Berry Wallace has given Illinois women’s basketball exactly the kind of buzz the program wants, and now she’s starting to get it on the national draft radar, too.
Women’s Hoops Masterclass has Wallace pegged as a top-25 prospect for the 2028 WNBA Draft, slotting the Illinois forward at No. 25 overall. That comes with plenty of runway still ahead of her, since she has two years of eligibility left and time to keep climbing before draft night.
Wallace’s rise has been fast. The Pickerington, Ohio, native was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection after a strong 2025-26 season, and she quickly established herself as one of Illinois’ primary scoring weapons. At 6-foot-1, she led the team with 18.4 points per game while logging 35.7 minutes a night, and she paired that volume with efficiency, shooting 47.2% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc.
What makes Wallace such a difficult matchup is the full toolkit she brings. She can score at all three levels, which makes her a constant problem for defenders, and she has the kind of size and quickness that lets her handle multiple roles on the floor. The source material describes her as a Swiss Army Knife, and that fits the profile: wing speed, post size, and the ability to guard a wide range of positions.
She already showed the kind of production that gets attention beyond the Big Ten. In Illinois’ home opener, Wallace posted her first career double-double with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
The bigger picture for Illinois is even more intriguing. With a talented roster around her this season, Wallace should have more space to work with, and the Illini have enough scoring around her to make life easier on one of their most dangerous players. If her leap from year one to year two is any sign, her stock may not stay at No. 25 for long.
In Other News...
Illinois Fans Got Some Surprising NFL Cutdown News This Week
Roster cutdown week always has a way of turning college fan bases into overnight NFL followers, and Illinois was no exception. A handful of Fighting Illini alumni were caught up in the leagues preseason roster moves ahead of the 2026 season, with some names waived, others surviving the final trim, and a few still waiting to see where they land next.
The biggest note for Illinois fans was rookie James Thompson Jr. making the San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster, a significant early milestone for a player just starting his pro career. TeRah Edwards also stayed in the mix after going from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Carolina Panthers, while some waived players, including Luke Altmyer, are expected to be on practice squad watch if they clear the wire. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Got Another Reminder Its NFL Pipeline Is Real
Roster cut-down day always has a way of showing which college programs really keep feeding the league, and Illinois got another clear sign of that this week. By the time NFL teams settled their Week 1 rosters for the 2026 season, 22 former Illini were on active 53-man rosters, a reminder that the programs pipeline is no longer just a talking point but a steady source of pro talent.
The list of movers also included a few notable developments for former Illinois players. James Thompson Jr. earned a spot on the San Francisco 49ers active roster, while TeRah Edwards was traded to the Carolina Panthers as teams sorted out their final decisions. As usual on cut-down day, not every update was a good one, with several former Illini waived or placed on injury lists while clubs trimmed to their opening-day group. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Need This Young Receiver Sooner Than Expected
Brayden Trimbles path at Illinois has already been a little different than most second-year receivers. After a developmental freshman season that was slowed by injury, the sophomore has put together a strong offseason and started to look like the kind of versatile option the Illini have been looking for at wideout, someone who can separate quickly and bring a useful blend of size, speed and skill.
What makes Trimble especially interesting now is that his timeline may be moving up faster than expected. Illinois is dealing with injuries to other receivers, and that has opened the door for him to become part of the conversation much sooner than the 2026 projection once suggested. If the progress he has shown carries into the season, Trimble could end up being one of the more important young players on the roster. [Read more 🡒]