Click here to subscribe.

Sign up for our daily basketball newsletter here

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois women’s basketball team added another piece to the 2025 recruiting puzzle on Friday.

It’s a puzzle for the Illini to bring in their five-player freshman class.

Illinois made it official Friday afternoon that Naomi Benson has signed a Big Ten athletic scholarship deal. Benson, a 6-foot-10 senior forward at Streetsboro High School in Ohio, is the fourth Top 100 prospect in Shauna Green and Co.’s 2025 class.

“He is someone who brings a lot of different things that we love and look for in our system,” Green said in a statement. “Naomi rebounds, runs the floor at an elite level, and brings versatility. This is also true of many of the players we’ve signed: They can play multiple positions and defend multiple positions. Naomi can score inside, she can score outside, she can put the ball on the floor, and she has the ability to rebound.” I love.

“He brings athleticism, he gives him a big jump, and he’s someone I’ve watched since my days back in Dayton, being an Ohio kid. He’s going to add a lot of different things that we don’t have, and I’m very excited about him and his future at Illinois.”

The Illini also signed point guard Whitney Young, Canadian forward Cearah Parchment and IMG Academy forward Manuella Alves-Fernandez. Jackson, Parchment and Alves-Fernandez are among the top 60 players, according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. Unranked Australian wing Erica Finney signed with Illinois on Wednesday, the opening day of the early basketball signing period.

The 2025 class was rated No. 7 overall by ESPN before the Benson announcement. This was the best class for the Illini since Jolette Law was ranked No. 2 nationally in 2009.

Benson, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 98 overall on ESPN’s 2025 board. The Ohio native averaged 16.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game as a junior with the Rockets last winter, while shooting 54 percent from the field. Streetsboro finished with a 23-5 record and reached the regional finals, which made the OHSAA playoffs one step shy of the state tournament.

“I chose the University of Illinois because I fell in love with the university and the family feel when I visited,” Benson said of her decision. “I also love having a lot of talent around me to get better every day.”

Benson’s addition to the 2025 class means Illinois fills the five scholarships it lost after the 2024-25 season with Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic and Brynn Shoup-Hill.

Green made clear earlier this week before Benson’s signing that the Illini could still add two new players. Illinois currently has five freshmen on the roster, suggesting the plan could also bring in a transfer to provide an influx of experience for a young Illini team.