The top two freshmen in ESPN’s final 2025 high school girls’ basketball recruiting rankings will spend next winter in the Big Ten. That both ended up in Los Angeles at Southern Cal and UCLA could make for another season where the Trojans and Bruins are the teams to beat in the 18-team league. But other Big Ten teams improved their rosters, with talented freshmen set to flood the conference. With that in mind, Illini women’s basketball beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Joe Vozzelli ranks his top 10 incoming Big Ten freshmen:
1. Jazzy Davidson
6-foot-1 guard
Southern Cal
Some debate has happened about who the No. 1 player is in the 2025 class. But Davidson had the nod in espnW’s final tabulation, surpassing Monterey (Texas) point guard Aaliyah Chavez, who’s headed to Oklahoma, while 247Sports had Davidson, a Clackamas, Oregon, native, as the nation’s No. 3 player and On3 had her at No. 2 in its composite. Davidson’s strong showings in the McDonald’s All-American game and Nike Hoop Summit displayed her playmaking ability as a lead guard and potential to take over games as a scorer.
2. Sienna Betts
6-foot-4 forward
UCLA
That last name might sound familiar in Big Ten circles. Yes, Betts is the younger sister of First Team All-American center Lauren Betts, who helped lead the Bruins to their first Final Four this past season. The younger Betts isn’t as tall as her now-senior sister (6-7), but Sienna might have a more diverse game with a consistent three-point shot to go with her rim-protecting skills. She averaged 23.0 points, 16.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.4 blocks and 2.3 steals as a senior at Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo.
3. Brynn McGaughy
6-foot-2 forward
Washington
The Huskies have seasoned guard play with Elle Ladine and Sayvia Sellers both returning after Washington rebounded this past winter for a 19-14 season that included a First Four loss in the NCAA tournament. That coach Tina Langley opted to strengthen the Huskies’ frontcourt made a lot of sense then, and Washington did so with the McGaughy signing. The native of Spokane, Wash., should pair well with what the Huskies already have with physical and finesse elements to her game that she honed at Central Valley High School.
4. Destiny Jackson
5-foot-6 guard
Illinois
Shauna Green has changed so much about Illinois. For the better. The Illini coach made clear upon her arrival in 2022 that she wanted to fix the exodus of the state’s top talent leaving its borders. Landing Jackson out of tradition-rich Whitney Young was the recruiting win Illinois hadn’t enjoyed in too long. The News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year arrives in C-U after she averaged 21.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals this past season with the Dolphins.
5. Addie Deal
6-foot guard
Iowa
The Ladera Ranch, Calif., native fills a clear need for second-year coach Jan Jensen as a top scoring guard. That became important with All-Big Ten First-Team selection Lucy Olsen exhausting her eligibility. Even more so after Aaliyah Guyton transferred to Illinois. Deal could be the next big thing in Iowa City, as a legitimate three-level scorer who can attack the rim, thrive in the midrange and hit the three-pointer. Iowa is counting on the McDonald’s All-American from Mater Dei High School to make an immediate impact.
6. Rainey Welson
5-foot-9 guard
Maryland
Brenda Frese is adding a consensus Top 35 freshman to what has been a near-constant bolstering of her roster through the transfer portal. The longtime Terrapins coach rarely misses on her transfer evaluations. But Frese has also been successful at developing high school recruits during their time in College Park. Welson could be the latest one, although the Wisconsin Ms. Basketball finalist will be coming off an MCL sprain in her knee that ended her senior year prematurely in late February.
7. Maya Makalusky
6-foot-3 wing
Indiana
Teri Moren kept Makalusky at home, with the Fishers, Ind., native opting to play college basketball just down the road in Bloomington. Perhaps that move seemed like a forgone conclusion given Makalusky idolized former Hoosiers guard Sydney Parrish growing up. Parrish, also a Hamilton Southeastern alumna, finished up her time at Indiana during the 2024-25 season. Makalusky can not only play multiple positions but had a 48/40/80 shooting slash during her high school career and won the state’s Miss Basketball honor.
8. Jordan Ode
5-foot-11 guard
Michigan State
Robyn Fralick continued to tap into her Midwest roots with her newest class. The headliner of the Spartans’ freshman trio is Ode. The Maple Grove, Minn., product acquired a broader set of skills in the high school ranks, starting out as a heavy slasher to the basket before turning into more of a perimeter threat who can also create her shot off the bounce. This for a Michigan State program that has now been to back-to-back NCAA tournaments in each of Fralick’s first two seasons in East Lansing.
9. McKenzie Mathurin
5-foot-10 guard
Michigan
The Big Ten’s move in recent years toward physical, athletic wing players fits right in with coach Kim Barnes-Arico’s efforts on the recruiting trail. Mathurin is that type of wing player who can play at both shooting guard and small forward and has a scorer’s mentality after producing 22.7 points per game her senior season at Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma. Mathurin can also rebound at a consistent level from the guard spot. On top of her scoring prowess she has displayed, Mathurin pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game last winter.
10. CeCe Parchment
6-foot-2 forward
Illinois
Parchment, who has been on the UI campus since January, has been a steady riser on the recruiting rankings, with the four-star Canadian now considered a Top 40 recruit nationally. Parchment could start right away, but will have plenty of competition from junior center Lety Vasconcelos, freshman forward Manuella Alves-Fernandez, sophomore forward Berry Wallace and sophomore center Hayven Smith as part of a relatively inexperienced group replacing Kendall Bostic and Brynn Shoup-Hill.