PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Women's Basketball announced the signing of three new Braves for the 2024-25 season on Wednesday. Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss, the program and the Bradley fan base are proud to welcome these three young athletes to the Hilltop.
ELLIE McDERMID | 6'2" FORWARD | GREEN BAY, WI | BAY PORT HIGH SCHOOL
McDermid hails from Bay Port High School, where thus far, she has notched career totals of 732 points, 136 blocks, 589 rebounds, as well as snagging 86 steals and dishing out 97 assists. At Bay Port, McDermid's blocking was what stood above the rest. She broke the school blocking record for career and single season record with 63 blocks, and hasn't even begun her senior year yet. McDermid was named second-team all-conference in 2021-22, and earned 2022-23 first-team all-conference and all-defensive team honors. Her 9.4 rebounds per game led the league in her junior campaign. McDermid played AAU basketball for the Wisconsin Purple Aces, notching an undefeated record in the 2023 summer season. McDermid plans to study Nursing.
Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss on McDermid:
"We are so excited to welcome Ellie to the Bradley family. Ellie has great length, a high motor, and changes the game defensively. She's versatile and can guard multiple positions, and I'm excited to watch her thrive within our defensive system. On the offensive side of the ball, she is comfortable playing inside and out, and is continuing to grow in her skill set. Most importantly, Ellie played for a championship level AAU program, going undefeated in her final summer of competition. I think she's just scratching the surface of her potential, and we can't wait to have the opportunity to coach her for four years."
LILA POSTHUMA | 6'2" FORWARD | PRESCOTT, WI | PRESCOTT HIGH SCHOOL
Posthuma is a forward from Prescott, WI. Across her career, she has led Prescott High School to a record of 54-20 and 814 career points. Posthuma has recorded single-game highs of 34 points, 10 assists, 18 rebounds, five blocks, and six steals. Posthuma helped lead her squad to conference championships in her freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons respectively. A first-team all-conference selection as both a sophomore and junior, she was also an All-State honorable mention selection her junior season. Posthuma played AAU for the Minnesota Suns Select 40.
Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss on Posthuma:
"Lila is a unique player, who possesses a high basketball IQ and versatility on both sides of the ball. She has great length and a sneaky ability to stuff the stat sheet. She has great vision, knows how to play without the basketball, and can stretch the defense. As she develops, she will be able to play multiple positions for us. She will be a great wing/small forward, allowing us to continue to be more versatile defensively and in transition offensively."
INIA JONES | 5'8" GUARD | OMAHA, NE | OMAHA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
Jones, a point guard from Omaha, will join the roster as the only Nebraska native. Jones has had a prestigious high school career at Omaha Central, leading her squad to a three year record of 63-18. Jones boasts strong career totals of 1,044 points, 117 offensive rebounds and 253 defensive rebounds. Additionally, she has notched 352 assists and 184 steals. Jones holds the school single game scoring record at 43 points and has collected eight double-doubles in her three seasons for Omaha Central. Jones has been named to both the All-Conference rosters and All-State rosters in each of her three high school seasons. She wrapped up her AAU career with Nebraska Hoops Elite. Jones plans to study Sports Communication.
Head Coach
Kate Popovec-Goss on Jones:
"Inia is a tremendous addition for us. We were looking to add depth to our point guard position, and we feel like we added a great competitor in Inia. She is a hoop junkie who adds an immediate scoring punch, but she also loves to facilitate and play in transition. She's strong, tough, and will be a great floor general for us. She loves the moment and always plays with a chip on her shoulder. Inia embraces the role of leadership that comes with being a point guard, and her confidence and grit will impact our program even more than her skill set."
Coach Popovec-Goss can't wait to see what these three bring to the Hilltop.
"We are really excited about our future class of 2028. In this class, we've added athleticism, length and versatility. All of these players have unique skill sets that fit within the system we are building here at Bradley, while collectively increasing our pace and ability to play uptempo. Most importantly, each of these student-athletes fell in love with Bradley as an institution, and all will enhance our culture in the locker room, on the court, and in the Peoria community. I'm proud of this class and believe that our future continues to brighten!" Popovec-Goss said.
