The No. 23 Illinois women’s basketball program landed yet another top-100 prospect. The four-star forward, Naomi Benson, is ranked No. 98 in the class of 2025 by ESPN HoopGurlz. Benson joins guard Destiny Jackson, forward Cearah Parchment and forward Manuella Alves-Fernandez as top-100 2025 recruits to commit to Illinois.
Benson plays in Ohio at Streetsboro High School, where she’s started on varsity since her freshman year. The 6-foot-2 senior averaged 15.2 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game through her first three seasons. She’s an efficient shooter as well. She made 54% of her shots from the field in her junior year and shot at a 50% clip for her career. She also collected 53 Player of the Game awards in her three seasons.
The Ohio native will join an Illinois class that is ranked in the top 10 for 2025. It is an important class, as the Illini are set to lose most of their starters, including fifth-year players Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant and Makira Cook.
Head coach Shauna Green has been busy in the recruiting game this season. So far, she’s signed four commits in the early signing period: Jackson, Parchment, Alves-Fernandez and guard Erica Finney out of Australia. The Illini have focused heavily on the frontcourt, as both their starting forwards will be gone after this season.
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