Illinois head coach is on a fast track to legendary status

Shauna Green's legacy continues to grow with the Illinois basketball program, as the head coach notched career win No. 200 in Division I women's college basketball against North Texas.

This milestone was achieved this past Sunday in Champaign, when the Illini trounced the visiting Mean Green by a score of 81-69. It was a dominating performance that also gave Green her win No. 73 with Illinois, firmly cementing her in third place in program history.

Green, who is in her fourth year with Illinois, has been a Division I head coach for almost 10 years. Before arriving in Champaign, she actually started in the Atlantic-10, where Green compiled a very hefty resumé with the Dayton Flyers.

Green dazzled in her role with the Flyers, winning the A-10 Coach of the Year award in 2017, 2019, and 2021. She was one of the most dominant coaches in Dayton history, recording the best winning percentage (.718) and the second-most wins (127) in program history. This success helped lead the Flyers to five regular-season championships, two conference tournament championships, and three NCAA tournament appearances.

Winning has been a major part of Green's career in D-1 athletics. That is why when athletic director Josh Whitman brought her in after Nancy Fahey's retirement, fans were both intrigued and excited for the future of this program.

Shauna Green has the Illinois basketball program rolling

Once Green was given the reins of this team, she hit the ground running. Green quickly stacked up the wins as the head of this program, recording a 73-36 (.670) record in her first 109 games at the helm. This quick work ended up rocketing her up Illinois' all-time win list, where she ranks third all-time behind Laura Golden and Theresa Grentz.

Her high basketball IQ and keen eye for talent have turned her into one of the best coaches, if not the best coach, in the game, and players are taking notice. The recruiting has been rather special, with Green and her staff being able to bring in high-level recruits like guard Destiny Jackson, transfer guard Maddie Webber, as well as forwards Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment.

What does this mean for the future of the program?

Green's tenure in Champaign has been bountiful, to say the least, and it is only going to get better. As of writing this, Illinois is one of the best teams in the country on both sides of the ball, averaging 80.4 points per game, No. 27 in the country, while only allowing 56.5, which is No. 48 in the nation.

The culture has changed for this program in such a short amount of time, and has set Illinois in the right direction. Green has been a perfect fit to help turn the Illinois women's basketball team around, to the point where the school quickly handed her an extension in October of last year.

This team is in a great spot, with nowhere to go but up. The Illini have their leader locked in for the next four years, and if they're anything like the last four, then we will certainly be in for a show down the stretch.

Congrats to Shauna Green on this memorable accomplishment, and here's to many more in the future.