It’s been almost nine years since Josh Whitman was hired as Illinois’ athletic director. He’s now the third longest-tenured athletic director in the Big Ten, and it’s easy to see why.
Across the board, Illinois is thriving athletically. Nailing the hires of three head coaches has played a big part in that overall success. Men’s basketball’s Brad Underwood, football’s Bret Bielema and women’s basketball’s Shauna Green have worked wonders since being hired by Whitman.
The situation was dire for Illinois men’s basketball in 2016. Despite reaching 20 wins, the Illini missed the NCAA tournament for the fourth year straight. Whitman moved on from head coach John Groce and handed the program to Underwood. In addition to a 109-27 record as a head coach, Underwood had made the tournament four times in four years.
Illinois has not looked back since then. Less than a year after Underwood was hired, a historic commitment from five-star guard Ayo Dosunmu accelerated the program’s return even further. Presently, the Illini have made the tournament for four straight seasons and are fresh off an Elite Eight finish, their best result since 2005.
Three years after hiring Underwood, Whitman had another monumental decision in front of him. Football was on the downswing, suffering five losing seasons with Lovie Smith at the helm. Once again, Whitman knew it was time to cut loose and ultimately found Bielema. The former conference rival had been out of head coaching for three seasons after being dismissed by Arkansas in 2017. Producing Illinois’ first nine-win season since 2007 is about as good as Whitman could ask for, but he was confident in Bielema from the beginning.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“Bret’s blue-collar work ethic and genuine, authentic manner will allow him to form strong connections to his players and staff and positive relationships in our community and our state,” Whitman said after the 2020 hire. “These qualities, combined with his commitment to education and his track record of success, give me great confidence in his leadership of our football program.”
Most recently, Whitman had to find a new leader for women’s basketball after Nancy Fahey’s retirement in 2022. Whitman had hired Fahey following a hall-of-fame career at the Division III level. However, that success did not follow Fahey to Champaign. Under Fahey, Illinois did not have a single winning record in five years.
The pressure was on for Whitman to get things right in round two, and he ultimately went with Green. In six years at Dayton, Green won five regular season conference titles, qualified for the NCAA tournament four times and won Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year three times.
“In visiting with Shauna, I was struck by her inner drive, her innate competitiveness and her commitment to the student-athletes under her charge,” Whitman said in March 2022. “She and I connected quickly around an ambitious vision for the future of Illinois women’s basketball, which she and her staff plan to spread around the state and across the country.”
Green’s credentials have held up during her short time at Illinois. In year one, the Illini posted a record of 22-10, the most wins in a single season since 1999-00. Illinois was selected as a First Four team for the NCAA tournament but lost against Mississippi State. Last year, Illinois got off to a bumpier start before finishing strong. The regular season concluded with the Illini sitting at 14-14, but a first-round exit in the Big Ten tournament and a championship in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament resulted in a 19-15 record.
On top of improved results on the court, Green has excelled as a recruiter. Currently, Illinois has the No. 7 recruiting class for 2025, one-upping last year’s recruitment of five-star forward Berry Wallace.
Whitman’s hires have also been positive outside of the big three. Following his 2022 appointment as director of track and field and cross country, Petros Kyprianou elevated the women’s track and field team to its first Big Ten Indoor Championship since 2013. Similarly, Daniel Ribeiro led men’s gymnastics to a third-place finish at the 2023 NCAA tournament in his first year as head coach. From the State Farm Center to Demirjian Park, Illinois athletics have flourished during the last nine years.
@blountco21
