Illini Trio Named to WBIT All-Tournament Team, Cook Earns Most Outstanding Player Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – Fighting Illini women’s basketball’s Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, and Makira Cook were all named to the WBIT’s all-tournament team, while Cook was also voted the Most Outstanding Player of the competition. The trio helped guide the Illini to their first postseason title in program history with a win over Villanova on Wednesday.

Bostic, Bryant, and Cook became the first Illini to earn a spot on a postseason all-tournament team since Jenna Smith was named to the Big Ten all-tournament team during the 2008-09 season. Cook is the first Illinois player to be named the Most Outstanding Player of a postseason competition in program history. The Illini trio also were the first players in program history to earn any type of non-conference post-competition recognition.

Makira Cook averaged 21 points and 4.6 assists during the Illini’s five WBIT games. After scoring a team-high 20 points and dishing out five assists in Illinois’ 81-58 win over Washington State in the semifinals on Monday, Cook followed it up by totaling 27 points, five assists, two rebounds, one block, and one steal against Villanova on Wednesday. A 2023-24 All-Big Ten second-team selection, Cook finished the campaign with 16.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game across her 31 appearances.

Kendall Bostic secured a place on the all-tournament after securing a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in the championship against Villanova on Wednesday. Posting seven points, nine rebounds, and four assists against Washington State on Monday, Bostic finished her season by recording a double-double in nine of her final 11 games, including three WBIT contests. 

Genesis Bryant joined the Illinois contingent on the all-tournament team after scoring in double figures in both of the team’s games in Indianapolis and in four of the Illini’s five WBIT contests. Bryant collected 18 points, two rebounds, and one assist against Washington State in the semifinals on Monday, while she accumulated 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists against Villanova on Wednesday in the championship game.