Jun. 17—The 2026-27 roster is all but set for Shauna Green's Illinois women's basketball program. So, over the next few weeks, we'll take a closer look at each of the 14 players on Green's fifth Illini team.
➜ 2
➜ G
➜ Soph.
➜ 5-foot-6
➜ Chicago
➜ Jackson arrived in Champaign with all of the hype in the world as a five-star recruit from storied girls' basketball program, Whitney Young. And delivered, too. Jackson, the day-one starter at point guard, was a key piece on a 22-win Illini team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. Jackson did so while averaging 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game on 41.2/28.8/82.1 shooting as a freshman. Jackson was at her best come March, as well, including finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Illinois' first-round NCAA tournament win against Colorado in Nashville, Tenn.
➜ Much of the same. That the Illini's retention efforts worked means Illinois has basically their entire core back after being the youngest team in the NCAA tournament field this past March. Jackson's playmaking skills are obvious — she had the most assists of any Illini freshman with 176. What will be significant to Jackson's growth is developing into a more consistent offensive player. Jackson started to find her spots on the court better late last season and that allowed the Chicago native to end her freshman year on a high note.