CHICAGO – On Wednesday morning, the Missouri Valley Conference announced its 2026-27 Women's Basketball Players to Watch list. Four members of the UIC women's basketball team were selected, with Nevaeh Foster, TuTu Clayton, Julia Coleman, and Salma Khedr receiving the honors. 

"We are so excited to be around the corner from opening day," said head coach Ashleen Bracey. "TuTu Clayton and Julia Coleman have both had great off seasons and are poised for a really strong season building off their experience, leadership, and expanding their game. We are very excited to add Neveah Foster and Salma Khedr to the team. Both are physical wings that are committed to both ends of the floor. These ladies are all great teammates and incredible ambassadors for UIC." 

Coleman, who was named to the 2025-26 All-MVC third team, all-defensive team, and all-newcomer team, enters her redshirt junior year looking to pick up where she left off. Coleman ended last season ranking eighth in the MVC in scoring (16.1 PPG) and rebounding (7.4 RPG).

Clayton returns to the Flames for her junior season after starting in all 32 games in 2025-26. She is coming off her sophomore season, in which she ranked second on the team in assists (3.0) and third in three-point percentage (29.6%), while averaging 8.7 points and 2.6 rebounds. 

Khedr comes to the Flames after two seasons with Western Kentucky (2024-26). During her time with the Hilltoppers, Khedr started in 16 of 53 appearances. Khedr is coming off her best season, during which she was named a 2025-26 All-Conference USA Honorable Mention after averaging 10.4 points and 3.2 rebounds while recording 43 assists and 24 blocks. 

Foster joins the Flames following one season at Western Kentucky (2023-24) and two seasons at IU Indy (2024-26). In her two seasons with the Jaguars, Foster started in 60 of 61 appearances. She is entering her senior campaign coming off her collegiate best season in 2025-26, averaging 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.  

UP NEXT
The Flames will begin the 2026-27 season on the road against the Big 10's Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, Nov. 2 at the Schottenstein Center. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. CT. 

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For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_WBB and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_wbb and @uicflames).