Regular Season Wrap Up.. Who Is Leading In The Award Races

Byron Xerxes Livsey February 16, 2026 @ 09:45 PM

<h3 class="wp-block-heading">With the regular season wrapping up, voters for two of the state's most prestigious honors are beginning to narrow their boards and debate who should take home Illinois Ms. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year. While the awards don't have to go to the same player, recent seasons have shown that one name can separate from the pack and sweep both. When it comes to evaluating candidates, stats matter, but consistency is the true separator in my opinion. I'm always open to being wrong, but below are my final three selections for each award.</h3>   [player_tooltip player_id='514035' first='Danyella' last='Mporokoso'] - Danyella has etched her name amongst some of the best high school players in Illinois history, and she has really done a major amount of resume building over the past three years. With Waubonsie having multiple state trips within the last couple of years, she is at the forefront of why that is. She's a dynamic guard who plays with a high motor and a tremendous amount of focus. She has the skill set to be rostered on a high-major program, but her decision to go mid-major, in my opinion, shows that she wants to continue her growth as a focal point player and develop even more.   [player_tooltip player_id='513525' first='Stella' last='Sakalas'] - Nazareth has consistently produced high caliber talent year after year, and Stella can sit at that table. Each year, her role with the team has increased, and she's stepped up in every way. This season, she has put it all together and has simply been one of the most consistent players to play, no matter the competition. Heading to BYU will be challenging, but that's a program that allows its young players to play and develop, and if she can duplicate her growth from high school to college, she'll be up for some of those prestigious awards in no time.   [player_tooltip player_id='514944' first='Trinity' last='Jones'] - It will be a long time before we see an athlete and prospect like Trinity. From an athleticism standpoint, she is certainly the best athlete on whatever court she's playing on, and from a skill standpoint, she has grown and stretched her game beyond a rim attacker. Defensively, she shows all the signs of being able to guard 1–4, and her no fear attitude will help her with 5s at the next level. In three years of high school play, from an individual standpoint, she has been one of the best, and if numbers mattered, she would've had her name next to more records without the injury. Nevertheless, she might be the last 5 star prospect out of Illinois for a while.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li></li> </ol>   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Illinois Ms. Basketball </h1>   1. [player_tooltip player_id='514035' first='Danyella' last='Mporokoso']   <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li></li> </ol>   2. [player_tooltip player_id='514944' first='Trinity' last='Jones']   3. [player_tooltip player_id='513525' first='Stella' last='Sakalas']   <h1 class="wp-block-heading">Gatorade Player of The Year</h1>   1. [player_tooltip player_id='513525' first='Stella' last='Sakalas']   2. [player_tooltip player_id='514035' first='Danyella' last='Mporokoso']   3. [player_tooltip player_id='514944' first='Trinity' last='Jones']