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Sports Editor Matt Daniels with a look at what’s going on around the area:
The Illinois women’s basketball program is having success on and off the court.
Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
Three reasons we love sports today
➜ 1. The Illinois women’s basketball program posted the highest GPA among Big Ten programs during the 2025-26 school year, the third straight year the Illini have achieved that.
➜ 2. Shauna Green’s Illini compiled a 3.624 combined GPA. That distinction earned Illinois special mention honors in the 2025-26 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association academic Top 25 team honor roll, the WBCA announced.
➜ 3. Illinois football coach Bret Bielema and Illini offensive lineman Brandon Henderson are among the 175 nominees for the 2026 Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works team, an honor for those who make a difference in community service, academic achievement and leadership.
Illinois quarterback Katin Houser looks for a wide receiver while on the move during a spring practice. Houser, an East Carolina transfer, is expected to replace Luke Altmyer as the Illini quarterback for the 2026 season.
Illinois athletics
Numbers game: 6,438
career passing yards Illinois quarterback Katin Houser has in his college career. None at Illinois, however, after he spent two seasons at Michigan State and two seasons at East Carolina. Houser will get the chance to represent the Illini, though, next week as one of 12 Big Ten quarterback who will attend the conference’s media days. Illinois is slated to participate in the three-day event next Tuesday in Chicago.
From left, Champaign Central football players Jack Pulsfort, Talin Baker and Ben McDaniel will kick off the 2026 season against Danville at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Tommy Stewart Field in Champaign.
Crowd control
Three events I’m paying attention to
➜ 1. Danville at Champaign Central football. The IHSA officially released high school football schedules on Wednesday, and these two nearby Big 12 Conference teams will meet at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 in their season opener at Tommy Stewart Field in Champaign.
➜ 2. Morton at Mahomet-Seymour football. The two nonconference foes have made it a recent tradition to kick off the season against each other. They’ll do so again at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Frank Dutton Field in Mahomet.
➜ 3. Prairie Central at St. Joseph-Ogden football. The two Illini Prairie Conference teams open the season at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at Dick Duval Field in St. Joseph.
Oakwood senior Kyler Johnson is a two-sport athlete for the Comets.
Robin Scholz/The N-G
Ask an athlete
Three questions with Oakwood senior Kyler Johnson, who competes in football and track and field for the Comets:
➜ 1. Three athletes I’d like to have dinner with are … Naz Reid, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.
➜ 2. The TV show I most like to binge-watch is … “Regular Show.”
➜ 3. My biggest pet peeve is … when people talk while others are talking.
Matt Daniels is sports editor at The News-Gazette. His email is mdaniels@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@mdaniels_NG).
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