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Illinois basketball says goodbye to another transfer portal departure

The frontcourt of the women's Illinois basketball program has taken a hit with another member of the team deciding to head for the transfer portal.
ByKellen Sherman|
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Oregon forward Ehis Etute, right, is fouled by Illinois forward Naomi Benson as the Oregon Ducks host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Feb. 4, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon forward Ehis Etute, right, is fouled by Illinois forward Naomi Benson as the Oregon Ducks host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Feb. 4, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's the offseason for the women's Illinois basketball program, which means that it's time for the transfer portal to dominate the headlines of collegiate sports.

This is the time of year when players all across the country gauge their positions in their respective programs and decide whether looking elsewhere in the transfer portal would be a good idea. It can be a daunting move for players to make, but for some, they just need a fresh start. The Illini are no exception.

The transfer portal has been rather light to start the season for Illinois, with sophomore forward Hayven Smith being the first member of the team to enter. But just this past Wednesday, a fellow member of Shauna Green's frontcourt also announced her decision to transfer.

Naomi Benson, a 6-foot-2 forward from Streetsboro, Ohio, just finished her first full season with Illinois. The product of Streetsboro High School had a very limited amount of playing time for the Illini, recording 14 points and 22 rebounds in 21 games played this season.

In high school, Benson was a four-star recruit who was a force to be reckoned with. The No. 98-ranked player in ESPN's HoopGurlz rankings averaged a double-double every year she played and set numerous school records.

Benson was a member of a loaded frontcourt led by the likes of Cearah Parchment, as well as sophomores Berry Wallace and Lety Vasconcelos. The Illini have been absolutely stacked with young, talented bigs all season long, which may have been a driving force for Benson to look elsewhere.

Naomi Benson has an extremely bright future wherever she decides to go

It's always a somber feeling whenever a player decides to transfer to another school, especially after the memorable year that the Illini had this season. As a fan, when a team makes a run like Illinois, you want them to stick together and make another run with the same crew intact.

But sadly, with NIL and the transfer portal being as prevalent as they are, that is not always the case. There will always be players who need to find an alternative path in their journey. They need to find a program that best suits their needs, and with the logjam that Illinois has in the frontcourt, it makes sense why Benson would want to find another team.

Benson has shown to be a dominant threat in the paint with plenty of upside based on her size and past performance. The problem is that she hasn't had the minutes to prove it on the court. She needs to find a team where she can be a significant contributor, and we should all support her in this process.

Thank you for everything that you gave to the women's Illinois basketball program, Naomi! Hoping for nothing but the best in your future career.

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