When Illinois freshman Camille Jackson signed her national letter of intent last November, she didn't know she was getting in on the ground floor of a total rebuild of the Illini women's basketball program.

She also made history. Jackson is the first athlete from the Noble School system, a public charter school system serving the city of Chicago, to sign with a Power 5 program in any sport.

With new coach Shauna Green on board and an influx of young talent, there's finally a positive buzz coming from the Illinois program after years of struggle.

Since new Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Theresa Gretz departed at the end of the 2006-07 season, the Illini have posted just three winning seasons. Illinois hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2003, a nineteen-year drought.

Enter Green,, who was hired in March after a successful run at Dayton. Her teams captured five Atlantic 10 regular season championships and had four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson was signed at the time of Green's hiring. She could have opted out after the coaching change, but that was never under serious consideration. She saw change as a good thing.

"I came here knowing that a lot of change would happen," Jackson said. "I was prepared for it. Being part of change was the goal in coming here, whether I'm starting it or being alongside someone who is creating change."

Jackson said Athletic Director Josh Whitman kept her and her family informed during the search for a new coach, and the eventual hiring of Green. She never waivered. Illinois was where she wanted to be.

There's an obvious similarity between Jackson and former men's basketball All-American and Chicago Morgan Park star Ayo Dosunmu.

Like Jackson, Dosunmu bucked the trend and signed with the Illini. His recruitment was a major turning point for the men's program that was in a major funk at the time. Jackson also played for the same AAU program as Dusunmu, the Mac Irvin Fire.

Jackson uses some of the same language as Dosunmu in telling her story.

"I wanted to represent where I'm from," she said. "A lot of good players from Chicago go other places. I wanted to change the narrative to players wanting to go to Illinois."

For Green, retaining Jackson could give her a foundational piece in a reviving the program.

Jackson was a bona-fide blue chipper coming out of relatively unknown Butler College Prep. ESPN ranked her No. 65 in the 2022 class, and a first team All-State selection in each of her last two season.

She racked up 1,402 points, 676 rebounds, 523 assists, 327 steals and 100 blocks across her 102-game prep career. She's a prototypically scoring lead guard who should step in and make an impact right away.

"I like to slash, go to the basket, and try to get a mid-range going on," Green said. "I like to get my teammate involved a lot, and on defense try to be an energy player."

She has had somewhat of a setback. Jackson hasn't yet fully participated in team activities due to an undisclosed upper-body injury. She expects to be released for contact in a couple of weeks.

Jackson should be full-go when the season tips off on November 9 against LIU Brooklyn.

"I've been focusing on getting stronger and getting back from injures and rehab," she said. "I'm looking to get back soon, then see how I fit in with the (style of) play. It's going to be a good fit because its fast and there's a lot of energy."

With an up-tempo style of play and a revamped roster that includes two transfers who followed Green from Dayton, there's a new energy surrounding Illini women's basketball.

"I think it's on a complete turn around to what's been happening in the past years," Jackson said. "With coach Green, even talking to some of the older players who have been here through the coaching change, they see a big difference."