NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State standouts Addison Martin and Nevaeh Thomas were listed among several Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball "Players to Watch" for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Martin was an All-MVC Newcomer Team selection last season in her first season with the Redbirds. A three-time MVC Newcomer of the Week honoree during the year, Martin started all 37 games for Illinois State and was one of six Redbirds to break the program's single-season record for games played. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native reached double figures in 18 games, including two 20+ point performances, with a season-high of 23 points scored against Southern Illinois.
She surpassed 1,000 career points in March against the Salukis and she shot 58.3 percent from the field on the season, which ranks third on Illinois State's single-season field goal percentage list. Martin shot 50 percent or better from the floor in an MVC-best 17 Valley games, including the first 11 games of conference play. Overall, she averaged 11.3 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game while helping Illinois State to a third consecutive 20-win season and a fifth consecutive postseason appearance.
Thomas appeared in 37 games and made 36 starts in her sophomore campaign last season and was also one of six Redbirds to break the program's single-season record for games played. She averaged 12.1 points per game, a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game while ranking fifth in the MVC shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Thomas scored in double figures in 29 games, including the first 15 outings of the season, and tallied ten double-doubles, becoming just the sixth player in program history to tally 10+ double-doubles in a single season.
The Kenosha, Wisconsin, native posted the most double-doubles by a Redbird in a single season since 2005-06 with two 20-10 double-doubles, including a career-high 25 points with 10 rebounds against Indiana State. She led Illinois State with 252 rebounds, which is tied for 14th on Illinois State's single-season rebounding list and is one of just 13 players in program history to total 250+ rebounds in a single season. Thomas was also a First Team MVC Scholar-Athlete team selection and a CSC Academic All-District honoree off the court for the Redbirds.
Illinois State return seven players from last season's squad that advanced to the WNIT Fab 4, including MVC All-Freshman team selection Doneelah Washington and All-MVC Newcomer team member Martin. The Redbirds were 24-13 overall last season, including a 14-6 mark in MVC play and a 14-4 record at home at CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds open the season with an exhibition game on October 26 against crosstown foe Illinois Wesleyan, before opening the regular season on November 3 at CEFCU Arena against Dayton.
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