2021-22 Illinois State Women's Basketball Season Preview
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Three Missouri Valley Conference teams have won more than 62% of their MVC regular season games over the last three seasons.
There’s two-time defending champion Missouri State, who made a home in the AP Top 25 for much of the last two seasons and parlayed their No. 5 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament into a Sweet 16 run.
There’s perennial power Drake, who’s won the league six times in the last decade.
Finally, there’s Illinois State, who is looking to make it four straight seasons finishing in the top four despite never having been picked higher than fifth during fifth-year head coach Kristen Gillespie’s tenure. That is, until this season’s fourth place selection.
The Redbirds will have to do it in a gauntlet of a conference — the Valley ranked higher than any other mid-major league in last year’s NET after placing eight of ten schools in the top half of Division I, and it brings back enough talent to potentially be even better.
“I think we're gonna beat up on each other a little bit,” Gillespie said. “Our job isn't easy … but you want it to be competitive, you want every game to matter, and that's the beauty of playing in a great league.”
All four players that Illinois State lost from last year’s roster were guards, so it probably isn’t surprising how fifth-year senior JuJu Redmond describes the most notable change to this year’s team: “We’ll be bigger.”
The depth in the frontcourt will give Gillespie the opportunity to try some new lineups and rotations. “We’re gonna be a little different look this year,” she said. “We can do a lot of different things.”
That might look like a traditional two-post lineup against some of the bigger teams on the schedule, like Purdue or Missouri State. It could be a smaller lineup against perimeter-oriented teams such as Sacramento State or Valpo.
“It’s gonna be based on who we match up against,” Gillespie said. “It’s just gonna be very situational, but what’s nice is that we’re not gonna give anything up.”
Much of the starting lineup may adapt to the opponent, but one fixture should be Redmond. After spending most of her time at the four last year, Gillespie plans to move her versatile star around and give her some minutes at the three this season.
“Taking me out of the post some — that’s a great feeling for me,” Redmond said. At 5-foot-11, the former MVC Newcomer of the Year has the strength to match up with most forwards in the paint, but her athleticism and skill set are more suited for the perimeter. Already one of the best ball-handling forwards in the Valley, her coach believes she can take that side of her game even further.
“JuJu has worked extremely hard on her handle [and] her left hand — she’s much improved,” Gillespie said.
Another big whose role will look different is sophomore Kate Bullman. Several factors out of her control — from injuries to COVID — forced Gillespie to give Bullman nearly 60% of her minutes at center last season. Bullman will slide down to her more natural four spot this year and has already unlocked another level there in practice.
“Kate Bullman looks like a completely different human being,” Gillespie said. “[Last year] we didn’t put her in a great position to have success, but she’s such a team player … and she is playing really well for us right now.”
Bullman already had a sizable defensive impact as a freshman regardless of where she played — she was one of just four freshmen in the nation with a block rate of over 8% and a steal rate of over 2%. Combine that with her ability to knock down threes at 6-foot-2, and she’s a breakout waiting to happen.
Bullman won’t be the only big capable of stretching the floor this season. Freshmen Chloe Van Zeeland and Lexi Boles can both shoot the three from the post position and will bring an added dimension to this year’s team.
“We’re getting to do some things that we haven’t had the luxury offensively to be able to do because we haven’t had the personnel,” Gillespie said. “Our post players now can step on the perimeter and face you up, and it just opens up a totally different dynamic.”
Even paint force DeAnna Wilson might get in on the act this year. “She’s extended her game outside the three-point line,” Redmond said of the 6-foot-2 junior who made one three last season.
Redmond also noted that Wilson has increased her speed and conditioning, and that she’s “getting way more rebounds than what she was at the end of the season last year.” It’s a scary prospect for the only player to finish in the top five in the Valley in rebounding rate on both sides of the ball a season ago.
Rounding out the frontcourt will be Hannah Kelle, a 6-foot-1 junior who missed all of last season due to injury, senior Lexy Koudelka, who started 13 games last year and led the team with a 57.5% field goal percentage, and sophomore Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor, who Gillespie says is “rebounding the heck out of the ball” in practice.
The backcourt will look revamped after losing starters Paige Saylor and Terrion Moore, but perhaps the best shooter in the conference returns in redshirt junior Mary Crompton. The 5-foot-8 sniper led the league going away with a 46.7% mark from deep last year on the second-most attempts per game (5.7). Her three-point percentage ranked third in Division I and tops among mid-major players despite taking over a quarter of her threes from more than 25 feet out.
The new three-point line won’t phase Crompton a bit. “I’m personally kind of excited that it’s getting moved back,” she said. “I’ve been practicing deeper threes for the majority of my basketball career.”
Also back on the perimeter are senior Kayel Newland and redshirt sophomore Maya Wong. Newland spent much of last season spelling Redmond at the four but should also shift down more often this year. Wong will continue to provide instant offense as a smooth ball handler and finisher and could be poised to erupt in year two.
“[Wong] has been unbelievable [this summer] … I mean there are multiple days that she is the best player in the gym,” Gillespie said. “She is set to have a heck of a year for us.”
The backcourt will add two freshmen this year. Lauren Cohen is getting up to speed after missing chunks of the summer with a foot injury, but the 2021 McDonald’s All-American nominee has experience in Redbird Arena after taking Glenbard South High School to back-to-back state tournaments there.
Kenzie Bowers will be “competing toe-to-toe with her other backcourt mates for playing time,” according to Gillespie, and is adjusting to the college level at lightning speed. “I have never coached a freshman that has picked up on things so quickly, especially on the defensive end,” Gillespie said.
The key signing of the offseason was guard Jada Stinson, an explosive 5-foot-8 grad transfer out of Arkansas State who began her career at Memphis. “She can push the ball up the court and make the right decisions,” Redmond said of her new teammate. “She can create her own shot and also create shots for others.”
Gillespie sees shades of another former Redbird playmaker in aspects of Stinson’s game.
“She’s very dynamic — she’s probably the closest thing to [TeTe Maggett],” Gillespie said. “She’s different than TeTe, but she’s like TeTe.”
Maggett preceded Redmond in winning the MVC Newcomer of the Year, an award Stinson hopes to add to her resume by joining an elite club of Gillespie’s transfer recruits.
Stinson will bring a unique basketball perspective to Illinois State after spending her summer playing with the Puerto Rican national team for the FIBA AmeriCup and the Tokyo Olympics. “It was pretty mind blowing,” she said. “I got to see different kinds of basketball, different styles. Definitely a little rougher and tougher, but it was fun.”
Stinson also faced high-level competition while at Memphis, such as current Indiana Fever star and former Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell or a 2018 UConn team featuring seven future WNBA players. Between that and her international play, she brings a rare wealth of experience to The Valley.
“I think it separates me,” Stinson said. “I can definitely put [that experience] to use in this conference.”
“She’s just a really natural leader, and she’s such a humble young woman,” Gillespie added. “You can’t really put a price tag on that.”
Crompton has been impressed with her new backcourt partner’s intangibles as well. “Already you’ve seen Jada bringing a lot of energy to practice,” Crompton said. “If you’re on Jada’s team, then you can just tell there’s an energy change when she’s on the court … that kind of gets infused to the rest of the team.”
Stinson also adds another distinctive flavor to the team: ambidextrous shooting. As a kid, she shot with both hands at the same time, so in an effort to correct her form her dad told her to pick one. She tried each, and both felt good, so she’s been able to shoot with either hand since fifth grade.
“I might use one more in different places, but for the most part I'm pretty comfortable with both of them,” she said.
Between Stinson, the returners, and the new abundance of stretch bigs, this year’s Redbird team could be a nightmare for opposing defenses. “We're gonna be really tough to guard,” Crompton said. “Whatever combination of players you put on the court, it's gonna be five scorers and a lot of people who can shoot the three.”
“We’re just gonna be more dynamic,” Gillespie added. “We’ll have scorers coming off the bench, and I don’t think we’ve had that depth in the past.”
The Redbirds officially kick off an exciting schedule that includes Big Ten opponents Purdue and Wisconsin when they take on Northern Illinois on November 9. They’ll do so showcasing a brand of basketball that will undoubtedly be entertaining to watch.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
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