The 'Canadian Icon,' Cearah Parchment, has been building a legacy of greatness ever since joining the Illinois basketball program.
The 6-foot-3 forward was one of the top players at her position coming out of high school, as she was the No. 10-ranked power forward according to 247sports. Parchment's unbelievable size and nose for the ball have made her a scoring threat at all three levels, as well as a great defender on the other side of the ball for the Illini.
Parchment has been putting on a show for Shauna Green's bunch by averaging 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on 48.5% shooting from the field. She has had a special season, and her stellar play has led to her being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the third time in three months.
For the third time this season, Cearah Parchment is the Big Ten Freshman of the Week!
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) January 26, 2026
- Career-high 25 points
- 11 rebounds
- 6th double-double (most by a B1G freshman)
- 10-for-17 FG / 2-for-4 3FG / 3-for-4 FT pic.twitter.com/6quXhNZXZr
This past week was a memorable one for Parchment, as she recorded one of the best stat lines of her young career. In a highly-contested game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Parchment led all players to the tune of 25 points and 11 rebounds on 58% shooting from the field.
Parchment has now been awarded the Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times this season, with the other two coming on December 8 and January 5. This is Illinois basketball's fourth overall win on the year as well, with freshman point guard Destiny Jackson receiving the honor this past November.
What's next for one of the Big Ten's brightest stars?
Parchment has been stacking up the accolades all season long. But on Wednesday night, she will face one of her toughest tests of the season in the No. 2-ranked UCLA Bruins. She and Berry Wallace will have their work cut out for them, as they will be tasked with defending the dominant Lauren Betts.
Betts, a 6-foot-7 center from Centennial, Colorado, has been one of the driving forces for the Bruins all season long. Her 16.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game both lead UCLA, and her eight double-doubles on the year rank her top-30 in the entire country.
Parchment and Wallace are going to have a serious size disadvantage against the monstrous Betts and will need to rely on their quickness to hopefully keep her in check. It will be a tall task for the underclassmen, but it will certainly be an interesting matchup nonetheless.