While the men’s team started the season off well on Monday night, the women’s Illinois basketball team is set to start their run on Tuesday.
The Illini are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, as we made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Looking to build on that great success, Shauna Green reloaded the Illinois roster and is ready to take on the world once again.
This is a very talented Illini team. We have multiple five-star recruits in the lineup, as well as numerous four-stars littered throughout. Not to mention, the transfer portal was good to us, too.
Here is the Illinois basketball projected lineup to start the 2025-26 season
No. 1 Guard
- Starter: Destiny Jackson
It is exciting to have a five-star point guard starting this season. Illinois should have Destiny Jackson as the starting No. 1 guard. She has incredible talent and looked good in the exhibition game.
- Backup: Aaliyah Guyton
When healthy, Aaliyah Guyton will be a huge asset to this team. She was a big transfer portal addition from Iowa. She will miss the beginning of the season, but Illinois should get her back sometime in the first few months.
No. 2 Guard
- Starter: Jasmine Brown-Hagger
An underrated part of the Illinois basketball team last season was Jasmine Brown-Hagger’s presence off the bench. She provided the Illini with 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game for that NCAA tournament team. I have her starting at the No. 2 guard spot.
- Backup: Maddie Webber
Another huge transfer portal addition this offseason was Maddie Webber. She was a sneaky get from Villanova, where she started 36 games and averaged 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Look for Webber to be a spark plug for the Illini as the backup at the No. 2 guard spot.
No: 3 Wing
- Starter: Gretchen Dolan
I am excited to see a healthy Gretchen Dolan play a full season again. She is Illinois’ best three-point shooter, and she should start at the No. 3 spot on the wing. Dolan only played in eight games last season due to injury, but she averaged 10.5 points and hit 35.5% from three-point range.
- Backup: Naomi Benson
Naomi Benson is a four-star freshman who should contribute a lot to the program this season. I have her slotted as the backup at the No. 3 spot. Benson can play more than one role, though. Look for her to be moved around and a huge asset off the bench.
No. 4 Forward
- Starter: Berry Wallace
Illinois has multiple former five-star recruits in the starting lineup. Destiny Jackson joins Berry Wallace in this category. I have Wallace starting at the No. 4 spot for the Illini. She was a key player for the Illini’s second round NCAA tournament team, averaging 9.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. She also shot 39.8% from three-point range. Wallace has All-American talent.
- Backup: Irene Noya Catoira
I have Irene Noya Catoira as the primary backup at the No. 4 spot to start the season. She didn’t play much last season, and we didn’t get a lot out of her in the exhibition game, but Illinois could use her off the bench. Don’t be surprised if we go big and this role goes to one of the backup centers. Catoira is going to be fighting for minutes.
No. 5 Center/Forward
- Starter: Cearah Parchment
The No. 5 spot is intriguing. Illinois has an extremely talented forward in Cearah Parchment who will likely get the starting nod at this position. She is just a freshman, but what I saw in the exhibition game blew me away. Look for her to be an All-Big Ten freshman this season. She was also a high four-star recruit coming out of high school.
- Backup: Lety Vasconcelos
Illinois has impressive size coming off the bench. Lety Vasconcelos is 6-foot-7 and should be a nice asset to have as the primary backup at the No. 5 spot. She will be able to give the Illini better matchups when we go up against an opposing team with size.
- Backup: Hayven Smith
Havyen Smith will have a say in how the minutes will be distributed in 2025-26. She has a ton of talent, and for now, I have Smith as a backup at the No. 5 spot. She and Lety will fight for time, and having these two on the bench is a great asset to the program.