The season is almost officially underway, but recruiting has been shaping up for quite some time. At the end of the early signing period, the Illinois women's basketball team has picked up two fine young athletes.

Head coach Theresa Grentz's reach goes south to Missouri and as far east as New Jersey to find the players of the future.

The women's basketball team will be bringing in 5-foot-10 point guard Megan Nyquist from Lee's Summit, Miss., and 6' 2'' forward Danyel Crutcher from Orange, NJ.

''What separates Danyel and Meg, though, are the intangibles," Grentz said. "They both are leaders, winners, have a strong work ethic and excel in the classroom. I think the fans at Illinois will enjoy them. I expect Illini hospitality."

"They're team players. They're good students with great personalities. They're low maintenance. They love Illinois. They both have Illinois flags hanging in their homes, and they have even taught their friends it's 'Illinois', not 'Illinoiz'."

These girls fit the model of the program that Grentz has been building here at Illinois. They are both described as being dedicated, tenacious and competitive.

Nyquist has averaged 14.9 points and 2.6 assists during her time at Lee's Summit High School. Nyquist is listed as the No. 74 recruit nationally and has been an All-State and All-American performer.

"Megan is a perimeter player who is a fine shooter. She has played point guard on her AAU team that has reached the finals the last couple years," Grentz said.

Crutcher is listed as the No. 98 recruit nationally and has also been All-State for the Lady-Tornados of Orange High School. Crutcher is compared to current Illini star Cindy Dallas in the way she tenaciously rebounds. Going into her senior year she is only five rebounds away from setting the all-time mark at Orange High. She has also drawn comparison to Grentz in her college days. In Crutcher's junior year she averaged 21.2 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.

"Danyel is from the East Coast, my old stomping grounds," Grentz said. "She is a tenacious rebounder who plays full-out all the time. She fits all the parameters we were looking for and expect her to make an impact when she arrives next season."

The signing period is not over and Grentz's expects a few more important signings around Champaign.

At this point in the recruiting season Illinois has the No.17 ranked class. "These two additions to our class will end up being great helps to us, and we will continue recruiting, Grentz said. "We have three more scholarships. We'll probably use two out of three. We're already working on next year."

Chris Neubauer contributed to this report.