Team advances juniors in program’s first season in new era of Illinois women’s basketball Kendall Bostick and junior guard Makira Cook – with head coach shauna green – Represent Fighting Illini at the annual Big Ten Basketball Media Days.
Bostic is in his second season with the program and is one of five players returning from last year’s roster. Bostic said she was the only Illini to start all 27 games during the 2021-22 season, averaging 6.7 points and she had 11.4 rebounds, her rebounding mark being the highest in program history.
When Green arrived on campus, Bostic entered or left the transfer portal, citing the school’s speech pathology program and his connection to the new Illini head coach as the biggest factors in choosing to stay in Champaign. I never thought about it.
Her trust in Green and the new coaching staff led to an opportunity to represent the team in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Bostic said it’s indicative of her role in this new Illinois team.
“I feel really privileged to have the opportunity to represent the team,” Bostic said. We would like to express our work as much as possible, and we really appreciate this opportunity.”
After spending the first two seasons of his college career at Dayton, Cook converted to the program after coaching Green before he entered Illinois. As a sophomore, she made 25 starts and averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 31 games.
Cook and Green’s relationship made the decision to join their former coaches fairly easy, but she said she “did some self-reflection” before finally choosing to move to Illinois. While he’s certainly not a fan of the hiring process, Cook trusts Green on and off the court, and he’ll play a major leadership role with the Illini this season.
“Honestly, it’s a blessing,” Cook said. “I am very honored to be one of the two, because it could have been anyone on our team.
While the team is adjusting to a new coaching staff and a new roster with eight new faces, Cook is also adjusting to a new campus. This is very different from what we were used to in Dayton.
“We were all newcomers basically, so we had to learn each other’s styles and learn each other’s likes and dislikes,” Cook said. “We had to bond and learn from each other. It’s a really big school on this campus compared to Dayton. I just had to move and come out of my shell a little bit.” It’s been great to meet people and do things – in Champaign.
The new team focuses on the idea of ”one-way,” an identity Green preached in previous coaching spots as well. This includes getting good grades, paying attention to personal health and nutrition, being worthy of honor and trust, and being a good person overall.
The Illini continue to develop their chemistry with an emphasis on a new roster and coaching staff. With her less than a month away from the season opener, Cook is excited to get to work paying tribute to Illinois’ women’s basketball program.
“We can expect it to be gritty, tough, and just plain hard working,” Cook said. They want respect.There are a lot of people who don’t respect women’s basketball in Illinois.Obviously that’s a problem but that’s what we’re trying to do.make money this year and work hard every day please give me.”
Both the Illini men’s and women’s teams will be attending the Big Ten Basketball Media Days at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 11th. brad underwood Both press conferences will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network from 10am to 10:10am.
Illinois kicks off the season with an exhibition game against Quincy at the State Farm Center on November 4th. Bostic hopes fans will be thrilled with this new look of energetic Illini and his team.
“We can expect a lot of energy and a tougher mentality than last year,” said Bostic. “I really feel like I’m going to have a lot more energy and grit and be able to punch back a little bit more this year.
“Expect a lot of energy from us, a lot of grit, and a whole different look for Illinois women’s basketball.”
