“When we would practice, she would work harder on rebounding drills than she would on shooting,” said Kevin Bostic, father of fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic.
That training paid off for Bostic. The forward made Illinois history on Monday night, breaking the record for all-time rebounds. She overtook Illinois Hall of Famer Jenna Smith, who had 1,217 rebounds.
In the third quarter against Purdue, she fought off freshman forward Lana McCarthy to grab her 11th rebound of the game and her 1,218th as an Illini. A “Kendall Bostic” chant broke out throughout State Farm Center. Shortly after, Purdue called a timeout, and Illinois celebrated with Bostic.
“I just kind of held it for a second to take it in,” Bostic said. “Running back down the court and realizing the whole arena is chanting your name. Everyone is supporting me. I won’t forget that.”
In her fourth year with the program, Bostic has been a star through and through. She has consistently been a top rebounder in the Big Ten. Bostic has been the co- and stand-alone leader in rebounds per game the last two years in the Big Ten, and her average boards per Illinois game are 11.4, 9.8 and 10.9.
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“(Bostic) is one of the best rebounders in the country,” Green said. “And one of the best rebounders ever by those numbers. Again, at 6-foot-1 on a good day. That’s absolutely amazing to me.”
Bostic has already cemented herself as an Illinois legend with nine regular-season games left in her career. She has already secured 1,000 points as an Illini and moved into No. 3 in the Big Ten for all-time rebounding. One more milestone she can reach this season is most career double-doubles. Smith also leads that category, and Bostic is now six away from tying the record.
Watch the historic moment when Bostic got rebound No. 1,218.
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