The women’s Illinois basketball team should have a lot of hype entering the 2024-25 campaign.
In two seasons at the helm, Shauna Green has not only rebuilt the Illini, but she has made this program respectable again. We were at the depths of the college basketball world, and her guidance has gotten us to a place where we want to contend for NCAA tournament appearances and Sweet 16s, at minimum.
A coach can’t do this by herself, though. It takes talent and players and the willingness to develop. It also takes sacrifice. Numerous Illinois players could have moved on to their professional careers, whether in the game of basketball or whatever their ambitions were, but they decided to come back. That means a lot to the Illini fanbase.
One of the talented athletes to return to the roster for the upcoming season was Makira Cook. She had a great 2023-24 campaign, and now she is coming back to reach even greater heights. On top of Cook’s potential, she is also getting some preseason accolades.
On Monday, The Nancy Lieberman Award released its watchlist for the best point guard in the country. There are a lot of great candidates on the list, and one of those names was Cooks.
Back-to-back seasons on the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List for Makira Cook! #Illini | #HTTO | #OneWay pic.twitter.com/Fnvxqv96Y5
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) October 28, 2024
Illinois basketball has a quality guard in Makira Cook who could etch her name next to some of the greatest in the game
The Nancy Lieberman Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the college game. This award has gone to some of the greatest players in the women’s game.
The winner of the award the last three seasons was Caitlin Clark. Some of the other big names to secure this prestigious award include Skylar Diggins, Sabrina Ionescu, Diana Taurasi, and Sue Bird, to name a few.
Cook could be next in line to join these great players. She has been one of the main leaders on the Illinois basketball team the past two seasons, and I fully expect big things out of her in 2024-25.
This past season, Cook managed to average 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. She also shot a solid 35.4% from three-point range.
On top of the great numbers, Cook’s leadership is crucial to Illinois succeeding this season. Her backcourt presence and ability to handle the ball is second to none. She is also great at creating space with her bulldog mentality. Cook is in line for a huge year, and she has earned a spot on this great preseason watchlist. Keep an eye on Cook to make one of the All-American teams this year as well.