2025-26 is shaping up to be THE year for Illinois Women’s basketball.
Women’s basketball as a whole seems like it’s in a place it’s never been before. These last couple of years, its popularity has been reaching brand new heights. Games are now being shown consistently at a national level. The superstars of tomorrow have been blossoming right in front of our eyes, inspiring the next generation of female hoopers.
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It’s no longer on the come-up. It’s fully arrived.
More eyes on the sport means more exposure. It’s truly the perfect time for programs to take advantage of the opportunities and further elevate themselves.
Which is why the Illini will need this upcoming season to be a success.
Head coach Shauna Green has turned this program around. The stats speak for themselves. A 2024 WBIT Championship. 63 wins, matching the program record in that span, while also marking the most by a head coach in their first three years with the Orange and Blue. A first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. A top-10 recruiting class by ESPN.
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The Illini have been on an upward trajectory ever since Green took the helm. It’s got some great momentum, but now the challenge is sustaining it.
The 2025-26 Illini will be a brand-new looking squad as they will have to replace a lot of production. Crucial pieces of last year’s tournament team, such as Kendall Bostic, Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, and Adalia McKenzie, will not be coming back to suit up. That’s a lot of firepower gone.
While it’s no secret that replicating that kind of production is no easy task, the opportunity to do so with a brand new squad should be all the more exciting. Let’s not forget that this year will feature a year-three Gretchen Dolan, who, ever since arriving in Champaign, has been a fundamental part of the rotation that had seen so much success. She’ll most likely be given the new recipient of the keys to the offense, and will look to get back to where she was before her season-ending injury last season.
A sophomore campaign for Berry Wallace should also excite Illini fans. After being a big recruiting win, she earned valuable minutes last year that helped her adapt to the speed of college basketball, all while gaining experience. She’s poised to take a big leap and cement herself as a vital piece of the group.
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Jasmine Brown-Hagger coming back is also a huge win for the Illini. Getting paired up with Dolan in the backcourt, with five-star freshman Destiny Jackson coming off the bench, certainly will make this team fun to watch.
A healthy Lety Vasconcelos certainly raises the potential of the Illini. The redshirt-sophomore center who transferred from Baylor last year suffered a season-ending injury and hasn’t gotten to play in the Orange and Blue yet, making her one of the x-factors of the team.
Along with the many other transfers and freshmen from a top-10 recruiting class that joined the program this offseason, the ingredients are there for the Illini to take the next step forward. They need to keep riding the hot hand and continue to cement themselves as a possible contender in the Big Ten.
Doing so will bring so much to the program. Success this season will result in potentially better recruiting classes and better attendance at State Farm Center, further elevating Illinois women’s basketball.
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There are many reasons to look forward to this upcoming season. Questions will be asked heading into it, but Illini fans should nevertheless be excited to watch how this team will gel together.
The potential of the new-look Illini could be special. And the program needs it to be.
