The women's Illinois basketball team has a chance to do something special next season, but they will need to go through "the great retention" before they get there.
Last season, Shauna Green took the Illini, one of the youngest teams in the country, to the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was arguably the greatest season in program history, led by a bevy of elite underclassmen like Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment.
It has been a special run for the Orange and Blue, especially with the signing of Divine Bourrage and the return of Maddie Webber. On Tuesday morning, more news broke for the Illini,
Former five-star point guard Destiny Jackson became the second member of the 2025-26 squad to announce her return to the team.
A message from #illini guard Destiny Jackson via @coachmcentire’s instagram story.
— Joey Wagner (@mrwagner25) April 14, 2026
“Yeah, I’m coming back.” pic.twitter.com/O3OUyFHKch
Jackson, a product of Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Illinois, was one of the most elite all-around point guards in the country last season. In 34 starts for Green's bunch, Jackson averaged 9.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals on 41.2% shooting.
She made her announcement on coach Calamity McEntire's Instagram story during a morning workout in Champaign on Tuesday, where the coach asked her, "People wanna know, are you going to be here next year?"
Illinois basketball needed to secure Destiny Jackson to help facilitate this high-powered offense
Jackson was by far one of the best pure point guards in the country last season. Her uncanny ability to create shots for herself and her teammates with her speed helped lead her to breaking the program's single-season assist record for a freshman.
This ability to facilitate and distribute the ball is going to be crucial next season, especially with the immense firepower that Illinois' offense is going to possess. With Wallace and Parchment possibly returning in the frontcourt, as well as the addition of Bourrage at shooting guard, Green is going to need a highly skilled point guard to run the floor.
The best part about this decision has to be the familiarity. This will be the second full season that a majority of this team gets to play together, so we shouldn't expect any growing pains to come in 2026-27.
Simply put, Illinois has a rocket strapped to its back right now, and we should expect nothing but greatness next season.
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