In less than four years, the Illinois women's basketball coach has transformed the program from a team that finished 7-20 overall to a team that has secured a WBIT title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Over the last three seasons, Green has led the Fighting Illini to 63 wins and just 35 losses. Now, she has brought in a top-10 recruiting class, blowing expectations out of the water.
Between point guard Destiny Jackson, forward Cerah Parchment, forward Manuella Alves-Fernandez, and forward Naomi Benson, the Illinois Fighting Illini are stacked with bright young talent. All four of those players were ranked in ESPN's top 100 prospects and are set to take over the program from a group of graduating seniors that were part of the transformation Green spearheaded.
Changing of the times. This has been said before, but this video hits different. Illinois at the top nationally and in the #B1G.
— Kedric Prince (@KedPrince4) July 25, 2025
In Year 4, look at the recruiting class Shauna Green and the Illinois women’s staff brought in.
When the #Illini recruit you, it’s the whole team:… pic.twitter.com/bPleAvpSJ5
Don't worry, this article isn't going to bash on Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema or basketball head coach Brad Underwood, but it wouldn't hurt if they learned a thing or two from Green's unbelievable success in Champaign.
Who is the best Illinois head coach?
Bielema has been with the Fighting Illini since 2021, and it wasn't until last season that he truly found success with the program. In 2024, Bielema led the team to a 10-3 overall record, a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten, and a win in the Citrus Bowl.
Now, with veteran quarterback Luke Altmyer returning for a final season, Bielema has the chance to prove that he is worth all of the hype and attention that he received last year.
Underwood is one of the more tenured head coaches at Illinois, leading the men's basketball program since 2017.
Almost every year, it seems that Underwood gets one step closer to breaking the mold and taking the Fighting Illini to a Final Four appearance. However, last season, he took a step back, only making it to the Round of 32 before losing to the Kentucky Wildcats.
It was just a year ago that Underwood and the Fighting Illini made it to the Elite Eight, defeating Moorehead State, Duquesne, and Iowa State, before losing to the eventual National Champions, the UConn Huskies.
The moral of the story is that all three head coaches are doing good things for their programs. Green is just doing them at a shockingly fast rate and with even more shocking levels of success.