Illinois freshman Anne O’Neil has announced she will transfer to Iowa State to play women’s basketball.

O’Neil, who is leaving Illinois for personal reasons, made a visit to Iowa State earlier in the week and decided she will join the Cyclone roster starting next season. ISU head coach Bill Fennelly couldn’t comment because of NCAA rules.

“I’m very excited about coming to a top quality program,” O’Neil said. “I’m very thankful to Coach Fennelly for giving me a chance to play for that program. I talked with coach and everything fit me very well with the style of play, and I’m very excited to be part of it.”

O’Neil, a 5-11 guard, started 31 games at Illinois last season and averaged 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and also totaled 24 steals on the season.

She knows the Cyclones like to play a fast paced non-selfish style of offense, and that was one of the reasons behind her choosing Iowa State.

“That’s what I was looking for,” O’Neil explained. “A great team that works well together and wants to win. That’s my style, and I can’t wait to be part of it and help as much as I can.

As a prep at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, O’Neil broke the state five-player record for points in a career with 2,494 points. At the time, Iowa State was high on her list but O’Neil chose to attend Illinois.

The fact that O’Neil already thought highly of the Cyclones, and some helpful advisement from her sister Erin, a senior at Iowa State, helped O’Neil make the decision.

“Iowa State was always one of the top choices when I was looking in high school,” she said. “My sister had a vital role in helping me out in the process. She’s my best friend and gave me my first Iowa State T-shirt.”

In high school, O’Neil was a star all four years and then saw plenty of playing time as a frosh at Illinois. Next year, O’Neil will be withheld from competition due to NCAA transfer rules and knows watching will take some getting used too.

“It’ll be tough,” O’Neil said. “In a way, it’ll be a great adjustment to get a different view on the sidelines. I’m going to try to contribute as much energy and enthusiasm from the bench as I can.”