CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Jasmine Brown-Hagger didn’t mince words when asked about her start to the game which now rules her life.

“When I first started I sucked,” Brown-Hagger said with a laugh.

Clearly, things have shifted. In the 2024-25 season, Brown-Hagger averaged 26 minutes per game for the Illini as a sophomore after starting her collegiate career at Mississippi State.

However, before she was competing at DI women’s basketball’s highest level, she had to find a way on the floor at a young age.

“The only thing I could rely on was my defense,” she said.

The Shorewood, Ill. native didn’t have the best jump shot or ball-handling skills as a child.

Reflecting on her early approach to basketball, she remarked, “[On defense] I don’t have to dribble, I don’t have to shoot, I don’t have to do anything. Just get the ball and pass it to somebody.”

She loved basketball. She wanted to play basketball. She needed to earn playing time and did so, almost exclusively, with defense.

In 2025, her offensive skillset has come a long ways. Brown-Hagger averaged 8.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists assists for Illinois in 2024-25.

However, her defensive roots haven’t gone away.

“I kind of stuck with that,” she said. “If you have a bad offensive game you can rely on something that is in your control – just guarding the ball.”

Now, as an emerging junior, she has developed a skillset that offers Illinois head coach Shauna Green compelling reasons to play her extensively, not just for her defensive play.

“The last two weeks have been the best of her career here at Illinois,” Green said on Thursday, Aug. 7.

However, it’s still a priority for the 5-foot-9 guard.

“Competing here is at an even higher level,” Brown-Hagger noted. “You face high-caliber players, and it’s also a matter of pride and ego, whatever you want to call it. I just take pride in it.”

With the graduation of Adalia McKenzie, known for her defensive prowess over the years, Green and her staff are optimistic that Brown-Hagger will step up to consistently defend the top player on opposing teams.

“Her capability to keep opponents in check and her ability to set the tone for us has been crucial,” said Green. “She’s going to be that reliable player I can trust. She is aware of the responsibility I have placed on her, and she has truly embraced that challenge.”

“She’s very quick, she’s very intense,” Illinois sophomore center Hayven Smith said. “I feel like when I’m on the court with her she’s very poised and I feel a lot more calm in myself and my abilities. She has a great way of communicating, getting her point across effectively.”

Green says Brown-Hagger’s great defense as a sophomore came despite battling a leg injury late in the year.

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