2007-08 Women's Basketball Season Wrap-up
May 12, 2008 | Women's Basketball
May 12, 2008
Complete 2007-08 Women's Basketball Season Wrap-up Notes (PDF) 
2007-08 Women's Basketball Video Index
2007-08 Women's Basketball Photo Galleries
2007-08 Illinois Women's Basketball Season Wrap-up
Highlights
• 20-15 overall
• 8-10 Big Ten // Ninth Place
• Big Ten Tournament Championship Game
• WNIT Third Round
• Advanced to postseason for the 11th time in the last 12 years
• 20 wins for the first time since 1999-2000
• FIU Thanksgiving Classic Champions
• Jenna Smith named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press
• Jenna Smith named First Team All-Big Ten
The Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Jolette Law, 20-15 overall and at Illinois (first season)
Assistant Coaches: Karen Middleton, Tamika Louis, Patrick Klein
Asst. to Head Coach: Diane Hobin
Video Coordinator: Andre Johnson
Finishing Touch
Illinois finished the 2007-08 campaign with a record of 20-15 after a 72-64 loss at Marquette in the third round of the postseason WNIT. The loss wrapped-up a roller-coaster season in which the Illini dropped several games at the buzzer en route to a ninth place regular season finish in the Big Ten, but then rallied to reach the Big Ten Tournament Championship game and advance to the postseason for the 11th time in the last 12 years.
Illini Headlines
• All-American Girl: Sophomore Jenna Smith was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press. She is the fourth Illini ever to earn All-America status and the first since Tauja Catchings in 1999-2000. Smith was also named a regional finalist for the WBCA's State Farm All-America team.
• Lucky #20: The second round WNIT victory over Drake gave Illinois its first 20-win season since 1999-2000. It marks the seventh 20-win season in school history.
• Bjork Has Grand Year: Junior Lori Bjork broke Krista Reinking's 10-year old school record for career three-point field goals (194) with a trey 30 seconds into the win over Penn State on Feb. 21. She finished the year with 214 career treys and became the 21st Illini to reach the 1,000-point milestone with 19 points against Indiana on Feb. 10.
• Block Party: With 59 blocked shots on the season Jenna Smith became Illinois' single-season blocks leader, surpassing Kendra Gantt's 25 year-old record of 57. In addition, the Illini broke the team record for blocks in a season with 156, breaking the old mark of 151 that was set in 2006-07.
• Postseason Streak: With the WNIT bid, Illinois has now advanced to postseason play in 11 of the last 12 years, with only 2003-04 being the odd year out. The Illini have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times during that streak and to the WNIT the other six.
• Double Trouble: Jenna Smith recorded double-doubles in 16 of 35 games this season, which led the Big Ten, and has 22 double-doubles in her career, which ranked second in the Big Ten at year end behind only Wisconsin senior Jolene Anderson (26). Only a sophomore, Smith scored double figures in 34 of 35 games on the season, including a string of 28 straight.
• Taking Care of the Rock: Illinois led the Big Ten and set a new school record for fewest turnovers per game (15.3). In the Feb. 21 victory over Penn State, Illinois established a new school record for least number of turnovers in a game with just five.
• Long Year: The Fighting Illini played 35 games on the season, making 2007-08 the longest in school history. Previously, the longest season was 1999-2000 when the Orange and Blue played 34 games, going 23-11.
Team Awards
The Illini handed out their 2007-08 team awards at the 28th annual Courtsiders post-season banquet at Champaign Country Club on April 13. In addition to the awards listed below, nine Fighting Illini received their varsity letters.
Most Valuable Player - Jenna Smith
Best Defensive Player - Chelsea Gordon
Most Improved - Rebecca Harris
Most Courageous - Lacey Simpson
Most Inspirational - Lori Bjork
Coaches Award - Stephanie Chelleen
Sixth Man Award - Audrey Tabon
Ralf Woods Free Throw Award - Lori Bjork
2007-08 Letterwinners: Lori Bjork, Chelsea Buher, Stephanie Chelleen, Chelsea Gordon, Rebecca Harris, Erin McCarthy, Lacey Simpson, Jenna Smith, Audrey Tabon
 Jolette Law coached the Illini to the Big Ten Tournament title game.  |
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Illini make Historic Big Ten Tournament Run
Illinois' Big Ten Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament hopes ended when Purdue's Lakisha Freeman hit a 12-footer as the buzzer sounded in the title game, but the Illini still accomplished several historic feats on the way:
• Illinois reached the championship game for the first time since 1999 and the third time in school history. The Illini have never won the tournament.
• As a No. 9 seed, Illinois was the lowest seeded team to ever advance to the championship game. The previous lowest seeds to make it to the Big Ten Tournament final were No. 7 Penn State in 1998 and No. 7 Ohio State in 1995. The lowest seed to ever win the tournament is the No. 5 seed (Indiana in 2002; Purdue in 1998).
• The Illini's win over Ohio State in the quarterfinals gave the Buckeyes their first-ever loss in their opening round game. Previously, OSU was 13-0 in its tournament openers.
• Jenna Smith and Rebecca Harris were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Smith averaged 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds, finishing one board shy of breaking the tournament rebounding record. Harris averaged 15.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from behind the arc in tournament play.
Illinois in the WNIT
2007-08 marked Illinois' fourth straight and sixth overall appearance in the postseason WNIT. After the third round loss to Marquette, the Illini are now 5-6 overall in the tournament.
Illinois has lost just once it its opening-round game, on the road at Indiana State in 2005. In each of the five other WNIT appearances the Illini have won their first game and lost the second. The Orange and Blue are 5-2 all-time in WNIT games played in Champaign and are 0-4 in games on the road.
Smith and Bjork Named to All-Big Ten Teams
The Illini duo of Jenna Smith and Lori Bjork collected league honors for the second straight season. Smith was a first team selection by the league's coaches and was a unanimous first team pick by the media, while Bjork was named to the third team by the coaches and was an honorable mention choice by the media. Bjork was also chosen as Illinois' honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season.
Smith is the first Illini to earn first team All-Big Ten honors since Angelina Williams in 2005 (media) and is the first named to both the media and coaches first teams since Iveta Marcauskaite in 2002. She is also Illinois' first unanimous first team selection by one of the voting parties since Tauja Catchings was a unanimous choice by the coaches in 1999-00.
Smith Becomes a Star
Illini forward Jenna Smith reached superstar status during her sophomore season. For the year, she averaged 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, both which ranked second in the Big Ten. She scored at least 20 points 14 times on the season, which tied for the league lead, and reached 30 points three times, which ranked second. She has led the Illini in scoring 24 times and in rebounding 24 times.
• In Elite Company: Smith was one of just eight players nationally to average at least 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in 2007-08. The others on the short list were DeWanna Booner of Auburn, Natalie Doma of Idaho State, Traci Edwards of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Crystal Kelly of Western Kentucky, Courtney Paris of Oklahoma, Tamera Young of James Madison and Magan Frazee of Liberty.
• Honors Everywhere: Smith earned honorable mention All-America status by the Associated Press and was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten choice by the media. She was also named to the Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team, was tournament MVP at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic and was Big Ten Player of the Week three times.
Smith became the first Illini in over 20 years to pick up three Big Ten Player of the Week honors in the same season. Jonelle Polk was honored four times in 1985-86, which is the most for an Illini in a single season. Polk and Ashley Berggren share the career mark for Illinois, with five each.
• At Her Best Against the Best: Smith fared well against top competition in 2007-08. In three head-to-head meetings with Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, the coaches Big Ten Player of the Year, Smith averaged 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds compared to Lavender's 14.3 points and 10.7 boards. Against Michigan State and 6-9 All-Big Ten center Allyssa DeHaan, Smith averaged an identical 16.3 points and 8.3 boards in three games, compared to DeHaan's 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.
• Smith Does It All: Smith put up big numbers at an amazingly consistent clip despite constantly seeing double and triple teams from opponents. She scored double figures in 34 of 35 games on the season and ranked in the top five in the Big Ten in seven different statistical categories. She showed tremendous passing abilities out of the double teams (fourth on the team in assists) and showed that she can take her game out beyond the arc as well (11 threes).
• Moving Outside: With defenses collapsing on her in the paint, Smith stepped out to hit 5-of-7 from behind the arc in the Big Ten tournament. She shot 42 percent from downtown for the season (11-of-26), despite not hitting her first three of the year until game #20 at Purdue on Jan. 27. Smith showed a soft touch from 15-18 feet throughout her career, but had rarely stepped outside the arc until the final 15 games of 2007-08. Before going 11-of-24 in those games (458), she had hit one three-pointer in five attempts in her career.
• Smith Holds Her Own vs. NPOY: Smith faced her toughest competition of the season when 2006-07 AP National Player of the Year Courtney Paris came to Assembly Hall on Dec. 5. Smith more than held her own against the Sooners star, hitting 7-of-9 from the field for 15 points, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking two shots. Paris had her usual big numbers, but Smith served notice that she will be a force to be reckoned with for the next two years.
• Career Day: Smith scored a career-high 32 points and had 10 boards against SIU on Nov. 18. She hit 13-of-19 from the field and scored 11 straight points for the Illini at one point in the second half.
 Lacey Simpson led the Illini in steals. |
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Versatile Simpson Does it All
Sophomore Lacey Simpson played many different roles for Jolette Law's squad in 2007-08. The 6-0 sophomore saw action at the four late in the season and also spent time running the point, not to mention any spot in between. Simpson's versatility shows in her stats. She led the team in assists (110) and steals (83) and ranked second in blocks (38) and rebounds (174). A nifty creator and passer, she ranked third in the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio (1.64) and was fifth in the league in steals (2.37).
• Doubling-Up: Simpson was the only player on the team to have a double-double in two different ways. She had 10 points and a career-high 12 assists in the win over Chicago State on Dec. 8 and then finished the season with a 12 point, career-high 14 rebound performance against Marquette in the WNIT. She now has four career double-doubles as she heads in to her junior year.
Bec Blows Up
Senior guard Rebecca Harris had a huge Big Ten Tournament, averaging 15.8 points per game and hitting 7-of-15 from behind the arc in Illinois' run to the title game. She scored 19 in the first round win over Wisconsin and a game-high 22 in the upset of top-seeded Ohio State. She followed those performances with 10 points in Illinois' semifinal win over Michigan State, with all 10 coming in the final 12 minutes of play, and then scored 12 in the championship game to help earn a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
In non-conference play Harris averaged 6.1 points per game and nearly doubled that in Big Ten play, averaging 11.2. Her big numbers in the postseason upped her overall season average to 10.0 points per game.
• Hot From the Stripe: Harris had a streak of 24 consecutive made free throws snapped in the regular season finale against Purdue. Despite going 22-of-35 in the last seven games (62.9 percent), Harris still ranks among the best free throw shooters in Illinois history. In fact, her career percentage of 79.3 (130-of-164) will go down as the sixth-best career FT percentage at Illinois.
• Perfect 10: In the Feb. 14 loss to Wisconsin, Harris kept the Illini in the game down the stretch by scoring the team's final 10 points, all in the last two minutes. In the game Harris hit 10-of-10 from the free throw line and finished with 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half.
• No TOs: In the Jan. 31 win over OSU, Harris was stellar, not only scoring 14 points, but playing all 40 minutes without a turnover.
Bjork Finishes with a Flurry
Sharp-shooter Lori Bjork, who transferred after the 2007-08 season, reached several milestones during her final campaign in Orange and Blue. The junior guard eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone (Feb. 10) and broke the UI career 3FG record (Feb. 21). She nailed 77 threes on the season, which is the second-highest single-season total in school history behind only her record of 84 set in 2006-07.
• Automatic from the Stripe: Bjork led the Big Ten in free throw shooting for all games, hitting 87.5 percent from the stripe (70-of-80) on the year. The percentage is second to only Lisa Robinson's school-record 88.8 percent from the line, which led the nation in 1980-81. Her career FT percentage of 83.5 puts her atop the UI career list, just ahead of Robinson's 83.3 percent.
• Grand Game: With 19 points against Indiana on Feb. 10, Bjork became the 21st player in Illinois history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. Two free throws with 24.4 seconds left gave the guard her 999th and 1,000th career points.
• Bjork Earns Academic Honor: Bjork was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team for the second straight year on Feb. 7. Bjork is a political science major with a 3.93 GPA. Last season, she was one of two sophomores to earn Academic All-America status, as she was named to the third team.
Close Calls
The Illini had 12 games decided by five points or less in 2007-08, which was the most in the Big Ten, including 10 that came during conference play. The Illini was 4-8 overall in those games, and 2-8 in the conference tilts. Of those eight close Big Ten defeats, seven were by three points or less, and each of those seven came down to the final possession. Here is a breakdown of the Illinois games decided by three points or less in Big Ten play:
• Jan. 2: Illinois thought it had a last-second win at Penn State, but fell 49-48 when Rebecca Harris was called for a charge on a would-be game-winning lay-up as time expired.
• Jan. 17: Illinois led by seven with less than five minutes left, but fell victim to an OSU three with 14.5 seconds left for a 43-42 defeat. The Illini didn't get a shot off on their final possession.
• Jan. 21: The Illini had two late chances to pull out a win over Iowa, but lost 60-58 on a bucket by Hawkeyes guard Kristi Smith with 6.7 seconds left.
• Jan. 24: With the score tied at 62-62 in the final seconds, MSU's Allyssa DeHaan scored on a put back bucket with 9.2 seconds left. Then Illinois turned it over on the ensuing possession.
• Feb. 14: The Illini had a chance to win or tie in the final seconds, but Rebecca Harris was called for traveling at the buzzer after colliding with Wisconsin's Janese Banks on a final shot. Wisconsin won 66-64.
• Feb. 21: Lori Bjork's game-tying three-point attempt rattled in and out at the buzzer in a 55-52 loss to Michigan at Assembly Hall.
• March 9: The Illini missed out on the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid when Purdue's Lakisha Freeman scored on a putback as time expired to give the Boilers a 58-56 win in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
 Rebecca Harris finished her career as one of the best free throw shooters in school history. |
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Taking the Freebies
Illinois led the league and ranked 11th in the nation in FT percentage (.771), knocking down 448-of-581 from the charity stripe. Illinois shot 61 more FTs than its opponents did on the season.
• Knocking 'Em Down: Lori Bjork led Illinois and the Big Ten from the line, shooting 87.5 percent, while Rebecca Harris (78.8 percent) and Jenna Smith (77.8 percent) were close behind. Bjork finished her career (83.5 percent) ranked first on the Illini career FT percentage list and Harris (79.3 percent) finished sixth on the list. Halfway through her career, Smith is eighth on the last at 77.6 percent.
• Iced Kohl: Illinois set a new Kohl Center record by hitting 21-of-22 from the line (95.5 percent) on Feb. 14 against the Badgers. It equaled the sixth-best single-game FT percentage in Big Ten history and would have been the all-time Big Ten record if Bjork, the team's best FT shooter, hadn't missed the only freebie of the game for the Illini.
Leading the Way in the Big Ten
Jenna Smith ranked in the top three in the Big Ten in six statistical categories. She led the way in minutes played (37.29) and was second in scoring (18.3), rebounding (9.4), offensive rebounds (2.97) and defensive rebounds (6.43). The sophomore also ranked third in blocks (1.69) and fifth in FG percentage (.503). Lori Bjork led in FT percentage (.875) and was third in threes made per game (2.20), while Lacey Simpson was third in assist/turnover ratio (1.64) for all games.
As a team, Illinois paced the league in scoring defense (57.2), FT percentage (.771), fewest turnovers (15.3) and rebounding defense (33.0) during all games, and ranked second in blocked shots (4.46).
In Big Ten play, Smith was just as dominant, ranking in the top three in six categories, including second in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (9.1). Additionally, Bjork led the league in three-point field goals per game (2.39) in conference play. Team-wise, Illinois led the league in FT percentage (.778), fewest turnovers (13.3) and scoring defense (57.8), while ranking second in FG percentage defense (.394) and blocked shots (4.17).
Climbing the Charts
While Bjork broke the career 3FG and FT percentage records, she and her Illini teammates climbed up several other Illinois season and career lists. Here's a look at some of the highlights (for a complete list see page nine):
Single Season
• Jenna Smith broke the blocked shots record with 59 swats on the season, breaking Kendra Gantt's 25 year-old record of 57.
• Smith finished second on the rebounding list with 329 boards, just short of the record of 335 by Lynnette Robinson.
• Smith found herself third on the scoring list with 640 points at year's end, finishing 49 points shy of Ashley Berggren's record of 689 in 1995-96.
• Smith finished third in single-season double-doubles with 16. The record is 20 by Lynette Robinson (1980-81).
• Smith jumped into third in free throws made with 151 and is sixth in FG made with 239.
• Lacey Simpson racked up 83 steals on the season to finish fourth on the UI list, 19 behind Allison Curtin's school record of 102 in 2000-01.
• Lori Bjork finished second on the single season 3FG list with 77 behind only her own record of 84 treys in 2006-07.
• Bjork's free throw percentage of 87.5 was just off the school record of 88.8 by Lisa Robinson in 1980-81 and was second all-time.
Career
• Jenna Smith cracked the top-20 of the career rebounding list, ending her sophomore season in 17th place with 562 boards. She is on pace to shatter the record of 1,014 by Cindy Dallas.
• Smith is already fifth on the career blocked shots list with 98 after two seasons, well ahead of the pace for Kendra Gantt's record of 156.
• Smith has 22 career double-doubles, which ranks eighth on the UI list and puts her on pace to break Jonelle Polk's record of 40.
• Smith finished the season with 972 career points, needing only 28 next season to become the 22nd player in Illinois history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
• Sophomore Lacey Simpson ended the season 14th on the steals list with 158, well ahead of the pace for Allison Curtin's record of 252.
• In addition to Lori Bjork breaking the UI career FT percentage record at 83.5 percent, Rebecca Harris and Jenna Smith also cracked the top-10. Harris finished sixth on the list at 79.3 percent and Smith is eighth at 77.6.
Team
• The team broke the FT percentage record by hitting 77.1 percent from the line, breaking the old mark of 75.5 percent in 1982-83.
• The Illini record for fewest turnovers per game of 15.7, set in 2004-05, was broken by this year's average of 15.1.
• Illinois' 181 made threes established a new school record, breaking the old mark of 171 set in 2002-03.
• The Illini also broke the program's blocked shots record with 156 on the season, breaking the old mark of 151 set last season.
• Illinois' scoring defense of 57.1 ranked second in school history behind only the UI record of 50.3 (1976-77).
 Stephanie Chelleen nailed four three-pointers in her final regular season game at Assembly Hall. |
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Chelleen Shines on Senior Day
Senior Stephanie Chelleen saved the best performance of her career for her final regular season home game. The Des Moines, Iowa, native poured in a career-high 14 points as Illinois finished the regular season with a 63-55 victory over Purdue at Assembly Hall on March 2.
With Purdue trying to mount a charge down the stretch, Chelleen took over, hitting four three-pointers in the final 7:04 to put any hopes of a Boilermaker comeback to rest. The guests cut the UI lead to single digits on three different occasions, but each time Chelleen answered with a three to push it back into double figures. Chelleen, who was honored before the game on Senior Day along with fellow seniors Rebecca Harris and Audrey Tabon, hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points in 13 minutes, one better than her previous career-high of 13 points.
Looking for the Right Combo
Coach Jolette Law used six different starting combinations in 2007-08. In the regular season finale vs. Purdue; Law started the three seniors - Rebecca Harris, Stephanie Chelleen and Audrey Tabon - along with regular starters Lori Bjork and Jenna Smith. The most common line-up was the group of Bjork, Harris, Chelsea Gordon, Lacey Simpson and Smith, which was first used on Jan. 31. Bjork and Smith were the two constants in the line-up, as each started all 35 games.
Illinois record by starting line-up:
1. Bjork-Harris-Gordon-Smith-Tabon (3-3)
2. Bjork-Simpson-Gordon-Smith-Tabon (3-1)
3. Bjork-Simpson-Gordon-Smith-Crutcher (4-2)
4. Bjork-Harris-Gordon-Smith-Crutcher (1-3)
5. Bjork-Harris-Gordon-Simpson-Smith (8-6)
6. Bjork-Harris-Chelleen-Tabon-Smith (1-0)
More Illini Tidbits
• Illini Trends: In 2007-08 the Fighting Illini were...
...11-2 when shooting 45 percent or better
...13-3 when out-rebounding their opponent
...17-5 when scoring at least 60 points
...17-5 when allowing less than 60 points
...4-8 in games decided by five points or less
• TV Time: Illinois received more television exposure in 2007-08 than ever before. The Illini appeared on national TV 12 times on the season, including an appearance on ESPN2 for the Big Ten Tournament Championship game. The Orange and Blue were also shown 11 times on the upstart Big Ten Network, which was available in over 30 million homes across the country, making it the most broadly distributed network in its first year.
• Senior Send-off: The March 2 regular season finale vs. Purdue was the last regular season home game for Illini seniors Stephanie Chelleen, Rebecca Harris and Audrey Tabon. Chelleen made the most of it, nailing four second-half three pointers for a career-high 14 points to lead the Illini to victory. In addition to Chelleen's heroics, Harris finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes, while Tabon played 15 minutes and chipped in two points, two boards and a steal.
• Think Pink: Illinois joined over 1,000 other women's basketball teams in the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative when Indiana came to Assembly Hall on Feb. 10. Most of the 2,733 in attendance joined the UI staff and players in wearing pink to help increase cancer awareness. Proceeds from the sale of the pink Illini Madness shirts went toward Coaches vs. Cancer.
• Giant Killers: The Jan. 31 win over #19 Ohio State extended Illinois' streak of seasons with a win over at least one top-25 opponent to 14. In 2007-08, the Illini were 2-2 against ranked foes, topping the Buckeyes twice when they were ranked #19 and #22 and falling to #9 Oklahoma and #16 Ohio State earlier in the season.
• Dominance Over Northwestern Continues: Illinois' victory at Northwestern on Dec. 27 was the Illini's 17th straight over the Wildcats and their ninth straight in Evanston. NU has not beaten Illinois since Feb. 5, 1999.
• UC Home Away From Home: Illinois continued its recent dominance in the annual Lexus December To Remember Classic at the United Center with a 73-46 win over Chicago State on Dec. 8. The Illini are now 7-2 all-time at the home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks, and have won the last five in a row by an average of 33 points.
 Chelsea Gordon (left) and Jenna Smith were named to the All-Tournament Team after leading Illinois to the title of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. |
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• Illini Claim FIU Title: The Orange and Blue claimed their first tournament title since winning the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Tournament during the 2001-02 season by taking two games at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. The Illini easily topped SEC foe South Carolina, 91-58, in the opening round on Nov. 23, before hanging on for a 60-59 win over Big East foe Providence in the title game on Nov. 25.
• Smith, Gordon Nab Tournament Honors: Jenna Smith was named the Most Valuable Player of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic after averaging 23.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in leading the Illini to the title. In addition, junior guard Chelsea Gordon also had a great weekend and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Gordon averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds and played solid defense to help the Illini bring home the hardware.
Law Era Off to Fast Start
First-year Illini head coach Jolette Law got off to a fast start with an 8-3 non-conference mark, beginning her career with a pair of 20+ victories. She picked up her first-career victory on Nov. 9 with the win over EIU and her first win at Assembly Hall two days later when the Illini downed UW-Milwaukee. In her first year in Champaign, Law established herself as one of the hardest workers in the game. She hired a young, energetic staff to help instill a new work ethic, winning attitude and up-tempo style that is based on pressure defense.
Law Signs Six for 2008-09
Illinois women's basketball coach Jolette Law signed two student-athletes to national letters of intent during the early signing period in November and then added four more during the late signing period in April.
Macie Blinn, a 6-1 guard from Greenville, Ohio, and Lana Rukavina, a 6-3 post from Wheeling, Ill., both signed in November.
The in the spring Law inked Fabiola Josil, a point guard from Coral Springs, Fla., Eboni Mitchell, a point guard from Decatur, Ga., TeAndrea Smith, a forward from East St. Louis, Ill., and Whitney Toone, a junior college forward from Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville, Fla., who will all join the Fighting Illini for the 2008-09 season.
Bjork Earns Preseason Accolade
Junior Lori Bjork was selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team by the coaches and the media after setting a school record with 84 threes and earning second team All-Conference accolades in 2006-07. She was the first Illini named to the preseason All-Big Ten team since Allison Curtin in 2000-01.
Joining Bjork on the coaches All-Big Ten team were Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan, Minnesota's Emily Fox, Ohio State's Marscilla Packer and Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson. Ohio State's Star Allen replaced Fox and joined the other four on the media's All-Conference team.
Coaches Pick Illini Third in Preseason Poll
Illinois was picked to finish third in the Big Ten Conference preseason coaches poll, which was released at the annual Big Ten media day in Chicago Oct. 28. A panel of media members picked the Illini sixth.
