This is going to be a great year for the women’s Illinois basketball team, as there is so much talent just waiting to burst out.
Shauna Green reloaded after the Illini lost a ton of experienced talent this offseason. With so many newcomers to the squad, it might take a few games for the team to gel. But, without a doubt, Illinois is loaded for 2025-26.
Sadly, we won’t get to see one of the incoming freshmen this season. On Tuesday afternoon, the women’s Illinois basketball social media broke the disappointing news that Manuella Alves will miss the entire 2025-26 campaign.
Fighting Illini freshman Manuella Alves will miss the 2025-26 season.
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) October 28, 2025
📝 - https://t.co/WOD4kjrAoV pic.twitter.com/iuEtCqU7OD
Alves seemed to have had a big role heading into her freshman year. As a senior at IMG Academy, she was a four-star recruit who was the No. 48 player in the class of 2025.
The Illinois basketball team should have solid depth even without Manuella Alves
While Alves being out is disheartening, Illinois should be able to recover and move forward. Green has built a lot of depth on this team, and they should be pretty talented this season.
Illinois brought in a ton of talent who can play the same role as Alves. Both Naomi Benson and Cearah Parchment, also freshmen, can play that No. 4 spot. They were four-star recruits in 2025, too.
The front court will also be aided by some great size at the No. 5 spot that we really didn’t have last season. Hayven Smith didn’t get a chance to play much due to depth in 2024-25, and she should have a decent hold on the starting center job. I am curious what 6-foot-7 Lety Vasconcelos can do this season, too. She dealt with injuries last season.
Illinois took a hit before the 2025-26 campaign could even start. Thankfully, Green has built this program into a solid unit that can compete even with a player down.