By Michael Farmer, Illinois NIL Store Correspondent What first-year Illinois women’s head basketball coach Shauna Green is doing is unbelievably impressive. Green’s off-season roster construction and in-season usage of the team’s talent have brought national attention to her new program. Six games into the 2022-23 Big Ten conference season, Shauna Green and the Illini have four conference wins. For reference, the last time an Illini women’s basketball team had more than four wins in the Big Ten was in the 2014-15 season. Roster Outlook Three of the top six minute-getters on the team transferred into the program this season. Dayton transfer Makira Cook and NC State transfer Genesis Bryant are both averaging over 15 points per game. The top three returners from last year’s Illini squad (Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, and Jada Peebles) have all benefited from Shauna Green’s arrival as well. All three players have seen increases in their scoring averages. March Madness? Outside of a three point loss to Delaware in November, the team has no bad losses on the year. The only other two losses they’ve suffered this season were to top five teams on the road. The Illini even led both the #5 Hoosiers and #3 Buckeyes for long stretches of their respective games. The team’s current resume consists of a massive home win vs #12 Iowa, road wins at Missouri, Wisconsin, Butler, and Pitt, and a perfect 9-0 record at home. The Illini are currently ranked 24th in the AP poll and 29th in the NET rankings.It’s not far-fetched to say that Shauna Green could lead the Illini to an NCAA Tournament appearance in just her first year as head coach. The Future With four current freshmen, a couple of highly-rated incoming freshmen, and only two graduating seniors, it appears that this is only the beginning of an exciting stretch of basketball for Shauna Green’s program. Catch the squad in action again at Minnesota on Sunday and then at home vs the 15-1 Indiana Hoosiers on Wednesday, January 18th! ###