Now healthy, Illini wing Gretchen Dolan set for prominent role
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a promising start to the 2024–25 season that was cut short by a leg injury, Illinois guard Gretchen Dolan is poised to make a significant return. With her rehab nearing completion, the 5-foot-11 junior looks ready to step into a leading role on a retooled Illini women’s basketball roster under head coach Shauna Green.
Dolan averaged 10.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across eight games last season before suffering a season-ending injury in December. Her sharp shooting, including a 35.5% mark from three-point range, made her one of the team’s early breakout performers. Now, she’s healthy, confident, and embracing her evolution into a veteran leader.
“I’m feeling good,” Dolan said Wednesday following practice. “It’s still a process trying to get fully back out there. So, just working every day with the coaches, athletic training staff, and doctors—just focusing on getting a little bit better each day to get back where I was.”
The Buffalo, New York native began her Illini career as an unranked freshman, despite averaging 38.4 points per game as a high school senior at Williamsville South. She averaged 4.8 points and 17.5 minutes per game in her first collegiate season and showed clear growth heading into her sophomore campaign.
Now, with key veterans Makira Cook, Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, and Adalia McKenzie having moved on, Dolan finds herself as one of the most experienced players on the roster.
“I think just being more vocal overall is an area that we’re all trying to improve on,” Dolan said. “We’re really prioritizing spending more time with each other, getting to know each other this summer so that transitions onto the court.”
Coach Green echoed those sentiments and praised Dolan’s development as a leader.
“They’ve done a really good job,” Green said of Dolan and fellow returners Jasmine Brown-Hager and Berry Wallace. “I can see their leadership evolving even in that short time where they’re starting to find their voice.”
Green emphasized the importance of maintaining Dolan’s long-term health as the season approaches, noting a cautious but optimistic approach following last year’s injury-plagued campaign.
“She’s going to have a huge role, and you guys saw what she’s capable of doing,” Green said. “She’s been practicing great this summer. She looks really, really good, but we’re also being cautious with all of our people coming back from injuries.”
With less than four months remaining before the season opener, Dolan appears on schedule to be at full strength when the Illini tip off in November. If she continues on her current trajectory, she could become the next star for a program looking to take the next step in the Big Ten.
