2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball team
| 2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball | |
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| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 0–0 (0–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | State Farm Center |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 Big Ten tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball team represents the University of Illinois during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Fighting Illini are led by third-year head coach Shauna Green, and they play their home games at State Farm Center. This season marks the program's 43rd season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Previous season
[edit]The Illini finished the 2023–24 season 19–5 overall, with a 8–10 record in Big Ten play to finish in ninth place. Playing as the ninth seed in the Big Ten women's tournament, they lost in the first round to eighth seed Maryland, 75–65.
The team was not invited to the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, but earned an at-large bid and a number four seed to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). There, they defeated Missouri State, Stony Brook, Tulsa and first-seeded Washington State to advance to the championship game against first-seeded Villanova. The Illini defeated the Wildcats 71–57 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, marking the program's first postseason championship.[1]
Green's .621 winning percentage after her first two seasons at Illinois is the best start for the program's head coach, after Theresa Grentz's 1995–97 teams won .617 percent of their games.[2]
Accolades
[edit]Illinois players Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant and Kendall Bostic were named to the WBIT All-Tournament Team after winning the championship game,[1] with Cook named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Cook's honor makes her the first Illinois women's basketball player in program history to be named MVP in a postseason competition.[3]
Four Illini earned All-Big Ten honors after the end of the season. Cook was named to the league's second team, Bostic was voted to the second team by the media and honorable mention by the coaches, Bryant was recognized as honorable mention in both polls, and Gretchen Dolan was added to the All-Freshman Team by the coaches. Dolan's honor is the first by an Illinois freshman since 2017.[4]
Off-season
[edit]On June 3, 2024, Illinois announced the hiring of Liza Fruendt as an assistant coach, replacing Jenna Giacone. Fruendt arrived at Illinois after three seasons as assistant coach at Tennessee.[5]
Four of the five of the previous season's starting lineup returned for the 2024–25 season, with Cook, Bryant and Bostic returning for a fifth year awarded to them due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
Departures
[edit]| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camille Jackson | 0 | G | 5'11" | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Miami Ohio [6] |
| Kam'Ren Rhodes | 4 | G | 5'6" | Sophomore | Chandler, AZ | Transferred to Akron[6] |
| Jada Peebles | 11 | G | 5'10" | Senior | Raleigh, NC | Graduated[6] |
| Aisha Ndour | 21 | C | 6'6" | Senior | Somone, Senegal | Transferred to Wichita State[6] |
| Samantha Dewey | 33 | F | 6'2" | Freshman | North Andover, MA | Transferred to Richmond[6] |
| Camille Hobby | 41 | C | 6'3" | Senior | Jacksonville, FL | Graduated[6] |
Incoming transfers
[edit]| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmine Brown-Hagger | 8 | G | 5'9" | Sophomore | Shorewood, IL | Mississippi State[6] |
| Lety Vasconcelos | 25 | C | 6'7" | Sophomore | Miguel Calmon, Bahia, Brazil | Baylor[6] |
2024 recruiting class
[edit]| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | High school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irene Noya Catoira | 6 | F | 6'3" | Freshman | Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain | Institut Joaquim Blume[6] |
| Mia Zenere | 12 | G | 5'11" | Freshman | Mokena, IL | Example Academy[7] |
| Berry Wallace | 20 | F | 6'1" | Freshman | Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington High School Central[6] |
| Hayven Smith | 25 | C | 6'6" | Freshman | Frankfort, IL | Lincoln Way East[6] |
Roster
[edit]| 2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
[edit]| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| November 1, 2024* TBA |
Lewis | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 7, 2024* TBA |
Florida State | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| November 10, 2024* TBA |
Marquette | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| November 14, 2024* TBA |
Eastern Illinois | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| November 18, 2024* 11:00 a.m. |
Le Moyne | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| November 22, 2024* TBA |
Oregon State | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| November 26, 2024* 1:15 p.m. |
vs. Maryland Eastern Shore Music City Classic |
Trevecca Trojan Fieldhouse Nashville, TN | |||||||||
| November 27, 2024* 7:00 p.m. |
vs. Kentucky Music City Classic |
Trevecca Trojan Fieldhouse Nashville, TN | |||||||||
| December 2, 2024* TBA |
at Canisius | Koessler Athletic Center Buffalo, NY | |||||||||
| December 8, 2024 TBA |
at Ohio State | Value City Arena Columbus, OH | |||||||||
| December 12, 2024* TBA |
Bradley | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| December 15, 2024* TBA |
Southern Indiana | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| December 20, 2024* TBA |
Southern | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| December 28, 2024 TBA |
Oregon | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| December 31, 2024 TBA |
Washington | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| January 5, 2025 TBA |
at Minnesota | Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN | |||||||||
| January 9, 2025 TBA |
Iowa | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| January 16, 2025 TBA |
at Indiana | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN | |||||||||
| January 19, 2025 TBA |
Michigan State | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| January 23, 2025 TBA |
at Northwestern | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL | |||||||||
| January 27, 2025 TBA |
Purdue | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| January 30, 2025 TBA |
at Rutgers | Jersey Mike's Arena Piscataway, NJ | |||||||||
| February 2, 2025 TBA |
at Maryland | Xfinity Center College Park, MD | |||||||||
| February 6, 2025 TBA |
Northwestern | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| February 9, 2025 TBA |
at Wisconsin | Kohl Center Madison, WI | |||||||||
| February 13, 2025 TBA |
Penn State | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| February 16, 2025 TBA |
Nebraska | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| February 20, 2025 TBA |
at UCLA | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA | |||||||||
| February 23, 2025 TBA |
at USC | Galen Center Los Angeles, CA | |||||||||
| March 2, 2025 TBA |
Michigan | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
| Big Ten Women's Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 5, 2025 |
vs. TBA | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN | |||||||||
Rankings
[edit]| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Vozzelli, Joe (April 3, 2024). "History! Illini win WBIT championship". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Daniels, Matt (April 5, 2024). "The daily pitch from sports editor Matt Daniels". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ^ "Illini Trio Named to WBIT All-Tournament Team, Cook Earns Most Outstanding Player Honors". fightingillini.com. University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. April 3, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ "[4] Fighting Illini to Play for WBIT Championship Against [1] Villanova on Wednesday". fightingillini.com. University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. April 1, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Daniels, Matt (June 3, 2024). "Fruendt joins Illinois women's basketball as assistant coach". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Vozzelli, Joe (June 10, 2024). "Green Street: The 2024–25 Illini have arrived on campus". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ^ Vozzelli, Joe (August 2, 2024). "Green Street: Numbers game". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. Retrieved September 23, 2024.