NORMAL — It’s not unusual for a basketball coach to begin a season with a substitution rotation of 10 or 11 players to see how roles develop before trimming to eight or nine players used on a regular basis later on.
Illinois State women’s basketball coach Kristen Gillespie has employed a 10-player rotation while assembling a 5-1 record and does not anticipate changing as the Redbirds prepare to face Chicago State in a 6:30 nonconference game Thursday at CEFCU Arena.
“I like that our freshmen are continuing to develop. They give us something different,” said Gillespie, who has four freshmen among her first five off the bench.