Green Street: 2024-25 Illini women's basketball Player Profiles -- Irene Noya Catoira

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.

Irene Noya Catoira

Height: 6-3

Year: Freshman

Position: Forward

What she's done: Noya Catoira represents the first international player of the Shauna Green era at Illinois. The native of Vilagarcía de Arousa, Spain, brings some international experience to C-U — she made her debut for Spain as a 15-year-old at the Ciudad de Toledo tournament and was also part of the Spanish U17 team that was the runner-up at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup. Noya Catoira also played recently for Segle XXI in the Spain-LF2 league with the Institut Joaquim Blume graduate compiling 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks per game while averaging 19.1 minutes this past season.

What her role will be in 2024-25: Green clearly had two directives this offseason as the third-year Illini coach looked to upgrade her roster: (1) add frontcourt help and (2) get younger. Noya Catoira fulfills both areas. The 18-year-old is one of three freshmen for Illinois this upcoming season, joining 6-6 center Hayven Smith (Lincoln-Way East) and 6-1 forward/wing Berry Wallace (Pickerington, Ohio). Noya Catoira, Smith and Wallace join a frontcourt that also includes sophomore 6-7 center Lety Vasconcelos , a Baylor transfer, and returning forwards Kendall Bostic , Shay Bollin and Brynn Shoup-Hill . What that could mean for Noya Catoira is likely her first college season with the Illini is a development year as Illinois takes more of a long-term approach with the Spanish prospect. Bostic, Bollin, Shoup-Hill and Vasconcelos, after all, are expected to be the main frontcourt rotation for the Illini this winter.