Green Street | Class of 2026 offers

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.

Even as the Illinois women's basketball coaching staff stays plugged in on the Class of 2025, the work on the 2026 class is already underway, as well.

The Illini have currently secured one 2025 commitment — and it was a big one — with Whitney Young five-star point guard Destiny Jackson on board. Two other 2025 players who were high on Illinois' list have gone elsewhere with four-star shooting guard Bryn Martin picking Washington and five-star point guard Divine Bourrage landing on LSU.

As for the 2026 class, Shauna Green 's Illini have recently handed out offers to Emily McDonald (Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.)), Amalia Holguin (Sage Hill (Calif.)) and Brooklynn Haywood (Union (Wash.)).

McDonald, 5-11 guard, has seen her recruitment pick up momentum in the summer and early fall with offers from the likes of Maryland, Indiana, Miami, Clemson and TCU in addition to Illinois with the high school junior now part of the prestigious Long Island Lutheran girls' basketball team after averaging 18.9 points and 12.6 rebounds last season as a sophomore at St. Mary's (N.Y.). The Illini were among 22 schools to watch an open gym for the LuHi program on Thursday.

Holguin, a 5-9 point guard/shooting guard, has a bit of some history attached to her name. She's the last player the late Kobe Bryant coached at his Mamba Academy to reach high school.

Haywood, meanwhile, has the highest profile of the three with the 5-9 guard a four-star recruit per ESPN.com's HoopGurlz.