Illinois sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos will miss the entire season due to an ACL injury sustained during summer workouts, the university announced on Wednesday.
Head coach Shauna Green had previously highlighted Vasconcelos, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Baylor, as a key contributor to the team’s frontcourt rotation this season. “It’s tough,” Green said during her media availability. “You really feel for her. She’s such a hard worker and had made significant progress. We were counting on her a lot this year.” Last season, Vasconcelos played a total of 99 minutes for Baylor, averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
Despite the setback, Vasconcelos is optimistic about her recovery. “Although this is a difficult challenge, I’m fully committed to coming back stronger,” she said in a statement on social media.
With Vasconcelos, Illinois’ tallest player, sidelined, the team will need others to step up. Green noted that the starting frontcourt would have to take on additional responsibilities. “Kendall Bostic will need to play more at the five,” Green said. “Brynn Shoup-Hill will also see time at the five, and she’s capable of doing that.”
Bostic, who played center two years ago during Illinois’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2003, and Shoup-Hill, a versatile stretch forward, will be relied upon to fill the gap. However, both players stand at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3, which could create a size disadvantage against taller teams in the Big Ten, such as UCLA, which has six players 6-foot-3 or taller.
“We needed that true size, and Vasconcelos would have helped with that against some of the bigger teams in our league,” Green said. “We’ll have to figure it out.” Despite the challenge, Shoup-Hill remains confident in her ability to play center. “I’ve played both the four and five positions over my four years. If I’m confident in what I’m doing, I think it will be okay.”
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While Illinois’ frontcourt may be undersized, they do have some true height in 6-foot-6 freshman Hayven Smith. However, Green acknowledged that freshmen often face difficulties, especially when transitioning to the center position. “Being a freshman is hard, and being a freshman center is usually the hardest transition,” she said.
Nonetheless, Green is hopeful that Smith could contribute in games against taller opponents in the Big Ten. Illinois opens its regular season on November 7 against Florida State at the State Farm Center.
