Projected 2024-25 lineup for the Illinois basketball team

No. 2 Guard

Starter: Genesis Bryant (5YR)

The fact Makira Cook is returning for a fifth season is pretty awesome. That gives Illinois a huge boost in the backcourt. I believe her running mate, Genesis Bryant, will be back in the fold as well. There hasn’t been an official post, but the postgame interview after the WBIT Championship game spoke volumes.

If Bryant does return to the Illinois lineup, this program would have a stacked backcourt. Bryant finished the 2023-24 campaign averaging 14.2 points, 3.2 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. She and Cook were our main three-point shooters, as Bryant took 188 three-point attempts and made them at a clip of 34.6%. When Bryant gets hot, Illinois can beat any team in the country. Entering next season, Bryant is going to be the starter at the No. 2 guard spot.

Backup: Gretchen Dolan (SO)

This is a position that I believe Illinois has some great depth. Bryant is going to be leading the way at the No. 2 guard spot, but her backup is likely going to be Gretchen Dolan. I have Dolan coming into her sophomore season as the primary backup and someone who is going to see a lot of minutes off the bench.

Dolan played in 31 games and averaged 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.6 minutes per contest. I loved watching her play the game. Dolan has so much energy and can run circles around the competition. I also believe, that despite her only taking 4.5 shots per game, Dolan can be a major scoring threat for this program. She was going to be a starter, but with so much talent returning, Dolan will have to be one of the best sixth players in all of college basketball.