The Canadian icon, Cearah Parchment, has made a name for herself in such a short amount of time.
The Whitby, Ontario, product has quickly made a name for herself, and has turned into a player to fear for the Illinois basketball team's opposition. Parchment's commanding presence in the paint makes her the perfect running partner for Illini sophomore forward Berry Wallace, as they are quickly becoming one of the best frontcourts in the nation.
She is an absolute threat in all facets of the game, which has led to Parchment being crowned the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Week is our own Cearah Parchment!
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) December 8, 2025
Illinois is the only school to have two different freshmen win the award this season 🔶🔷 pic.twitter.com/491xXMCP2x
Parchment, a four-star recruit out of high school, was ranked No. 40 in ESPNW's HoopGurlz rankings and No. 12 at her position by 247sports. Surprisingly, there was only interest from one school (Illinois) during her recruiting process, where she officially made a hard commitment in October of 2024.
According to Brandon Clay of 247sports, Parchment's game can be best described as;
"Given her penchant for in-area rebounding, Parchment is an old-school three-level scoring option, with most of her offensive production coming from effective guard play that creates clean shot attempts for her."
Parchment is paving her way to success with the Illinois basketball program
When Parchment first started with Shauna Green's squad, it was rather modest to say the least. She was getting her feet wet with the navy and orange, recording 17 points and 12 rebounds across her first two games with the program.
But in her past three games, she has really started to pick up the pace. Parchment has recorded three straight double-doubles, with her biggest highlight being her 17-point, 10-steal performance against the Le Moyne Dolphins.
The best part about this stretch, however, has to be when Illinois faced Big Ten rival Indiana. In 27 minutes of play against the Hoosiers, Parchment was able to put up 15 points and 13 rebounds on 40% shooting from the field.
What's next for the Big Ten Freshman of the Week?
The next game on Illinois' docket will be this Wednesday, December 10, when the Illini travel to Missouri to take on the 9-2 Tigers. Mizzou will probably be trotting senior forward Jordana Reisma onto the court, who is averaging 12 points and 6.6 rebounds in her first season with the program.
Parchment will have to deal with a taller task when it comes to who is defending her, but Missouri hasn't really impressed me much this season. Their current scoring margin, as of writing this, is 8.5. They're allowing close to 40% shooting from the field, and 34% from three-point range.
They are just not ready to match up against the Illini. I see this being another big game for Illinois and Parchment, to the point where we will be having this conversation again next week. Don't be surprised if she adds another double-double to her resume, and if Illinois keeps it moving.