East Peoria, IL - The temperatures turn cold, basketball awaits. For the Illinois Central College Women's Basketball team, it's a season of great anticipation in 2024-2025. With Head Coach Karrie Redeker back for her 12th season, she brings in a talented group of 10 newcomers (nine freshmen, one junior college transfer) and a core group of three returning sophomores to create quite the positive vibes to this point of the preseason. The Cougars will open the program's 56th season on Saturday in Ramsey Gym at 1PM by hosting the Sauk Valley Skyhawks for Alumni Day. 

After last year's (18-3) roller coaster-like season where the Cougars saw the earlier postseason exit in program history (losing in the Region 24 Quarterfinal), the 2024-25 roster is stocked with talent that has the coaching staff brimming with excitement.

"We have a great combination of talent, hunger, and chemistry," Coach Redeker said, adding that despite the lengthy list of newcomers, that it "can't be used as an excuse at the junior college level". 

WHO'S BACK?
Three returning sophomores to the program look to lead the way, with 23-24 All-Region picks Savannah Orgeron and Cora DeSutter flanked by Addi Swadinsky. 

Orgeron was the team's leading scorer at 13.2 points per game, and has had 24 10-point games to this point of her ICC career. Her 34 points last year against Morton College broke the single-game record during the Redeker Era. 

DeSutter turned in 10.3 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game, with a 49% field goal percentage. Listed primarily as a forward, DeSutter can also shoot it from long-range, with her 17-42 three-pointer mark good for 40%. Her stat lines were balanced, turning in three double-doubles last season. 

Swadinsky was a mainstay to the 23-24 starting lineup, and averaged 6.6 points and 2.8 assists per game, and was often relied upon against the player of the most concern from the opposition. 

A PERFECT 10... ABOUT THE NEWCOMERS
The Cougars bring in 10 new players this year - nine freshman, and one junior college transfer. The latter is Gracie Heckert, formerly hailing from Region 24 foe Parkland and a graduate of Beecher City High School. After sitting out the 23-24 season for injury, Heckert is back to full strength and looks to power the scoring column, having averaged 21 points per game as a senior in high school. 

The freshmen are nine in total, with six coming from Peoria-area high schools. Kamryn Heider (Richwoods), Emily Dana (Peoria Heights), Kaitlin White (Fieldcrest), Khalise Thomas (Richwoods), Addy Engel (Morton), and Lily Luczkowiak (Illini Bluffs) make up the local group. Lauren Maas and Larissa Taylor were prep teammates for Elite 8 Highland, plus Madison Jobe ventures over from Purdue Polytechnic in Indianapolis, who's coached by ICC Women's Basketball alumnus Latrice McMichel. 

Luczkowiak, Taylor, Heider, Dana, and White all scored over 1,000 points in their prep careers. 

"On paper, these freshmen have the potential to be a really special group," Coach Redeker said. 

WHAT'S ON THE PLATE? ABOUT THE SCHEDULE
The ICC Women's Basketball program has traditionally never backed down from a tough schedule, and 2024-25 is no different. The Cougars will open up with three ranked opponents within their first five games (#25 Des Moines Area, #1 Kirkwood, #8 Pima), and duel with the always-ferocious Region 24 schedule, which features three ranked teams (#7 Lake Land, #9 Lincoln Land, #14 Parkland). 

One of the NJCAA's fiercest and longest-standing rivalries, the Cougars will tangle with #1 Kirkwood for the 106th all-time meeting on Saturday, November 9th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (8PM tipoff) as part of the two-day Kirkwood Classic, where the Cougars will face #25 Des Moines Area the afternoon prior. 

The Cougars will make their annual big out-of-state trip to Aztec country (Tucson, Arizona), where they will  play the Chandler-Gilbert Coyotes and the hosts and eighth-ranked Pima Aztecs as part of the Pima Classic in mid-November. 

ICC also hosts its annual Holiday Tournament December 28th, 29th, and 30th, which is widely considered one of the highest-quality junior college tournaments in the nation around the Christmas break, with programs such as #1 Kirkwood and #15 Palm Beach State coming to Ramsey Gym to test where their programs are at. 

The Kaskaskia Blue Devils join the fold in Region 24 this year, outside of the usual tough field of teams. The Centralia, Illinois-based college looks to add to one of the deepest, most consistently-great regions in the nation that makes it a fight night in and night out. 

REFLECTIONS... AHEAD OF THE SEASON OPENER
Coach Redeker acknowledges that there are plenty of positives with this group, but to also take it day-by-day, as the program's slogan this year is "Win The Day", talking about winning the day in front of you, whether that's the on-the-court result, or varying items off the court. 

Redeker says that "we have the kind of kids who will make every effort to 'win the day' and we are looking forward to making this journey together". 

2024-2025 ROSTER
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2024-2025 SCHEDULE
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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2024 Alumni Day
vs. D1 Sauk Valley Skyhawks (0-0)
Saturday, November 2nd - 1PM
Watch Live (YouTube)
Listen Live (Mixlr)