Illinois women’s basketball signs pair of guards for recruiting class of 2023
Illinois women’s head coach Shauna Green watches the team from the sidelines during the second half of the game against LIU on Wednesday.
November 10, 2022
Since being hired in March of 2022, head coach Shauna Green has not hesitated to leave her mark on the team. After bringing in three new assistant coaches and four transfers in the offseason, it would’ve been unreasonable to expect Green to not be busy on her first National Signing Day with Illinois.
The newcomers are guards Cori Allen of Montverde Academy and Gretchen Dolan of Williamsville South High School. The pair stand at 5 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 11 inches respectively, which is something that Green values very highly due to her current roster being slightly undersized.
“We needed some size,” Green said. “We needed some size on the perimeter in that wing and guard position. We’re just pretty small across the board, in terms of our guards, so that was something that was really critical to us.”
On top of their height, Green is very confident in the pair’s offensive capabilities. As capable scorers from anywhere on the court, Allen and Dolan’s talent from behind the arc may prove pivotal for the Illini who had just two players connect from deep in their season opener.
“They both can score at all three levels,” Green said. “Cori obviously can play one through three, Gretchen is a wing that can really shoot the ball and stretch the floor. We had some needs that we really wanted to address and I am happy with both of them.”
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Although Allen and Dolan are an impressive class on their own, Green is not quite finished constructing next season’s roster. Continuing to allude to the future, Green mentioned that the Illini still have one more open spot for their 2023-24 roster.
“We still have another scholarship that we could look for a transfer at the end or maybe there’s a midyear transfer,” Green said. “We’ll see what’s out there when the time comes.”
Although it is far too early to start evaluating the Shauna Green era of Illinois women’s basketball, it is evident that Green is devoted to turning the program on its head. A blowout in the season opener and an active commitment to grabbing the best recruits possible is about all Illinois fans could have hoped for at this point in the season.
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