NORMAL, IL – The first step you take on the court at Redbird Arena is one you'll remember forever. As excited as Illinois State fans are to be back and cheering on the Redbirds, this season is even more exciting for a group of newcomers to the women's basketball team: the 2021-22 freshman class.
This season, Illinois State women's basketball welcomes four freshmen to the team: Lexi Boles (Des Moines, Iowa), Kenzie Bowers (Kent City, Mich.), Lauren Cohen (Wheaton, Ill.) and Chloe Van Zeeland (Kaukauna, Wis.).
Each student-athlete brings a unique dynamic to the team and they are all working through the adjustment of going from high school to the collegiate DI level.
"I think the biggest adjustment is trying to grow and be okay with making mistakes," said Boles, a 6'3 forward. "Everything is a little different from high school."
Boles along with incoming guards Kenzie Bowers and Lauren Cohen are prepared to contribute and make an impact on the team in any way possible.
"We have to be more on top of things a lot more than you had to high school," Bowers said. "They want us to be almost perfect and that's okay because that's what is going to make us good."
Van Zeeland came into summer training with a positive mentality and ready to develop as a player.
"The biggest difference is the physicality of the game and how it's sped up compared to high school… so you kind of have to adjust to playing with really good players," said Van Zeeland.
Off-court bonding was a huge help in getting to know a new area and adjusting to the college lifestyle, as the freshman have been on campus in Normal since June.
Cohen said, "we always hang out at one of the older girl's apartment and have a movie night or go to dinner and grab ice cream."
Team bonding came naturally as the team immediately embraced the new freshman class. Despite Boles' nerves about how the team would all click, she was pleasantly surprised.
"When we first got here in June, the team immediately embraced us freshmen. I was honestly surprised at how fast we developed team chemistry," Boles said.
Although the freshman have not played in their first game yet, they got a preview of what the gameday atmosphere at Redbird Arena was like in last week's exhibition win over UMSL, 64-53.
The 'Birds officially open the 2021-22 season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at Northern Illinois. Tip-off at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. is set for 6 p.m. with the game steaming on ESPN+.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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