Illinois women’s basketball head coach Shauna Green announced the hiring of Zachary Choo as the team’s assistant director of scouting and video on June 24. Choo joins a coaching staff full of familiar faces. He worked with Green, associate head coach Calamity Mcentire, assistant coach Deantoine Beasley and several others as part of the Dayton coaching staff.
“I am so excited to have Zach join our famILLy,” Green said in a statement to Illinois Athletics. “Zach is someone that has worked with us before at Dayton and he will make an immediate impact on our program. His work ethic is elite and his experience in the big ten will be beneficial. He will be able to assist myself and our staff in a variety of areas with his experience.”
Choo graduated from Dayton in 2021 with a degree in sport management and a minor in business administration. The Honolulu native will bring experience from a variety of roles to push an already excellent basketball program forward.
He previously worked as a graduate assistant for Dayton women’s basketball. In this role, Choo organized game film for opponents and team scouting. He worked with the staff to provide films, highlight packages and statistical breakdowns to help the team improve. Choo then took his experience to Wisconsin where he worked as a video coordinator for women’s basketball for the last three seasons.
In Wisconsin, Choo managed scouting, breakdown of practice and game film and advanced opponent scouting. He also helped the Badgers’ in recruiting players by creating graphics and mailouts.
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During his time with the Badgers, the team improved consistently. Wisconsin finished the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with 5-19 and 8-21 records, respectively. Since hiring Choo in 2022, the Badgers have improved to 11-20, 15-17 and 13-17 records in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively.
This is the sort of experience Choo will bring to Illinois, working with Justin Peak, the video and scouting operations coordinator. Coach Green has already taken Illinois to great heights, and with Choo she adds another weapon to her arsenal.
“I’m thrilled to join the Illinois staff and grateful for the opportunity to reunite with Coach Green,” Choo said. “She is a proven winner and an exceptional leader, dedicated to the development of her players both on and off the court. I’m excited to be a part of the famILLy and can’t wait to work together to build something special.”
