How Illinois' Kendall Bostic changed her mindset — and helped turn around the program in 4 record-setting years

Chicago Tribune

05-03-2025

When Purdue guard Sophie Swanson's 3-point attempt bounced around the rim, up to the backboard and out, Illinois forward Kendall Bostic grabbed the basketball and held it for just a few beats longer than usual.
Bostic had been building toward the moment at the State Farm Center for four years. With that third-quarter rebound in a Jan. 27 win over the Boilermakers, Bostic became Illinois' all-time leading rebounder with 1,218.
The buzz she felt from the crowd didn't disappoint.
'You've got the Orange Krush behind me, and they've got signs and whiteboards,' Bostic said. 'Sue, one of our Courtsiders, has number cards that she's throwing around, and then to have that whole arena chanting — they chanted my name for like a minute — that gave me goosebumps.
'That's how you know you left a program better than you found it.'
When the Illini open Big Ten Tournament play Thursday in Indianapolis against the winner of Wednesday's Nebraska-Rutgers game, Bostic will enter the final stretch of a career that coach Shauna Green believes is worthy of putting her No. 44 jersey in the State Farm Center rafters.
The 6-foot-2 forward has become not only Illinois' leader but one of the most prolific rebounders of all time in the Big Ten. In the weeks since she set the school record, Bostic has climbed to 1,321 boards in her four years in Champaign and 1,385 overall during her college career, which includes one season at Michigan State. That ranks third all time in the conference.
Bostic, who was named to the All-Big Ten first team Tuesday, also has made an increasing impact on offense for the Illini. And as one of five seniors, she's a key component to a revived program that should receive its second NCAA Tournament berth in three seasons under Green on Selection Sunday.
'You get a college offer and you commit somewhere to go to college, and you just never think you'll have the impact that you do,' Bostic said. 'I didn't go to college and think I was going to break all these records. I'm an undersized post player. I didn't have that high of goals. I wanted to be a starter, play on a decent team, help change this program around. Those were my goals.'
'Part of who I am'
The rebounds used to add up at Northwestern High School in Kokomo, Ind., simply because Bostic was tall. A lot of her 1,040 rebounds during her all-state career were the 'easy ones,' she said.
Bostic's arrival in college as a 6-2 post player, however, meant the skill had to be approached differently.
When she first got to Illinois after transferring from Michigan State in 2021, the former Illini coaching staff tracked offensive rebounds in practice, offering a prize to whoever emerged the winner at the end of a week.
Bostic, whose mother played basketball at Indiana and whose father played at Division III Manchester (Ind.), became determined to win every week, and that started to carry over into games.
It became, she said, 'part of who I am.'
'It's just part of my game,' she said. 'And there's not a lot of people that do it as hard and work for it as much as I do. I wasn't as big of a scorer early in my career, so that was a way I felt I could stay on the court and get my minutes but also have an impact on the team.'
She has been near her best this season, averaging a Big Ten-high 11.3 rebounds. That ranks eighth in the country.
Bostic said it starts with knowing her shooters and adjusting her positioning accordingly. An Adalia McKenzie pull-up jumper probably will be short if it doesn't go in. Makira Cook's misses probably will be long. Genesis Bryant's misses tend to be short.
'A lot of people are just like, 'Oh, you're a center, you're going to get boards,'' Bostic said. 'But again, I'm not the tallest, so I have to know my shooters. I know who shoots long, who shoots short.
'And then also just finding the open spot on the floor and always moving. I always hate when I have to box someone out and they don't stop moving because it's so hard to box them out. My goal each time I crash is to move and try and find the open space.'
Green said the Illini staff can't take credit for Bostic's rebounding prowess. She believes Bostic simply has a knack for it. She displays the proper mindset and passion for the art. And she has the ability to read shots and angles.
'It's like Dennis Rodman,' Green said. 'He wasn't the biggest, tallest. It's just what he does, and that's kind of like KB. It's just what she does. She's mastered it.
'I'm on her a lot of times about boxing out more from a technique perspective because I think she could even get a few more rebounds if she boxed out more. But she's 6-1 on a good day and she's the leading rebounder in the Big Ten and has a million double-doubles. It's just absolutely amazing what she's done with her size.'
Double-double expectation
Green jokes that after two failures to recruit Bostic, she finally just followed Bostic to Illinois.
Green was the coach at Dayton when she first tried to bring Bostic to her program, knowing it was probably a long shot that Bostic would go to a mid-major. Green tried again to make Bostic a Flyer when she entered the transfer portal after one year at Michigan State, but Bostic went to Illinois under former coach Nancy Fahey.
When Green took the Illini helm in March 2022, she finally got to coach the player who had intrigued her.
In her first few meetings with Bostic, she relayed her vision that Bostic should be a 'double-double kid,' that she should be scoring far more than the 6.7 points she averaged in her first year at Illinois.
'Just kind of changing her mindset and pouring into her to be confident as a scorer,' Green said. 'She was a great rebounder already, but being able to capitalize on those rebounds for put-backs and being able to score with her back to the basket.
'And then obviously her game has expanded each and every year with her range. Now she shoots a 15- to 17-foot jump shot like it's a layup, and she's also hitting 3s.'
Bostic said she worked a lot with assistant coach DeAntoine 'Cat' Beasley to gain that confidence in her outside game, including shooting on the move or with a defender in her face.
Her scoring average has climbed from 10.2 in 2022-23 to 12.1 to a team-leading 15.8 this season. She has 19 double-doubles this season and 53 for her career at Illinois, tying the Illini record set in 2010 by Jenna Smith, who also previously owned the career rebounding record.
Bostic is doing it in a Big Ten-high 35 minutes per game. She credits her strength and conditioning — including long-distance running in the offseason — for allowing her to put in so much time. She also understands how to balance her pace and when to grab a breather within the course of a game.
Bostic's continued growth — along with the play of fellow seniors such as Bryant, a guard and a second-team All-Big Ten selection — has helped Illinois turn around its program under Green after nine straight losing seasons before the coach's arrival.
The Illini appeared in the NCAA Tournament's First Four in 2023, won the inaugural WBIT championship in 2024 and are currently projected by ESPN as a No. 8 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. The veteran Illini finished the regular season with a 21-8 record (11-7 in the conference) and are seeded seventh in the Big Ten Tournament, overcoming season-ending illness and injury to Cook and Gretchen Dolan.
'We've completely turned it around,' Bostic said. 'We've made Illinois a place that recruits want to go, and it's not a place just anybody can go anymore. Our staff is very particular with their recruits.
'And they're a great staff. They have a good culture. They're building something really cool here. And I feel like we've been able to, the last couple years, lay a foundation for the future.'
Home stretch
Bostic is not in cruise mode for the final stretch of her academic studies at Illinois.
As she pursues a master's degree in special education, she student teaches from 7:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then heads to practice, film work and treatment from 3 to 6:30. The school of education records her classes, which run at the same time as practice, so she can virtually attend them later at night.
Green is impressed with how Bostic is able to flip right away into basketball mode after she arrives from teaching. She knows Bostic must be tired and want to crawl into bed at times, but she has stayed locked in.
'I don't know how many kids could really handle her schedule,' Green said. 'And sometimes it pulls her in a lot of directions. She may not be able to get in her normal recovery time before, treatment before, no extra shots before. So she might stay after. She might get up early to do it. But she always gets it in.'
Bostic could see herself playing overseas for a couple of years, should the opportunity present itself, when her time at Illinois is up. But her long-term plan is to work as a teacher or behavior consultant with elementary school children. Her dad tells her she will be a good coach one day, too, a path she can see herself exploring.
But for now, she's focused on extending her record-setting Illinois career for as long as she can.
'Just super loyal and committed, and it's just been absolutely amazing what she's done for this program,' Green said. 'She's one of the best players to ever play in Illinois women's basketball.
'And no doubt in the near future, I believe that she'll have her jersey hanging in the rafters. And that's a pretty bold statement, but that's the impact she's made.'
Big Ten Tournament
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Wednesday's games
(12) Washington vs. (13) Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., Peacock
(10) Nebraska vs. (15) Rutgers, 5 p.m., Peacock
(11) Iowa vs. (14) Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m., Peacock
Thursday's games
(8) Oregon vs. (9) Indiana, 11 a.m., BTN
(5) Michigan vs. Washington/Minnesota, 1:30 p.m., BTN
(7) Illinois vs. Nebraska/Rutgers, 5:30 p.m., BTN
(6) Michigan State vs. Iowa/Wisconsin, 8 p.m. BTN
Friday's quarterfinals
(1) USC vs. Oregon/Indiana, 11 a.m., BTN
(4) Maryland vs. Michigan/Washington/Minnesota, 1:30 p.m., BTN
(2) UCLA vs. Illinois/Nebraska/Rutgers, 5:30 p.m., BTN
(3) Ohio State vs. Michigan State/Iowa/Wisconsin, 8 p.m., BTN
Saturday's semifinals
2 and 4:30 p.m., BTN
Sunday's final
3:30 p.m., CBS-2