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CHAMPAGNE — About 80 minutes before tip-off for one of Wednesday’s biggest games of the season, Illinois’ first-year girls’ basketball coach, Shauna Green, walked out onto the State Farm Center concourse and walked down the stairs to an orange ball. Headed to the Crash Club. , she was greeted by members of the student section who showed up early.
Green thanked the members of the Student Division. Members of the student division had ballooned to more than 1,000 by the time the startup’s No. 21 Illini faced his No. 6 Indiana. She spoke of her decision to leave the consistently winning program in Dayton in the final offseason for the ill-fated Illini, who had missed her NCAA Tournament in decades.
Then she got stuck.
Orange Clash leader Kilton Lauman said, “She saw the fan base on the male side, so she knew there was potential on the female side.” I signed a crazy thing minutes ago.It was great.”
The interaction was unusual for a coach who quickly integrated into the local community while leading the team to a 15-4 start and the first national ranking in decades.
Green has gone out of her way to mingle with people outside her program as she plans to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003.
In some cases, that means emailing high school coaches across the state inviting them to come to practice whenever they want, or speaking at a statewide basketball conference.
On Wednesday, that meant speaking with members of the Orange Clash for 20 minutes, grabbing the mic after a disappointing loss, and thanking the fans for coming. She does it every game.
After the win, the team goes to the stands to sign autographs and talk to the fans. This is also a green idea.
Well before Wednesday’s game, Green has developed a strong relationship with Krush that includes both men’s and women’s student sections for the first time this year. Rauman said he interacts with Green at least once a week, whether in person or by email. The two discussed the idea of holding an open practice for students to participate in.
“It has to be about family, it has to be about relationships. Because that’s what you do,” Green said. “Women’s basketball, I’ve always believed… needs interaction. Our fans have to feel connected to our team.”
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When Sullivan women’s basketball coach Sherry McCain opened her email the day before the season started, she was surprised to see a message from Green.
“I never heard from a U of I coach,” says McCain. “But before the season started this year, we got an email from her saying basically if you want your high school team to be in the game at any time, basically let them know. They said I will make sure we can attend. She also sent an invitation (to the coach) to attend the practice.”
McCain didn’t know how serious the offer was, but contacted him in late December to ask if she and an assistant coach could attend practice. Last week they traveled to Champaign.
After practice, all the players approached them, shook their hands and thanked them for participating in the practice.
“We felt like VIPs,” said McCain, who brought 23 members of her program to Wednesday’s game. “It’s been such a great experience to see Coach Green and what she brings to the program.”
Green didn’t just reach out to coaches before the season.
In October, IHSA official Leroy Schurter met her at the Illinois Basketball Officials Association’s preseason conference, where she was a keynote speaker. This year, Schurter started attending women’s games with her five daughters. Among them is her 6-year-old Reagan, whom her sophomore guard Adalia McKenzie decided was her favorite player.
“Adalia likes her,” said Schurter.
With thousands of fans expected Wednesday night, Illini’s marketing department began thinking about ways to improve the in-game experience.
Before the game, students and children were invited into the tunnel outside the Illinois locker room to cheer on the players before they took to the court. They called on fans to download the app onto their phones and join the pre-match light show. They brought out the fireworks used in the men’s game to fire during the announcement of the Illini’s starting lineup. Krush received exclusive access to the immediate back section of one of the baskets.
Kathy Earner, Associate Athletic Director, who oversees marketing and fan engagement, said: “Nowadays, winning is something that draws people in, so I want to make it a good time that they want to come back to.
Despite Wednesday’s loss, 8-year-old Peyton Hancock was impressed with his in-game experience.
She and her mother, Brooke, usually watch the Illinois men’s and women’s basketball games on TV, but they took a trip on Wednesday after Peyton surprised him with tickets as a birthday present.
“She prefers men’s basketball, but tonight she likes this one more,” Brooke said. “She asked me to come to her next game next week.”
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Indiana coach Terry Mollen knows the trajectory of Green’s program.
When she took over the Indiana program in 2014, the Hoosiers had made only one NCAA tournament appearance since 1995. By her fourth season in which the Hoosiers won her NIT, she averaged 4,102 fans.
“It’s what an arm boost for your kids, building energy,” Moren said after the game on Wednesday. Hats off to Shauna and the fans in Illinois tonight, because they saw the two top 25 teams face off.
“It’s going to be a place like Assembly Hall[in Indiana]. People don’t want to play there because the fans are so great. I think this program is just a matter of time.”
As the lower bowl filled up before the game, Moren expressed surprise to Green. He’s averaging 3,024 this year with five games left.
“She was like, ‘This is unbelievable. This was not,'” said Greene. Athletic Director) I think Josh[Whitman]gets credit for bringing me here.
Now, strengthening those connections is key to getting such a crowd out every game on Wednesday.For Green, it’s all part of the job.
“I do what I have to do,” she said. I mean, “I’m going to talk to the Orange Crush an hour and 10 minutes before I play in the biggest game of the season because the kids need to be there at every game to build a legitimate program.” to build a consistent Top 25 program. The country’s top 25 teams are 1,000 short and no team is childless. it’s not happening. I do whatever I have to do. ”
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