Women’s basketball adds 3 new recruits

By Zachary Bertram, Senior Sports Reporter

November 13, 2023

2022 redshirt senior guard Paulina Castro gives coach Lisa Carlsen a high five as the rest of the women’s basketball team heads toward the sideline after its game against Bowling Green on Feb. 2, 2022. (Summer Fitzgerald | Northern Star File Photo)

DeKALB – NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen announced three signings for the 2024-25 season Friday.

The Huskies signed Makenzie Brass, Lexi Carlsen (Lisa Carlsen’s daughter) and Julia “Bubba” Sollberger to National Letters of Intent to play for NIU.

“All three of these young players are great teammates, play with a true passion for the game and want to get better each day,” Lisa Carlsen said via NIU Athletics. “I love their intangibles and how they fit our culture. That’s what excites me the most about the careers they will have as Huskies.”

Brass is a senior guard at Minooka High School and averaged 13.2 points and 8 rebounds per game in her junior year. Brass was a First Team All-Southwest Prairie Conference member for the third straight year after her junior year.

“Makenzie is a player who plays with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm,” Lisa Carlsen said. “As a multi-sport athlete, she is well-rounded and loves to compete. Her best basketball is ahead of her and I know she’s anxious to get to work and focus solely on basketball.”

Lexi Carlsen has averaged 10 points and 3 assists per game through her first three years at Sycamore High School, leading the Spartans to three straight conference championships. Carlsen has also made First Team All Conference and won Interstate 8 Player of the Year.

“Lexi is coming to us from an AAU program that knows nothing but run and shoot,” Lisa Carlsen said. “She will fit in well with what we are trying to do and who we want to be offensively. Her basketball IQ is her biggest asset and will allow her to really grow in a hurry at the collegiate level.”

Sollberger is a senior guard at Dunlap High School and led the Eagles to the IHSA Class 3A regional championship game as a junior. Sollberger averaged 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3 assists per game last season while making First Team All-Mid-Illini.

“Julia is a skilled point guard who is really good at getting to the rim, has a high IQ and is a great competitor and independent worker,” Lisa Carlsen said. “She will get the opportunity to learn from some seasoned veterans in the backcourt which will help her understand what it takes to compete at a high level in the Mid-American Conference.”