Brown-Hagger circles back to Illini

CHAMPAIGN — Jasmine Brown-Hagger had not really kept any tabs on the other schools that recruited her out of high school after starting her women’s college basketball career at Mississippi State.

It was all part of having no regrets about her decision. The Shorewood native wanted 100 percent of her focus to remain on how she could contribute for coach Sam Purcell and his Bulldogs. The 5-foot-9 guard — who finished out her prep career at Example Academy after starting it at Joliet Catholic — didn’t expect to find herself in the transfer portal after one just season with Mississippi State.

But that’s exactly what happened after Brown-Hagger struggled to develop a significant role in year one in Starkville, Miss.

Seeking another opportunity and a fresh start allowed Brown-Hagger to circle back to a coaching staff and school she had some familiarity with. Illinois coach Shauna Green recruited Brown-Hagger both at Dayton and then again the spring and summer after Green took the Illini job in 2022.

Brown-Hagger, now a sophomore, admitted on Thursday — her first interview since joining the Illinois roster as one of two offseason transfers for Green’s program alongside Baylor center Lety Vasconcelos — she watched the Illini’s run to the WBIT title in April. The Bulldogs also played in the inaugural NCAA-sponsored tournament, losing 92-87 in the quarterfinals at Penn State.

About a week later, Illinois celebrated with confetti falling onto the floor at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis after a 71-57 championship game win against Villanova with ESPN2 broadcasting the game.

“I feel like in my decision I kind of just not broke ties, but I didn’t want to see it on social media, just because I didn’t want to go through this thing of regret,” Brown-Hagger said Thursday standing on the women’s practice court floor at Ubben Basketball Complex. “So I feel the WBIT ... that’s kind of when I paid more attention to Illinois, and they won.

“They’re very consistent. That’s what I’ll say about this (coaching) staff. Every day is the same. What you get in recruiting is what you are going to get here. I’ve learned that. I made I’m not going to say a mistake (to go to Mississippi State), but I made a decision, and I feel like it brought me to make the right choice this time around.”

Brown-Hagger, who was the No. 1 recruit in the state of Illinois per ESPN’s HoopGurlz in the Class of 2023, played in 33 of 35 games as a freshman with the Bulldogs. The former four-star guard averaged only 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game while shooting 36.4 percent from the field and 24.0 percent from three-point range.

“From the first year until now, just the massive growth from everyone on the team,” Brown-Hagger said what made Illinois an attractive destination after Green’s quick turnaround in C-U with the Illini going 41-25 in her first two seasons. “I feel like relationships, too, everyone’s getting closer, bonding, and it’s a lot of seniors, too, so it just brings it full circle.”

Add in the fact Illinois had some history developing transfers into significant contributors helped Brown-Hagger land on the Illinois the second time around. Genesis Bryant progressing from a lightly used guard at North Carolina State into an All-Big Ten Second-Team selection during her debut season at Illinois in 2022-23 was a big selling point for Brown-Hagger.

“Me and Gen, I feel like we both had the same situation, so kind of looking at her and seeing her confidence go out the roof from where she was to now, I kind of looked at her just a lot more,” Brown-Hagger said. “Just because that’s kind of where I’m at right now, just confidence boosting. ... So having her there just to talk to and (Makira Cook) just helping me get through stuff is what it’s all about.”

Brown-Hagger’s new college home is amid a veteran backcourt at Illinois with the top three guards all returning as Cook and Bryant are fifth-year seniors utilizing their bonus COVID-19 seasons while Adalia McKenzie is entering her senior year. Cook, Bryant and McKenzie accounted for nearly 56 percent of the Illini’s offense last season.

But Green said July, even with Illinois in the midst of its 10 full summer practices before its foreign trip in August to Italy and Greece, Green said, is about finding a place for Brown-Hagger on the court. Her play this month has reminded Green of what it was like recruiting her in high school.

“When she first came in, it’s a lot for anyone new,” Green said. “She’s kind of getting that pop back of being really aggressive as a scorer. Her three-point shot is much better now than it was as a high school player. She really worked on that last year at Mississippi State and it looks really, really good. I love her defense, and I’m really challenging her defensively. She just continues to take it all in. She’s going to be really, really important to us.”

So much so that Green has tried Brown-Hagger out at multiple guard spots with the Illini willing to mix and match lineups during summer practices as they gather intel ahead of the 2024-25 season about what might work.

“I have her playing some point guard, too,” Green said. “Jas could play one through three I have her playing now, (and) she probably could play one through four if we go four-out. She added that depth to the wing. Her ability to score and her ability to defend is something that filled a need of ours that we had to have in the guard spot.”