Illinois women’s basketball center Lety Vasconcelos is out for the season after tearing her ACL in summer workouts, as announced on Wednesday. The 6-foot-7 transfer from Baylor was set to fill the center role left by Camille Hobby, who graduated last season.
Ranked No. 36 in the 2023 class by ESPN HoopGurlz, Vasconcelos was also a nominee for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game and has represented Brazil on its national team three times. She appeared in 17 games for Baylor last season, averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman, and finished high school at Montverde Academy, where she won consecutive GEICO High School National Championships alongside Illini guard Cori Allen.
Illinois head coach Shauna Green expressed disappointment over Vasconcelos’ injury, calling her a “hard worker” and noting that her progress over the summer was promising. With Vasconcelos out, Green will look to Kendall Bostic and Brynn Shoup-Hill to fill the center position. Bostic, who played center for most of her career at Illinois until last season, is known for her rebounding skills and ability to score near the basket. She’ll return to playing center, while Shoup-Hill will rotate between the four and five positions, along with support from Shay Bollin and five-star freshman Berry Wallace.
In a statement, Vasconcelos shared her disappointment but expressed commitment to recovery and optimism about the team’s success this season. Illinois may also see increased minutes for freshman Hayven Smith, a 6-foot-6 center, who could take on a bigger role.
The Illini kick off their season with an exhibition game against Lewis University on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by the season opener against Florida State on November 7.
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