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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.
The 2025-26 Illinois women’s basketball roster is now in place. So let’s proceed accordingly with a roster breakdown of Shauna Green’s fourth team.
Gretchen Dolan
➜ Height: 5-11
➜ Year: Junior
➜ Position: Guard
➜ What she’s done: The 2024-25 season had all the makings of a breakout year for Dolan. But that possibility was cut short by a knee injury that officially ended the guard’s season in early January. Even not at 100 percent, Dolan saw a major jump in production as a sophomore with the Buffalo, N.Y., native averaging 10.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in only eight games played, including one start against Eastern Illinois, with a shooting slash of 43.7/35.5/68.8 percent. That at least gives a glimpse into what Dolan could do for the Illini going forward.
➜ What her role will be in 2025-26: That Dolan will get a redshirt year means last winter wasn’t completely a lost cause. Illinois coach Shauna Green has made clear ever since Dolan’s arrival how highly the coaching staff thinks of her. Dolan has No. 1 guard potential with the ability to lead the Illini in scoring. That’s important given the talent Illinois had go out the door in the offseason, particularly in the backcourt after Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook and Adalia McKenzie exhausted their eligibility. A healthy Dolan could carry a new-look Illinois roster and get Green’s team back to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years this winter.