Volume 3 issue 1 FEBRUARY 10, 2024
The Illini women's basketball team is doing well. They are 18-5 overall and 8-4 in conference. They have an excellent lineup and are the defending WBIT champions, (the Illini won the inaugural event last season).
They have experience with Seniors Bryn Shoup-Hill and Adalia McKenzie, 5th-yr Seniors Genesis Bryant, and Makira Cook, and the All-time leading rebounder in U of I history Kendall Bostic.
January 27, 2025, the 6-2 Forward from Kokomo, Ind. had the game she will likely never forget. The Illini women faced off with the Lady Boilermakers from Purdue. In the Third Quarter, The Illini had the game well in hand (up by 27 points) at 5:21 left Bostic pulled down a defensive rebound her 11th of the game and then 1,218th of her career at Illinois. and the crowd erupted. She stood and held the ball for a couple of seconds and the Illinois called a time-out to let her properly enjoy what had just happened. Surrounded by her teammates her ear-to-ear smile said it all. Chants of Ken-dall Bos-tic coursed through the State Farm Center. Bostic said of that moment,
“Running back down the court and realizing that the whole arena is chanting your name is a moment that — I think I got goosebumps — I won’t forget that,”
She broke the record held by Jenna Smith set in 2010.
Bostic has been a consistent redounding force since transferring from Michigan State after her Freshman year. She currently sits at 1,327 total rebounds in the B1G (at the time of this writing) which puts her in 3rd place All-Time in the Big Ten, 95 boards behind Jantel Lavender(1,422) and 133 rebounds behind the All-Time B1G rebounder Megan Gufstason (1,460). The Illini have five regular season games to go plus the B1G and most assuredly the NCAA Tournament. If Kendall can keep her 11 Rebounds per game pace and the Illini make deep runs in both. It is not hard to imagine that she could become the All-Time rebounder in the B1G.
Coach Shauna Green spoke of Bostic's determination and commitment,
“She works her butt off every day.” then added "You get rebounds every day you’re going to end up breaking records along the way.”
Bostic is from Kokomo Indiana and attended Northwestern High School. She won two state championships. She was the seventh player in Indiana State history to score 2,000 points (2,032) and get 1,000 Rebounds(1,040)She was AP First-Team All-State honors in her junior and senior years.
She was ranked by ESPN Hoop Gurlz at #65 in her Senior season. Her mother Angie played college basketball at Indiana. Her father Kevin played his college ball at Manchester(Ind) University.
She committed and signed with Michigan State where she came off the bench 22 times for the Spartans scoring 93 points and 64 Rebounds as a Freshman.
She transferred to Illinois the next year and started ALL 27 games scoring 6.6 points per game and 11.4 Rebounds per game. Garnering 18 points and 20 rebounds in the B1G conference Tournament.
Her Junior year her scoring started to catch up to her Rebounding. Scoring 10.1 per game while snagging 9.8 Rebounds.
She established herself last season averaging a double-double with 12.1 Points per game and 10.9 boards per game Illinois was knocked out of the B1G in the first round. The Illini got into the Inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament and won the Championship
Bostic was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 55 points and 75 Rebounds She had 34 boards in the first two games where she corralled 17 boards in each game.
To say rebounding is her strong suit is an understatement. It has been her focus on the court she once said
“I would rather have a game with 25 rebounds and no points than 25 points and no rebounds."
She has led the B1G in total rebounds per game for the last 3 years(2021-22 11.4, 2022-23 9.8, 2023-24 10.9). She has also been in the top ten in rebounding in the NCAA twice (10th in 2022-23 with 10.9 and 6th last season with 11.2). Her 372 total rebounds last season were good enough for 1st in the B1G. (she currently leads the B1G with 11.2 Rebounds per game and total rebounds with 269.
She can also score around the rim in the lane and from the arc. For her career, she is .569 from the floor and only .235 from the arc but that number is deceiving she had some bad years, not making a three-point shot in 2021-22 & 2022-23 in 25 attempts. That changed last season when she was 9 of 22 .409 from the arc and currently, this season she is 8 of 25 .320 from downtown. She is a 78% Free throw shooter But has averaged over 82% from the charity stripe the last two seasons.
She has to date 40 double-doubles for her career.
All you have to do is watch her for 5 minutes and you see her fire, grit, and determination. Even on the bench, she is locked in shouting to the players on the floor with encouragement and inspiration. Always willing to take a younger player aside and impart some wisdom.
Kendall also wants to be an inspiration off the court as well. Kendal is getting her Master's Degree in Special Education.
She said in a recent interview,
I just want to be remembered as someone who had fun, worked hard, and inspired people. I want to be someone little kids can look up to," she says. "When I was little, I thought college players were professionals. I was like, 'I can never get to that point.' It's crazy.”
She also related in that article,
“I love being able to impact kids and being able to be someone who they look up to for guidance. My mom is a behavior consultant, and getting to hear how she impacts those kids and those adults, it's like, ‘I can do that. Those people are forever changed due to my mom.’ I want to be able to do that and help kids.”
On a personal note, I have watched Fighting Illini sports for five decades. I can't think of many players who have made a bigger impact on any program than Kendall Bostic has made on this women's team. Rest assured after she leaves the court for the final time, hopefully, it will not be long before we see her number hanging in the rafters.
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