NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball program received National Letters of Intent from four high school seniors on Wednesday.
The class includes Brooke Coffey (St. Charles, Mo.), Shannon Dowell (O'Fallon, Ill.), Molly Lenz (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Savannah McGowan (Minneapolis, Minn.).
"We are thrilled to welcome these new Redbirds into our program," said head coach Kristen Gillespie. "Each one of these young women are winners on and off the court."
2023 recruiting class (listed alphabetically by last name):
Brooke Coffey | Guard | 6-1 | St. Charles, Mo.| Incarnate Word HS
- Part of a Red Knights program who currently rides a 68-game win streak, dating back to Feb. 2020.
- Helped the Red Knights win their fifth straight state title in 2022, as the program has now captured a total of 12 MO Class 6 Championships.
- Joins former Redbirds Kayel Newland and Cameron Call as well as current ISU player DeAnna Wilson as athletes to hail from the state of Missouri
Coach Gillespie on Coffey: "Brooke is a versatile guard who will play the 3 and 4 for our program. She can stretch the floor with her ability to shoot the 3 and will be one of the best passers that we have ever had in our program."
Shannon Dowell | Guard | 5-10 | O'Fallon, Ill. | O'Fallon Township HS
- Named First Team Southwestern All-Conference in 2021-2022; Third Team All State for the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in 2021-2022.
- Amassed 1,000 career points in her junior year as a Panther
- Plays under five-time IBCA Co-Coach of the Year in District 19 4A (Coach Knolhoff).
- Averaged 16 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 apg, and 2.3 spg during her junior season to lead the Panthers to a Sectional Semifinal appearance.
Coach Gillespie on Dowell: "Shannon is a dynamic scoring guard. She has the potential to impact the game on both ends of the floor."
Molly Lenz | Guard | 5-8 | Eden Prairie, Minn.| Eden Prairie HS
- Awarded 2021-22 Lake Conference All-Conference and Minnesota Girls Basketball Association All-State Honorable Mention honors
- Selected as one of Eden Prairie's three Varsity captains for the 2021-22 season
- Joins former Redbird Viria Livingston (from Minneapolis) and fellow signee Savannah McGowan as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.
Coach Gillespie on Lenz: "Molly is a quintessential point guard. Her basketball IQ is exceptional, and she is a fierce competitor."
Savannah McGowan | Forward | 6-2 | Minneapolis, Minn.| Armstrong HS
- Amassed 1000 career points during her junior season for the Falcons
- Named All-State honorable mention following the 2021-22 season
- Joins former Redbird Viria Livingston (also from Minneapolis) as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.
Coach Gillespie on McGowan: "Savannah has a chance to be a force in the Valley. She is a gifted scorer who can dominate the paint and step out and hit the 3."
For all the latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
