CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the first regular season under head coach Shauna Green in the books, Illinois women's basketball saw four student-athletes earn Big Ten All-Conference recognition from the league's coaches and media. Makira Cook earned first team honors, Genesis Bryant and Kendall Bostic were both tabbed second team and Adalia McKenzie collected honorable mention status.
The three Illini on first and second teams was the most by the program since the 1999-00 campaign. This season's awards mark just the second time in program history four individuals have been recognized including honorable mention accolades – the first was the 1986-87 season.
Cook, who was a unanimous first team selection by the league's coaches, earns the second all-conference honors of her career after being tabbed to the Atlantic 10's second team last season. The junior guard has averaged a team-best 17.9 points per game while dishing out 112 assists and starting all 27 games she's appeared in. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has led Illinois in scoring 12 times this season and turned in 13 20-point games while scoring in double figures 24 times. Back in December, Cook was named ESPN's No. 5 ranked transfer of the season.
Cook is the first Illini to earn first team honors by both the Big Ten coaches and media since Jenna Smith did so in 2010.
After earning a Big Ten All-Conference honorable mention nod by the media last season, Bostic left no doubt in 2022-23 as she was a second team honoree by both. The junior has averaged 10.6 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per outing to go along with 46 blocks. A native of Kokomo, Indiana, Bostic is one of two Illini to start all 29 games and has racked up 11 double doubles on the season. She's shooting a team-best 63.7 percent from the field this season. Bostic earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll three times this season. Bostic was also named Illinois' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
In the first season of her career in a starting role, Bryant delivered big time for the Illini. She began the season as the first player to come off the bench but earned a spot in the starting lineup and has never looked back, averaging 14.8 points per game. Bryant has added 3.2 rebounds per game, 105 assists, 45.4 percent field goal shooting and a 42.0 percent mark from 3-point range. Bryant turned in the program's third-ever triple double in December and became the first Illini to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors since the 2014-15 campaign. She was also tabbed the ESPN Player of the Week (1/2/23) and to the NCAA Weekly Starting Five (1/4/23).
McKenzie has turned in an exception sophomore campaign, averaging 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. McKenzie has scored in double figures in 22 outings and tallied 20 or more points in six games. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, native has posted all four of her career double double efforts this season under Shauna Green's guidance. McKenzie earned a spot on the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 19 this season and is one of two Illini to start all 29 games this season.
Illinois turned in a 21-8 regular season record, which included an 11-7 mark in Big Ten play. UI earned the sixth seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will open post-season play against the winner of [11] Rutgers and [14] Northwestern Thursday night at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
