CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Â Illinois women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has inked National Letters of Intent from Hayven Smith and Berry Wallace to join the Fighting Illini program. Smith, a center from Frankfort, Ill., and Wallace, a forward from Pickerington, Ohio, will join the Orange and Blue beginning in the 2024-25 campaign.
"I'm really excited for today with Hayven and Berry officially joining the family," opened Coach Green. "A lot of great things are ahead for both of their careers.
Hayven Smith – Frankfort, Illinois – Lincoln-Way East High School
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SMITH'S HIGHLIGHTS
- 6'6" center
- Four-year varsity basketball letter winner, three-year varsity volleyball letter winner
- Earned IBCA All-State, Illinois AP All-State, and Southtown All-Area honors as a junior (2023)
- High School Stat Lines:
- 2022-23: 14 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BPG
- 2021-22: 10 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 BPG
- 2020-21: 8 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 BPG
- Five consecutive semesters on high honor roll
- Parents are Greg and Tammy Smith
- Older brother Hunter and older sisters Hailey and Hannah
- College Basketball Ties: Sister, Hannah, played at Illinois Wesleyan from 2019-22
- AAU Team: Midwest Elite Nike EYBL
Why she chose Illinois: "The recruitment process is very long and tedious. I spent years talking to numerous schools and coaches trying to find the right fit, and Illinois was alongside me for most of that process. While figuring out what I wanted in a school, I grew amazing relationships with the coaches and staff. Illinois never left my mind, and I had grown such a unique relationship with everyone that I could not possibly have envisioned myself at any other school."
Coach Green on Smith: "We addressed a size issue, needing to add that with Hayven at 6'6". She's also an Illinois kid so we love that. I think that she's someone that has a ton of upside. The sky's the limit for her. She's someone that obviously has the size, she can move, she has some range to 15-17 feet and the capability to shoot the three, and she works. And she also really wants to be at Illinois, which I think is obviously key, especially for our in-state kids. I think she's someone that some people didn't recruit as hard but I think she could end up being a very, very good player in our league."
Berry Wallace – Pickerington, Ohio – Pickerington High School Central
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WALLACE'S HIGHLIGHTS
- 6'1" forward
- ESPN HoopGurlz Recruiting Ranking - #20
- Five-star recruit
- Four-year varsity basketball letter winner, three-year varsity volleyball letter winner
- Earned All-District honorable mention and helped team to district championship in 2021
- First-team All-Conference, First-team All-District 11, First-team All-Central District, Second-team All-State, First-team All-Adidas 3SSB, and helped team to district championship in 2022
- First-team All-Conference, First-team All-District 11, First-team All-Central District, First-team All-State, Adidas Eurocamp National Team, and helped team to district and regional championships in 2023
- High School Stat Lines:
- 2022-23: 15.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG
- 2021-22: 14.6 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 2.6 APG, 2.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG
- 2020-21: 11.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG
- Honor roll all three years of high school
- Member of the National Honor Society and class president
- Parents are Chris and Brandi Wallace
- Four brothers (Evan, Garner, Isaiah, Adae) and four sisters (Bailey, Bexley, Brooklyn, Blossom)
- College Basketball Ties: Older sister, Bexley, played two seasons each at Penn State and Kent State
- AAU Team: United Family 3SSB
Why she chose Illinois: "I chose Illinois because of the coaches' vision for the team and for their dedication to their players and program. Illinois has all the academic perks that I could want and the support I know I can rely on in all aspects of life."
Coach Green on Wallace:Â "I've known the Wallaces for a long time. The first home visit I did my first day as the Dayton head coach was to Berry's sister...I've known the family for a long, long time and they're great people. We've been recruiting her for a long time and Berry is somebody is that continually gets better and now she's ranked 20th in the country. She has a great potential to be a McDonald's All-American and she's someone that can score at all three levels. With her size, we'll have a lot of mismatches and she's just a great kid. Her and Hayven are both great kids and perfect for our culture and they work really, really hard. That's something that we're not going to compromise on in our recruiting: kids that are good people and work really hard and have a passion for our game. I'm excited to get them here on campus and to get working with them."
