Brad Underwood and Illinois are all-in on a new era
When Illinois alum Chester Frazier joined the Illinois coaching staff in 2021, the move was an oasis for a fanbase thirstier than an OnlyFans convention.
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And that brings us to today’s topic.
Chester Frazier is not a bad basketball coach.
Chester Frazier is not disloyal.
Chester Frazier left the Illinois basketball program better than he found it.
But Chester Frazier’s strengths lie in contradiction with CEO Underwood’s vision for the roster.
Prep recruiting is a secondary endeavor.
Of course it still matters. Having a pipeline of talented freshmen is still a central tenet of roster construction. That hasn’t changed despite what hand-wringers and yap-runners on social media platforms say. But it has become even with or even secondary to transfer portal recruiting.
The one-and-done straight line to championship basketball is a relic.
In the Sweet 16 this year, there were four freshman starters.
Anyway, the point is that power conference role players and mid-major producers often make their biggest collegiate impact at their second (or third) school. They’re like young free agent second-round picks getting their first long-term deals after outperforming expectations at their first stop.
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