After a 91-67 win against SEMO (1-1), Illinois (1-0) is ready to take on its second opponent of the season: Illinois State (1-0).
Both the Illini and the Redbirds are coming off wins earlier in the week. Illinois State beat head coach Shauna Green’s old coaching home, Dayton, 87-76 on Monday.
Despite Green using the same starting lineup for the exhibition and the season opener, players on the bench are also making big moves on the court. This is important since it shows the versatility and depth of the roster. Having more players to count on early on is especially important for the Illini since they are down some players due to injuries.
For Illinois, some of its newer players are shining on the court already and are showing no signs of slowing down.
Freshman guard Destiny Jackson
“To have six assists and only two turnovers in 33 minutes as a freshman… I think that’s really good for her,” Green said.
Green spoke about freshman guard Destiny Jackson’s first official game as an Illini, where fans saw the her perform at a high level. Green also mentioned how she sees improvement from Jackson in a short period of time.
“Even in just our three games — our scrimmage, our exhibition and now — I see growth every game. She’s going to continue to feel more comfortable, feel more confident and run the team.”
It’s important for the team’s success that Jackson continues to rack up assists and minimize turnovers. If Jackson can perform similarly to how she did on Tuesday, she is guaranteed to be an asset to the team as a starting point guard.
Jackson’s high performance is even more crucial with sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton out. The Iowa transfer was seen wearing a boot during Tuesday’s matchup, and her return has yet to be announced.
Freshman forward Cearah Parchment
Another breakout freshman star is forward Cearah Parchment. Her stellar performance in the exhibition game was not duplicated in the season opener. Parchment played fewer minutes, scored less and fouled out of the game.
None of that, however, takes away from her ability to be a high scorer on the team. During the exhibition, Parchment had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. On Tuesday, Parchment fouled in the third quarter after only 12 minutes of play.
In those 12 minutes, Parchment still scored eight points, grabbed three rebounds and one steal. Green also strategically kept Parchment in to see if she could play with four fouls and not get fouled out.
“I kept her in there on purpose,” Green said. “I might have pulled her out earlier in a different game, but I needed to learn, too.”
This was a learning curve for both Parchment, navigating what it means to play at risk of fouling out, but also for Green, who needed to test the waters and learn more about Parchment as a player.
Parchment’s presence on the court is crucial for the team. A high-scoring freshman with international experience brings a new dynamic playing style to the team. Green sees the importance that she brings and also the biggest challenges.
“We need her on the floor,” Green said. “[The] biggest learning curve as a freshman is defense.”
Once Parchment becomes more comfortable and learns the inner workings of the defense, she could continue to shine as a star player and starter.
Junior guard Maddie Webber
The Villanova transfer, junior guard Maddie Webber, had an impressive debut with Illinois. Despite not being a starter, Green said that it could be in her future.
“She could start,” Green said. “We have six, seven starters, right? We have a lot of kids that could start. I love her coming off (the bench) because she’s literally instant energy, on defense, on offense.”
Webber’s performance Tuesday is an indication of the greatness to come. In her 28 minutes, she scored 16 points, made two out of her three 3-point attempts and had one rebound.
Her performance from Tuesday shows improvement from the exhibition game, where she only scored six points. She had two rebounds and two steals during the exhibition in comparison to one and one Tuesday.
Green sees Webber’s playing style as a great asset to have coming off the bench.
“She’s aggressive,” Green said. “She’s going to come in, and she’s going to get in the mix. I really like having that off the bench.”
For Webber, she needs to continue showing improvement and gaining confidence on the court. As for her transition here, Webber has nothing but positive things to say.
“The transition here has been great,” Webber said prior to the exhibition game. “The people here are amazing. This culture is also amazing. The people really do make the place. I’ve never felt more needed on a team or appreciated.”
The Illini host the Redbirds Sunday for their FamILLy game with a postgame autograph opportunity. Tipoff is at noon and the game is available to stream on B1G+.
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