to all the coaches and media 🐬💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/mTKUR9TYg3
— Destiny Jackson (@JacksonDestoo) April 4, 2025
Jackson was a big part of her Whitney Young team this past season, averaging 21.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. The Dolphins were a No. 4 seed in the 4A State Championship, and they managed to get to the Sweet 16 only to lose to the eventual champion, Kenwood.
The class of 2025 is going to be so crucial to the success of the Illinois basketball team in 2025-26
Winning the Illinois Ms. Basketball award is a big deal. This is an award that has been won by legendary players who have gone on to do legendary things at all levels of basketball. Great players like Candace Parker, Cappie Pondexter, and Tamika Catchings, to name a few, have won this award.
Much like those great players, Jackson is going to need to make an impact on her team from day one. Illinois is losing a ton of talent from the Round of 32 squad we just saw this past season.
Illinois’ top four scorers, top four rebounders, and top three players in assists are all departing. That leaves a lot of production to be replaced.
I am excited to see Gretchen Dolan and Berry Wallace step up and lead this team. Jasmine Brown-Hagger will be back, and she was a big piece for the Illini last season. But the freshmen coming in are going to be crucial.
Jackson will start at the No. 1 spot. Winning the Illinois Ms. Basketball isn’t a huge surprise, as she is a five-star recruit and the No. 25 player in the country. I could also see Cearah Parchment, Manuella Alves-Fernandez, and Naomi Benson all fighting for starting jobs. All four are four-star recruits who rank inside the top 100 nationally.
Illinois is losing a ton of talent, but we are also bringing in a huge haul of freshmen. Let’s see what Green can do in the transfer portal as well. Look for the Illini to be even better in 2025-26.
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