Emily Durr concluded her third season as the Director of Recruiting Operations for the Fighting Illini women's basketball program in 2024-25. With the passing of the NCAA Coaching Limit Increase in July 2023, Durr was elevated to an assistant coach. Durr's Illinois hire was announced by head coach Shauna Green on May 10, 2022. 

During the 2024-25 campaign, Durr played a role the program’s continued upward trajectory with a 22-win season (22-10), a third-straight postseason appearance, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. The Fighting Illini tied the program record with four wins over AP Top-25 ranked opponents. Illinois led the Big Ten in team free throw percentage (79.3%) and defensive 3-point percentage (28.1%), while Genesis Bryant (free throw percentage) and Kendall Bostic (double-doubles, minutes/game, rebounds, def. rebounds/game, rebounds/game) combined to lead the league in six individual categories. Additionally, the Illinois staff brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class by espnW for the 2025-26 campaign.

In Durr's first season as an assistant coach, the Illinois women's basketball team tallied 19 wins, the first-ever postseason championship in program history (2024 WBIT), and an upset of AP-ranked No. 14 Indiana (2/19/24).

The 2023-24 season saw Illinois earned an at-large bid into the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (second NCAA-sponsored postseason tournament behind the NCAA Tournament). The staff led the squad to a WBIT championship with five-straight wins to close the season with a 19-15 overall record.

In 2022-23, the Illini finished 22-10 (11-7 B1G) and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 seasons. Illinois found itself ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2000 and would appear in four polls, ranking as high as No. 21.

Durr joined the Fighting Illini after spending the 2021-22 season as an administrative associate on Green’s staff at Dayton where she helped the Flyers to an Atlantic 10 regular-season championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Following her collegiate playing career at Iowa State, Durr spent two years as the head coach at Mohawk Valley Community College located in her hometown of Utica, N.Y. In her first season (2019-20), Durr led the Lady Hawks to a 17-7 record and a No. 6 ranking in the national polls. However her second season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Durr was a standout guard at Iowa State from 2014-18, playing in 122 career games with 42 starts while amassing 965 points, 295 rebounds and 218 assists for the Cyclones. Durr helped the Cyclones to two NCAA Tournament runs in 2015 and 2017. As a senior she served as team captain and ranked second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), while leading the team in assists (3.9 apg). She was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame in April 2025.

Durr earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science from Iowa State in 2018.

Last updated June 2025.

Coaching Career