Shauna Green has loaded the Illinois basketball team with a tremendous amount of talent.
Green has built a ‘famILLy’ in Champaign that players love to be a part of, with over 90% of the team from last season returning for another year. She has put together a star-studded roster from all over the world, with players making major strides on the national stage.
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There are multiple members of Illinois’ roster who have joined the national team for their respective countries, with Cearah Parchment and Irene Noya-Catoira securing spots with Team Canada and Team Spain. Recently, two more Illini received overseas invites, with Aaliyah Guyton and Lety Vasconcelos joining the Brazilian Senior Women’s National Team.
Guyton, a junior from Peoria, Illinois, will make her second appearance for Brazil since the 2021 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, where she averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in six games played.
Vasconcelos, on the other hand, will be making her third appearance for Team Brazil after taking part in both the FIBA U16 and U18 Women’s Americas Championships in 2021 and 2022. Through two tournaments with the program, Vasconcelos averaged 2.7 points and 3.9 rebounds through 11 games played.
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Illinois basketball sending four players to the national stage continues to help the program in a big way
As we all know, Illinois is in a fantastic spot compared to past years. They have a top-tier head coach in Green who has already changed the culture in Champaign, and they have a young core who will be playing together for a second straight season.
Illinois is reaching a level as a program that we haven’t seen in quite some time, and the fact that they can send four players overseas to compete for their home countries only elevates Illinois’ image even more.
The Illini are gaining a lot of international attention with Parchment, Noya-Catoira, Guyton, and Vasconcelos representing their respective national teams, and Green can use that to her advantage when recruiting for the future.
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Let’s give it up for these four women as they take this next monumental step in their basketball journeys. Good luck to Aaliyah, Lety, Irene, and Cearah in their respective tournaments.
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This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Aaliyah Guyton, Lety Vasconcelos strengthen Illinois basketball national brand.
