Green Street: 'Woman of Distinction'

Welcome to "Green Street," your dose of women's college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Joe Vozzelli. He'll offer up insight on Shauna Green's Illini team and the women's game at large every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Thursday night saw Shauna Green recognized by the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois.

The third-year Illinois women's basketball coach was honored as 2024’s Woman of Distinction at the annual Diamonds, Desserts & Distinction fundraiser at the CityView Banquet & Meeting Center in Champaign.

Green is the 148th woman to earn that recognition in the program's 32-year history.

Plans are also now in place for Green — who is 41-25 in two seasons as Illini coach with a NCAA tournament appearance in 2023 and a WBIT championship in 2024 — to receive a contract extension.

Green's current deal — she signed a six-year contract before starting her Illinois tenure ahead of the 2022-23 season — calls for her to earn $880,000 during the year starting on July 1, 2024. This past year, Green became the first coach of an Illinois women’s sports team to top $1 million in earnings in a single school year. She surpassed the $1 million mark through regular compensation ($840,000), two separate $15,000 bonuses for Illinois' WBIT berth and WBIT title and a retention bonus of $150,000 paid out on April 30, 2024.

Green was asked earlier this month about contract extension talks with Illini athletic director Josh Whitman .

"I mean, I think anywhere you are, right, the belief and the trust between one another and the shared vision is a critical piece," Green said. "It's why I came to Illinois was because of Josh. So I know he believes in what, you know, I'm doing and what we're doing as a staff. I appreciate that belief. I think when you have those shared goals and visions and trust one another in that, you know, it makes everyone feel better and feel more confident.

"Again, no one or nothing is going to put more pressure, more stress than I am on myself. We came here to win. I want to win. I don't care if I'm here or anywhere like I want to win. That's the goal. So that's what we plan to do. Obviously, it's always nice to know your administration has confidence in you and to see that in an extension."