CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Peoria native and Iowa transfer Aaliyah Guyton was looking for a team she could trust when she entered the portal following one season at Iowa.

She developed a strong relationship with the Illinois staff during her high school recruitment, which ended up paying off for Shauna Green and the Illini when the former top-60 recruit in the nation went portaling.

“Everything they told me, like they they stand they stand on it, however they feel, and I really admire that,” Guyton said. “I really admire just truthful people, honest people.”

While Green didn’t land the talented guard out of high school, she appreciates what Guyton can bring to the Illini following one season in Iowa City.

“We were loaded in that position when she was making her decision, and I get that it all comes down to relationships at the end of the day, and the need,” Green said. “We needed that, and she was in the portal, so it seemed like a natural fit.”

Guyton looks to earn a key role in an intriguing Illini backcourt featuring key returners like Gretchen Dolan and Jasmine Brown-Hagger, paired with newcomers like five-star freshman and Ms. Basketball Destiny Jackson, who Guyton played a season of AAU hoops with.