Aug. 26—Retention isn't just a word that was thrown around Ubben Basketball Complex this past offseason.
It's something that will continue to be at the forefront of the minds of Illinois women's basketball coach and her coaching staff going forward.
The fact is there's a legitimate possibility the Illini could hold onto this core group of players for not only the upcoming 2026-27 season but run it back again during the 2027-28 season.
That's the reality of the new "5-for-5" age-based eligibility rule the NCAA adopted this summer with all college athletes now allowed to play five seasons within a five-year window.
That means current senior guards and couldplay two more years in an Illinois uniform if you include this season in that equation. The same could be said for the likes of center and guard , with that latter duo now in year four at the college level as redshirt juniors.
Not so surprisingly, Green is a big fan of what this new model might mean for her program moving forward with six other key rotation players on the Illini roster juniors or younger in guards , and , plus forwards , and .
"I like (the 5-for-5 rule)," Green said. "I think it takes away some of the (uncertainly). Here it is: You have five years. You don't have all of the questions on waivers and everything else. So, I think it's great for the kids. It would be great. I would love if we could keep this group (together). I talked about this all of last year: Can we keep this group together long-term? We're still so young. They all have two, three, some of them have four years of eligibility left.
"Like that's an amazing thing. It's all about again can we keep creating this roster retention? This culture of, 'Hey, this is where we want to be and we want to do something that's never been done before. And we want to keep raising the bar and keep making strides and trying to prove to everyone that we can do this.' That we can do this on the highest level of college basketball in the women's game. That's our mindset."
A successful offseason of retention has the Illini in a much different position than a year ago when Illinois brought in a five-player freshman class (albeit one ranked top 10 nationally). That created a scenario where the Illini had more newcomers (when you factor in three transfers) than returners ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Illinois still had a highly successful year in winning 22 games and landing a No. 7 seed at last season's NCAA tournament before another second-round exit — this time to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, as the Illini lost 75-57 on March 23 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn.
Winning right away has only led to even more heightened expectations within the Illinois program when the 2026-27 season gets underway in early November.
"I said it last time, and I will never take for granted these guys being committed and loyal to Illinois and our program," Green said of what made her team's retention efforts a big deal in the offseason. "It's something that is truly unique now and in our game, and I love these guys for it. And I really believe that that's kind of the secret sauce. If you can keep teams together and keep that retention — keep growing together — that's when you can really leave a legacy."
Green, too, was quick to point out where the leadership of athletic director — and how invested he is in the success of women's sports on campus — has been key.
The Illini coach bought into the vision Whitman had for the future of Illinois women's basketball when the former Illini tight end and UI graduate got Green to leave Dayton and take over what was at the time a downtrodden Illini program in March 2022.
"Him and I are on the same page," Green said as she prepares for her fifth season leading Illinois. Green has produced an 85-47 record as the Illini coach with NCAA tournament appearances in three of her first four seasons.
"I want to compete on the highest level," the Illinois coach continued. "And that's why I am here. That's what (Whitman) believes. And that's what I believe in. We want to give this thing a go. Can we do this? Can we really get it done? We have to be arm-and-arm in that. You need that support to get it done."
The challenge now as Green builds this program is finding the right pieces to fit into how the roster is constructed.
The recruiting process has changed. Especially as the Illini look at what could be a more stable roster with the ability to hold onto players for longer.
Illinois did lose three players in the offseason to the transfer portal as guard (Loyola Marymount), forward (Cincinnati) and center (Western Kentucky) left the program. A fourth roster opening was created with graduate forward exhausting her eligibility.
The Illini replaced those four with a pair of freshman in forwards and in addition to Bourrage (an LSU transfer) and junior-college transfer guard .
The math is complicated looking ahead to the 2027-28 roster. This as Illinois recruits the 2027 class without knowing whether its entire roster will all return. That's a possibility with none of the Illini's 15 players set to exhaust their eligibility at the end of the 2026-27 season.
"It definitely has changed, and we have been very selective in our recruiting anyways," Green said. 6-foot-7 Montverde (Fla.) Academy center and 6-2 Big Walnut (Ohio) power forward remain among Illinois' top targets for the 2027 recruiting cycle.
"But this is where, if you are not a total game-changer, like it's not even worth recruiting you anymore," Green continued. "Can you come in here and make an immediate impact? I hope I don't have any (open) roster spots. I hope we keep bringing back (the same players). Then we don't have to worry about that. But, if you have only one spot to fill, then you can go out and get a transfer. We still have a couple 27s that we are recruiting really hard that we think can really help us. It makes your recruiting (to where) you are very locked in to certain people."
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