Shauna Green, Illinois Agree to Extension Through 2036 After Program Turnaround

Illinois is making sure Shauna Green isn’t going anywhere.

The University and Green have agreed to new terms on her contract that could keep the Illinois women’s basketball coach in Champaign through June 30, 2036, Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced Thursday. The agreement still needs approval from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its September 17th meeting.

It’s a significant commitment to a coach who has completely changed the trajectory of the program in just four seasons.

Green has already accumulated 85 victories at Illinois, the most by any head coach in program history through her first four seasons. She also now sits alone in second place on Illinois’ all-time wins list. The Illini have produced four consecutive winning seasons under Green, made the postseason four straight years and won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back seasons.+

An impressive turnaround

But the numbers only tell part of the story. Green inherited an Illinois program that went 7-20 the season before she arrived. In her first season, she led the Illini to a 22-10 record and the NCAA Tournament, producing a 15-win improvement that remains the best turnaround in program history. Illinois also climbed into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2000.

Since then, the program has continued to move forward. Illinois won the 2024 WBIT championship, posted another 22-win season in 2024-25, and followed it with a 22-12 campaign last season. The Illini defeated No. 7 Maryland for their first top-10 victory in more than a decade and sold out State Farm Center for the first time under Green.

Off the court, Shauna Green has helped build a program that is succeeding in the classroom as well. Illinois posted a 3.624 team GPA last season, the best mark in the Big Ten for the third consecutive year.

Now, Illinois is betting on what Green can accomplish next. “We have come a long way in four years here, but there is still plenty left to accomplish,” Green said.

Illinois doesn’t view Green’s first four years as the finish line. It views them as the beginning.

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