In four years, Grentz has turned Illinois from a perpetual bottom feeder to a league power.   The possessor of the league's top glare, Grentz has led the Illini to three NCAA bids in a row.  The quotable Grentz has become a favorite among the media, although some fans find her just the taddest bit too glib to be totally real.   In some ways, her tenure at Illinois has been marked by transfers.  She hit the ground running with an excellent first recruiting class.  But only two of those four made it to their junior years.  Fortunately for her,  Grentz does not share the ethical constraints  many coaches have that prevents them from allowing players to transfer from their old school to their new.  Three players have followed Grentz from Rutgers to Illinois and two of them, Alicia Sheeler and Susan Blauser, have played a pivotal role in the Illini resurgence.  Personality aside, although that's hard to do with Theresa the Tiger, Grentz teams play aggressive basketball.  They are usually better offensively than defensively.  They play with an attitude that allows them to play at their best in tournament time.  Her teams always play up to their potential.  In fact, they're usually a little bit better than their talent would dictate.  Grentz has done an good job of recruiting, although she has yet to land the name player that would boost her program to higher prominence nationally.
 

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