Green Street: 2024-25 Illini women's basketball Player Profiles -- Adalia McKenzie

Welcome to "Green Street," your dose of women's college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Joe Vozzelli. He'll offer up insight on Shauna Green's Illini team and the women's game at large every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The 2024-25 Illinois women's basketball roster is now in place. So let's proceed accordingly with a roster breakdown of Shauna Green's 13-player team.

Adalia McKenzie

Height: 5-10

Year: Senior

Position: Guard

What she's done: McKenzie has been Illinois' X-factor the last two seasons with Shauna Green as coach. Originally a Nancy Fahey -recruit — one of five holdovers with the coaching change — no player on the Illini roster is more of an energy player than McKenzie when the Brooklyn Park, Minn., native is at her best. That can fluctuate from game-to-game, though. But McKenzie was at the top of her game during Illinois' five-game run to the WBIT title. She, after all, averaged 18.3 points in the Illini's first four wins of the inaugural tournament and despite scoring only one point in the final against Villanova was the difference-maker defensively against Wildcats star guard Lucy Olsen .

What her role will be in 2024-25: Will a senior McKenzie develop the kind of consistency that has been elusive so far? Last season was a step in the right direction. McKenzie clearly has the right mindset on the defensive end. Still, while her overall shooting percentages have improved year-by-year — McKenzie shot a career-best 49.3 percent in 2023-24 — that hasn't been the case from beyond the three-point arc. McKenzie made only 3 of 14 three-point attempts (21.4 percent) last season after going 8 for 37 (21.6 percent) on three-pointers as a sophomore the year before. What can't be questioned is McKenzie's ability to get defenders on their back heels with her explosive downhill drives to the basket. If her three-point shot develops somewhat — and she continues to defend and rebound at a high level — this coming winter could be a long-awaited breakout season for McKenzie.