When the buzzer sounded on the Hoops in the Heartland championship game last March and Kam Finley's potential game-tying shot fell short, it gave Illinois State a Missouri Valley Conference title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
But for head coach Kristen Gillespie's Redbirds, that moment had implications far beyond that month. "It's totally changed the expectations of our program," she says. "For five years, that was the goal."
This season, Gillespie says, the challenge becomes using that momentum to take the next step. "Now it's like, 'How do we try to put ourselves in a position that if we don't win in Moline we can get an at-large bid?'"
Illinois State will have to do it without program legend JuJu Redmond, who graduated after etching her name all over the Redbird record books. But the MVC's preseason No. 2 team brings back last year's other four starters to a roster that also reloaded with new talent.
At the forefront of that group of added talent is 2021 Division II National Player of the Year Paige Robinson. Robinson comes to the Redbirds as a grad transfer after a remarkable four-year career at Drury University in which she led the Panthers to two Final Fours and an undefeated season in 2019-20.
While Redmond's impact was historic and will be irreplaceable, many in the program believe the 5-foot-10 Robinson is capable of immediately stepping into an alpha role on offense. "She's a three-level scorer," says fifth-year guard Mary Crompton. "She has the height and athleticism to be able to score even over good defenders."
Illinois State's top defensive stopper, junior forward Kate Bullman, has gotten a firsthand look at that ability in practice. "I close out in her face and she just hits it on me every time," Bullman says. "She's got pretty much every shot in her bag."
Bullman credits Robinson's work ethic, adding that Robinson is "literally the definition of married to the game – she's in the gym every single day for hours."
Gillespie compares Robinson's range to that of Crompton, who has made over 200 threes in her career, but also loves the rest of Robinson's offensive skill set. "She is a really gifted passer," Gillespie says. "She knows where to get the ball … She can go left and right."Â
Robinson is one of three transfers joining the program this offseason. Daijah Smith comes over from Wabash Valley College after previous stops at UIC and Indiana State. Smith will miss this season due to a torn ACL and will look to be ready for the fall of 2023.
Ta'Shonna Wright-Gaskins, who will make her Division I debut after spending time at Florida Southwestern State and Chipola College, possesses salivating physical tools. "She gives us an athlete that we've never had," Gillespie says. "I don't know if there's another athlete in our league like that."
"Her first step is just so quick … You blink when she's at the three-point line, and she's already to the hoop," Crompton adds. "I haven't had to guard her yet, but I feel like it will be a challenge for me and for most people."
Gillespie plans to use that first step by running similar actions for Wright-Gaskins as she ran for Redmond last season to get her isolated on the elbow and let her blow by defenders.
The 5-foot-9 "power guard" is still getting acclimated after arriving to campus later than her teammates, but she's already made an impression on the other end of the floor as well. "She's going to be a lockdown defender for us," Crompton says.
"She just competes, she rebounds her butt off, she guards," Gillespie says. "She's a Power Five athlete."
The list of newcomers also features two freshmen in the backcourt. Taylor Veach, a 5-foot-11 four-time All-State selection from Iowa, brings what Crompton calls "a really great feel for the game and a high basketball IQ."
The Redbirds also bring in Abbie Aalsma, a 5-foot-9 potential future star who's already in peak D-I shape.
"She doesn't get tired," Gillespie says, noting that Aalsma set a program record in the first conditioning workout of her college career.
Aalsma, who Crompton says was at or near the top of the team leaderboards in every weight training category over the summer, may in some respects be a younger, more raw version of one of her fellow newcomers.
"She's a playmaker, like Paige," Bullman says. "She's an insane shooter."
Crompton believes fans will enjoy watching Aalsma for her scoring ability. "She has a great shot and a high release, so it's hard to defend," Crompton says. "And she's also someone who can score at all three levels."
"She'll have games that will be great and games that she'll struggle, but that's a freshman that if you look at her career, she's gonna be one of the better players," Gillespie adds.
The transfers and freshmen join a strong core of returners that is stacked with experience, including six upperclassmen that were part of last year's rotation.
Back on the perimeter are Crompton and point guard Maya Wong. Wong brings an elite finishing ability after shooting over 60% at the rim in her first season as a starter. The redshirt junior also enters the season second on Illinois State's career free-throw percentage list with an 83.9% mark.
The Redbirds' record book notes a minimum of 100 made free throws to qualify for that list. Crompton, who has made 85-of-100 free throws over her career, has a chance to finish her career as the school's all-time leader in free-throw percentage if she maintains her current 85.0% clip with at least 15 more makes from the stripe.
That's not the only school record Crompton is set to break this season. The 5-foot-8 sharpshooter needs just 16 makes from deep to surpass Kristi Cirone's program record of 229 career made threes.
"Mary's a great shooter, but she's a great person … so we're just all gonna be really happy for her," Bullman says. "She's worked really hard her whole life to become the shooter that she is."
After playing through injury last season, essentially being limited to one practice per week, Crompton says her May knee surgery and summer of rehab have her feeling much healthier this year.
"As a shooter, that [limited practice time] was really tough. But this year, I'm really optimistic," she says. "I'm full go, 100% … so I'm back to being able to get my extra shooting workouts in."
The frontcourt returns another dynamic duo in Bullman and DeAnna Wilson. Wilson anchors the post for the third straight year after leading the Redbirds in rebounding in each of her first two seasons with the team.
The 6-foot-2 JUCO product is coming off of a campaign in which she earned All-MVC First Team and MVC All-Tournament Team honors, and according to CBB Analytics, she's finished each of the last two seasons in the top 20 in the nation in charges drawn per 100 possessions. Another All-MVC First Team nod could be in her future, as she was voted to the league's preseason First Team earlier this month.
Bullman, who burst onto the scene defensively during conference play last season and made her way into the top ten in school history in blocks as a sophomore, has added an element to her game on the other side of the ball over the offseason.
"[Coach Gillespie] has been allowing me to play with the guards a lot more … so I think that's allowing my handle and my finishing to be a lot better," Bullman says.
Solidifying the depth up front are senior Hannah Kelle, junior Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor, and sophomores Chloe Van Zeeland and Lexi Boles.
Kelle has battled injuries for much of her career but has come on strong in practice and given Gillespie something to think about at the four position. "She's had an outstanding summer," Gillespie says. "She's different than Kate, so she gives us a little bit of a different look."
"At the four position, I think it's gonna be a little bit of a battle this year, and I'm completely fine with that," Bullman adds.
Gillespie also loves what she's seen from her backup center. "[McGinnis-Taylor] is playing really well, and I think she's just getting really comfortable in her role," Gillespie says. "She's going toe-to-toe with DeAnna."
Rounding out the backcourt are grad Jada Stinson and sophomore Lauren Cohen. Stinson's first season as a grad transfer with the Redbirds was cut short on both ends as she missed summer workouts while competing in last year's Tokyo Olympics and missed conference play due to injury. That adversity hasn't held her back, however.
"You wouldn't even be able to tell that Jada had to sit out last year – she's running our offense like she's known it for years," Crompton says. "She knows how to put her teammates in great positions to be successful."
Bullman has been impressed with what she's seen from Cohen as well. "She's kind of a quiet leader," Bullman says. "Everybody knows you can watch her on defense and she won't mess up ever."
If this year's Illinois State squad is able to make up for the loss of Redmond, they'll most likely do it by committee. "We're gonna be so much deeper at every spot … My hope is that we're not playing four of five kids 30-plus minutes," Gillespie says. "That was a big point of emphasis for our staff: 'Can we have another really good option for each position?'"
"I think there should be a battle at all the spots," Bullman adds.
The key for the Redbirds this season will be how well that depth can gel. "Since we have all those new pieces to work with, I think part of [our success] is going to be finding out how to fit them all together," Crompton says.
Gillespie will have some new help with that task, as two assistants join the staff following the departures of Jessica Keller and Mariyah Brawner-Henley. Taking over for them are Drew Cole, who coached at Abilene Christian for the past four seasons, and Katrina Beck, the former Redbird who played her final two seasons under Gillespie from 2017-2019.
Gillespie calls Cole "a really good basketball mind" and adds that "Tri has such a credibility with our players because they can look in that circle and she's literally been there."
For Crompton, who played with Beck during her injury-shortened freshman season, Beck's leadership is nothing new.
"As a player … she was always someone that I looked up to so much," Crompton says. "It honestly doesn't feel that different for her to step into that coaching role, because I'm still getting advice from her."
A championship always comes with heightened expectations, and living up to them after losing a superstar is never easy. But the talent is there for the Redbirds this season; if they can make it mesh, they have a chance to once again compete at the top of arguably the most competitive mid-major league in the country.
