Chambana Sun

Genesis Bryant, a former player for the Fighting Illini women's basketball team, has been chosen to participate in the 2025 BTN Experience. The event is set to take place from June 23-26 at the Big Ten Network Studios in Chicago. The Jonesboro, Georgia native is one of 16 former Big Ten student-athletes selected for this seminar.

The BTN Experience is organized by the Big Ten Network and targets former Big Ten student-athletes who wish to pursue careers in sports media as studio analysts, game commentators, or social media personalities. During the seminar, participants will receive guidance and feedback from network executives, producers, and talent. They will also gain practical experience in various aspects of sports broadcasting and content creation.

Bryant has accumulated significant experience in broadcasting during her last two seasons as a student-athlete. She served as a color analyst for Illinois men's basketball games on B1G+, worked play-by-play and sideline roles for wheelchair basketball and softball, acted as a social media correspondent at the B1G Women's Basketball Media Days, and hosted the 2025 Oskees banquet.

Academically accomplished, Bryant will receive her master's degree in management from Illinois' Gies College of Business in August 2025. She completed her undergraduate degree in communication from Illinois in May 2024. Recognized by College Sports Communicators (CSC), she was an Academic All-District selection in both 2024 and 2025.

During her tenure with Illinois, Bryant was a four-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection across coaches and media polls. She made notable achievements such as being named to the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard Watch List for 2024-25 and being part of the WBIT All-Tournament Team for 2023-24.

Over three seasons with Illinois, Bryant scored 1,430 points with additional contributions of assists, rebounds, and steals across nearly a hundred games. In December 2022, she recorded one of only three triple-doubles in program history.

In the most recent season of play (2024-25), Bryant led the Big Ten conference with a free throw percentage that also ranked highly nationally. Her performance established new records within Illinois' basketball program's history books.

Additionally noteworthy are Bryant's accomplishments contributing to team successes including helping secure their first-ever postseason championship with the WBIT title in 2024 alongside NCAA Tournament bids.

Participants selected alongside Genesis Bryant include athletes from varied disciplines representing universities such as Wisconsin's Dara Andringa (Soccer) and Notre Dame's Solag Bakich (Ice Hockey), among others spanning multiple sports categories like football, gymnastics, rowing etc., all converging under this year's BTN Experience initiative.