The University of Illinois has hired Shauna Green as the 10th head coach of the Fighting Illini women’s basketball program. Green comes to Illinois following six successful seasons as the head coach at the University of Dayton, where her teams captured five Atlantic 10 regular season championships and qualified each year of her tenure for postseason play, including four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. During the 2021-22 season, the three-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year led the Flyers to the Atlantic 10 championship and an opening round victory in the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with a final record of 26-6.
“As we expected, our head coaching position attracted tremendous interest from imminently qualified candidates across the country – a testament to the reputation of the University of Illinois, the upward trajectory of Fighting Illini Athletics, and the hard work of our basketball student-athletes,” UI Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. “Even amongst such a talented candidate pool, Shauna Green quickly emerged as a dynamic, proven leader with a demonstrated record of success at one of the nation’s most visible, accomplished mid-major programs.
“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 continued. “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. Our women’s basketball program is in great hands under Coach Green’s leadership, and I look forward to the hard work ahead that will yield our bright future. Please join me in welcoming Coach Green, her husband, Andy, and their son, Matteo, to the Fighting Illini family!”
Green takes over the Illini program after compiling a record of 127-50 (.718) with the Flyers, and 156-75 (.675) overall, which includes two seasons at Loras College. Previously, Green was an assistant coach at Dayton. She also had assistant coaching stints at Northwestern University and Providence College.
“I am beyond excited to join the Illini family,” said Green. “For me, it’s always about the people, fit and vision. As soon as I met Josh, I believed in his leadership and desire to build a winning program. I want to thank Josh, Sara Burton and Chancellor Robert Jones for their belief in me. I truly believe the time is now for the program and we will work tirelessly to build it into a championship program.”
This past season, the Flyers were Atlantic 10 Conference regular season champions and advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament, compiling a final record of 14-1 in league play and 26-6 overall. Dayton was the final at-large team selected to the NCAA Tournament field and defeated DePaul, 88-57, in a First Four game, before being eliminated by Georgia on Friday.
In Green’s six years at Dayton, the Flyers qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times and twice for the WNIT. Her teams won at least 22 games in four of the six seasons, including a 22-10 record in 2017, 23-7 in 2018, a 25-8 mark in 2020 (the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19), and 26-6 in 2022.
During the shortened season in 2020-21, the Flyers clinched the A-10 regular season title after going 12-1 in conference play and earning the top seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament. The Flyers finished 14-5 overall after advancing to the WNIT. In 2019-20, Green earned her second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honor after leading the Flyers to both the regular season and tournament titles, earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and finishing the year at 25-8.
Green earned her first Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honor in 2018 after Dayton swept the regular season and tournament championships, finishing with a 23-7 record overall, and 15-1 in the A-10. She led the Flyers to the WNIT in 2019 with a 17-14 overall record.
In Green’s first year at the helm of the Flyers in 2017, she made Dayton women’s basketball history by guiding UD to its first ever sweep of regular season and tournament titles in the Atlantic 10 Conference. She received WBCA National Rookie Coach of the Year honors after leading the Flyers to a 22-10 overall record and 13-3 A-10 mark, leading to a berth in the NCAA Tournament. That season ended in a hard-fought loss to No. 5 seed and eight-time National Champion Tennessee.
A native of Clinton, Iowa, Green began her coaching career as a head coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, in 2006 and 2007, where she compiled a record of 29-25. Green gained Big Ten experience in 2016 as an assistant at Northwestern prior to being named head coach at Dayton before the 2016-17 season, where she had been an assistant coach from 2013-15. The Flyers advanced to the NCAA Tournament all three years Green was an assistant, including a memorable run to the 2015 NCAA Elite Eight. She also served as an assistant at Providence College from 2008-12 before her move to Dayton.
A 2002 graduate of Canisius College, Green received a degree in business marketing. While at Canisius, the former Shauna Geronzin became one of the greatest basketball players in Griffins’ history. A four-time letterwinner from 1998-2002, Green earned All-Conference honors each year, including three times being selected First-Team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She is the school’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,012 points, and she remains second in career rebounding. Green was the Canisius Female Athlete of the Year in 2002 and, in 2012, was inducted into the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame.
Green later earned a master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in athletic administration from Loras. She and her husband, Andy, have one son, Matteo, who is in first grade.
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