It’s been almost two years since Shauna Green was named head coach of Illinois women’s basketball — and her impact during that time has shifted the program completely. Green and the Illini finished their 2022-23 season with a 22-10 record, going 11-7 in the Big Ten. Though the team has experienced some highs and lows with Green, there’s still plenty of room for development and continuous momentum.
Before her start at Illinois, Green was the leader at the University of Dayton, having a winning record of 127-50 during her six seasons there. Anticipations were high for her arrival at Illinois. Having someone with such strong expertise and success in the Illini program brought fans and players lots of excitement and new opportunities.
After the success of her first season with the Illini, conversations continued about where this program would be going. One massive steal for the Illini was senior guard Makira Cook, who played two seasons under Green before her transfer in 2022. Going into the 2023-24 season, Green had immense hope in her team, and even on rougher days, she continued to uplift the women and all their strengths.
“Really love this group,” Green noted back in September. “Obviously, we’re experienced. We returned our whole starting five and then really added some key pieces, in terms of, as you guys know, we needed more depth … A year of experience now, we’re in a much better place, a lot further along than what we were this time last year.”
Experience is something Green takes pride in. The team has a lot of veterans who put their best foot forward during matchups, and they always highlight the assistance from Green to be a key part of their triumphs.
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“Coach Green pushes me every day,” said junior guard Adalia McKenzie in a postgame interview against Central Connecticut State. “She literally has changed my life and has changed my perspective on basketball and life outside of basketball; just going hard every day and never giving up. I believe in myself so much because of how much she believes in me, so I really appreciate her.”
The players make an effort to give Green her flowers, and rightfully so. Having a leader who can enhance confidence in her players and push them to be the best they can be is incredibly valuable to a program like this.
Going into this season, there was slightly more pressure on her shoulders given the fact that Illinois managed to make it in the rankings of the AP Top 25 preseason poll for the first time since 2000. Despite the prospects for a challenging season, Green noted that their focus is on the things they can control, including learning from their mistakes and accomplishments.
“The challenge has been, ‘Okay, what did you do last year?’ and we gotta do more,” Green said in a preseason press conference. “There has to be something more or you’re just going to continue to get the same results, and our kids have really taken that. I see them in the gym nonstop, they’re doing extra … Yeah, we’ve had some success and more success than this program’s had in a long time, but we have a lot more goals and our vision is even higher than last year, so we just gotta stay hungry.”
Having just one solid season is not going to cut it for Green. She wants consistency and for her players to keep driving for more wins and bigger plays. She’s noted the importance of improving the team’s defensive game, especially against bigger and more competitive teams.
With their particular style of play, the women are encouraged to keep taking shots and drive to the hoop aggressively. Playing fast and playing tough is what will bring them success, and Green is determined to continue creating a winning culture here to create the best basketball program possible.
