It’s about that time, folks: Illinois Basketball is officially back.
With the new season about to begin, let me get one thing out of the way: It looks like Shauna Green might be facing a familiar problem — injuries — just like last year. However, depth and experience will be crucial for this Illini team this season.
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It was almost comical at times last year, given the amount of bad luck this Illini team experienced. Green was having to do things with the lineup that never crossed her mind at the start of the season.
Now, in the present day, two new devastating injuries have just hit the team. Freshmen Erica Finney and Manuella Alves are slated to miss the whole season.
These two players weren’t just your average freshman, either; both were expected to get some serious minutes. I wrote recently that Green was going to have some problems with her front court, mainly due to lack of size, and losing Alves does not help that problem at all. But two players could be the key to this Illini team seeing success this season.
Where does Green go?
This marks the second consecutive season in which the Illini have lost a significant amount of height in the preseason. Last year, Lety Vasconcelos was out the entirety of the season. The redshirt sophomore will now have major expectations, without ever having played in a regular-season game for the Illini.
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Vasconcelos, who pulled down seven rebounds along with seven points in the Illini’s exhibition game against Maryville, impressed Green.
“I thought Lety was great, I thought she was solid,” Green said. “It’s so nice to have some length to be able to protect the rim.”
Vasconcelos wasn’t the only one with height, though, that caught the attention of Green and the Illini faithful.
Freshman Cearah Parchment balled out during the exhibition, finishing with an absurd stat line for a freshman that was highlighted by 22 points and 13 rebounds.
“I see her [Parchment] every day in practice. So I know what she is capable of doing,” Green said.
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Green has said it herself: “I thought our starting group was really good. But I got to go look at the analytics and see what is best offensively and what is best defensively.”
The starting five that will be on the court for tip-off Tuesday will almost 100% not be the lineup that ends the season for the Illini. For Illini fans who might feel anxious about that, this is where Green thrives, creating good outcomes out of bad situations.
Is losing two freshman four-stars good? No, it’s not. But to say this is devastating to the Illini as a whole would be an overreaction.
Lineup predictions for Tuesday
The starting five against Maryville went as follows: Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Gretchen Dolan, Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment.
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I don’t think Green changes this at all for Tuesday. As for the rest of the season, I could see a lot of changes.
“I’m learning lineups, I’m learning who’s best with who,” Green said.
Destiny Jackson will be a player to watch. Having a true freshman run your offense is always risky. However, Jackson handled it well, with only two turnovers against Maryville.
I also think Green won’t hesitate to pull Jackson early if she is struggling. You have a proven point guard in Maddie Webber coming off the bench. Weber commanded Villanova’s offense the past two seasons and could be a significant piece for the Illini.
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The lineup Green put out in the exhibition game only features one player, Cearah Parchment, taller than 6’1”. I don’t think Green feels comfortable completely trusting Vasconcelos yet, and that’s for good reason; the redshirt sophomore has barely any college experience.
As far as the rest of the lineup goes, Wallace, Dolan and Brown-Hagger are the three you’re going to have to lean on if you’re Green. All were on the team last year, and all three have demonstrated their ability to perform at a high level.
“The depth has been good, as long as we can continue to stay healthy,” Green said.
What’s next?
SEMO will be at the State Farm Center Tuesday night for the regular season opener.
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After that, the Illini will have one more tune-up game against Illinois State before getting into the bulk of their challenging non-conference schedule.
The main factors in the non-conference schedule will be Oregon State and Florida State. The Illini won both matchups last year; however, they were both in Champaign.
This year, the team will have to travel to face the Beavers and the Seminoles. So, how the Illini respond to some tough road trips and environments will give us a good indication of how the rest of the season goes.
But in short, Illinois basketball is back, and I couldn’t be happier. Everything seems to be better in Champaign when the State Farm Center is rocking.
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All eyes will be on Green and her team on Tuesday.
