At 6-foot-3, junior Jenna Smith has found a home for herself down in the low post for the Illini. With a 6-foot-5 wingspan and a soft lefty touch, Smith leads Illinois in both scoring and blocks per game this season.

In her last two games, the Illini center has accumulated 37 points, 22 rebounds, five assists and six blocked shots while playing all 80 minutes.

It’s no surprise that Monday evening Smith was named to the All-Big Ten First Team for the second straight season.

“It felt great to represent Illinois in that way,” Smith said. “But I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. You always have to go out and play your best, and whatever comes your way, you just take it and go with it.”

But a solid performance from Smith does not always guarantee victory for head coach Jolette Law’s young squad.

Smith has accumulated nearly 32 percent of her team’s points over the last two games and almost 34 percent throughout the regular season, where the Illini finished with a record of 9-20, 5-13 in the Big Ten.

However, it’s clear that Smith is the workhorse for Law night in and night out.

On the defensive end, Smith is very active. With her four blocked shots Sunday in the Illini’s 61-50 win against Minnesota, Smith became Illinois’ all-time leader in the category with 157 – breaking a record that had stood for 24 years.

Illinois teammate Lacey Simpson wasn’t surprised by Smith’s feat, as she predicted it would happen at the beginning of the season.

“Jenna’s tall. She’s going to use her length and she’s smart,” Simpson said. “I think she has a knack for it. I told her she was going to get it. If I block a shot, I jump and I get into it. She’s barely on her toes and she blocks it.”

Law was most impressed with Smith’s drive to get better. Even after leading all scorers with 17 points on Sunday against Minnesota, Smith wanted to get back into the gym to improve.

With this work ethic, Law has high expectations for Smith moving forward.

“Right now, personally, she hasn’t even scratched the surface of her potential,” Law said. “I feel that if she continues to work and do the things she needs to do, she will definitely be an All-American. She wants it, she works and she’s in the gym. She’s a sponge. She’s constantly asking what more (she can do).”

But after playing 80 minutes in four days and occasionally putting in two practices a day, Smith has to find time to take care of her body to prevent injury.

Smith’s diligence in the training room has allowed her to play in every game this season – logging the fourth most minutes in the nation with 1,122.

“I hang out with my trainer a lot,” Smith said. “I meet with him every morning at nine to socialize and to get (electrical stimulation) and ice … and I ice up my knees and shins after the game. Other than that, I just try to go to bed early.”

Outside of injury prevention, Smith tries to stay relaxed and act like a normal college student to get her mind off basketball whenever she can.

“Yesterday I watched Law and Order for four hours straight,” Smith said. “Other than that, I just relax and hang out with my roommates. I try and forget for a couple hours that I’m an athlete and watch TV and catch up on the shows that I’ve missed.”

Editor’s Note: The Daily Illini sports desk sits down on Sunday nights and decides which Illinois athlete or coach is our Illini of the Week. Student-athletes and coaches are evaluated by individual performance and contribution to a team’s success.

Honorable Mention

Megan Fudge, Women’s Tennis

The junior continued her perfect start to the season in singles, leading the Illini to a 6-1 win against Marquette. Fudge’s record now stands at 10-0.

Josh Parr, Baseball

The second baseman went 7-for-10 with five RBIs on the weekend as the Illini went 3-0 to take the Al Ogletree Classic title in Edinburg, Texas.