Brad Underwood Named Illini Basketball Coach

BillyBob1 · Mar 18, 2017

Burt Toast said:
For all of these weird people who are concerned about Bruce Weber losing his job next season and Underwood jumping to KSU. Just Wow! Absolutely nuts. He hasn't even landed yet at Willard and we have people worrying about sh$t like this.

Some were worried about losing Groce to Indiana after his first season here.

GoIllini40 · Mar 18, 2017

Is there any video of Underwood's media conference at the airport?

Loyal2uIllinois · Mar 18, 2017

They are calling for the OK Sate ADs head. Sounds like he may have blown in on renegotiating in a timely fashion. Glad we fixed our previous AD problem, go JW!

Burt Toast · Mar 18, 2017

KrushCow31 said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em-RIIZtgJc

Practice mic'd up.

Full SFA practice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQiMs5zsp2o

Awesome! I'm a little intimidated by him but...still awesome!

MrOizo · Mar 18, 2017

After educating myself a bit, I really like this hire. REALLY like it. REALLY, REALLY like it. I'm getting more and more excited about the idea.

I was pretty down overall on the Cuonzo-Missouri move (great move by them), and I frankly wondered if we should have hired him. But I am now at complete peace... Whitman, man.

FiveStar · Mar 18, 2017

BillyBob1 said:
Some were worried about losing Groce to Indiana after his first season here.

I can see Underwood holding it down here for a while, being really successful and making good runs. In the twilight of his career he returns to ksu for one last gasp a la Huggins and wvu

TheFlyingIllini1317 · Mar 18, 2017

The more I hear about him the more I like him. Very excited about this hire!

Burt Toast · Mar 18, 2017

Loyal2uIllinois said:
They are calling for the OK Sate ADs head. Sounds like he may have blown in on renegotiating in a timely fashion. Glad we fixed our previous AD problem, go JW!

Whose their AD… Mike Thomas?

Ulysses Everett McGill · Mar 18, 2017

IndyILL said:

EXACTLY who I was thinking of!!

hooraybeer · Mar 18, 2017

thank god, my productivity has been !!!!

EJ33 · Mar 18, 2017

Coach David Williams, Mac Irvin Fire

I'm happy 2 see Coach Brad Underwood coming back 2 Illinois.Have known him 4 a long time N comes from the Huggins/Frank Martin tree#illini

:clappy:

Loyal2uIllinois · Mar 18, 2017

Burt Toast said:
Whose their AD… Mike Thomas?

Sure sounds familiar doesn't it...like a bad dream

OldGreg · Mar 18, 2017

Remember this morning when people were talking about Whitman still being new to the job and that he could possibly be making mistakes on this search? Where you at Chalmers?

Ulysses Everett McGill · Mar 18, 2017

Loyal2uIllinois said:
They are calling for the OK Sate ADs head. Sounds like he may have blown in on renegotiating in a timely fashion. Glad we fixed our previous AD problem, go JW!

I wonder how the KSU AD and fans feel. If Weber doesn't leak into the tourney last minute, how likely would he have been canned and our new coach would be in Manhattan?

PNWIllini · Mar 18, 2017

Looks like a great hire. Keeping Walker too helps. Very excited for the future of Illini basketball.

FiveStar · Mar 18, 2017

Man this is like a dream for me. Y'all just don't know.

Stevegarbs · Mar 18, 2017

matt1all said:
https://youtu.be/0bozu11lTOM

Interesting clip from Underwood on selection Sunday.

Says he hasn't seen a lot on Michigan (their first round opponent) but says he watched their first big ten tournament game on his iPad.

Who was that against again? [emoji848]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whitman had this in the works last weekend. Why would Underwood randomly pick the Illinois-Michigan first round B1G game to watch? He was watching the Illini.

Perhaps that is a obvious to others.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Loyal2uIllinois · Mar 18, 2017

Ulysses Everett McGill said:
I wonder how the KSU AD and fans feel. If Weber doesn't leak into the tourney last minute, how likely would he have been canned and our new coach would be in Manhattan?

Good point, like dodging a bullet...

BZuppke · Mar 18, 2017

Roundball Shaman said:
The two big Illini coaching hires are great. But there is a big lesson here. No individual coach is as important to your program as is your AD. It all flows down from there. You've got to have a great AD, and another one on your radar if the first one leaves. Same thing with the pros except for them it's all about who owns the team. Great owner, great team. Bad owner...

This. Richter made Wisconsin what it is today and JW is taking us there as well. I love the fact that JW does his own thing and doesn't react to an often times uninformed press.

ole 99 · Mar 18, 2017

VanHalen said:
We hired Hagrid! :whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo:

Think you mean Mad Eye Moody

illiniknight · Mar 18, 2017

WOW!!! A great hire! Underwood is a fabulous coach. It will be easy for him to sell his style for recruits. This is a great day. I am equally impressed at how quiet JW was able to keep this search. Incredible!!

Loyal2uIllinois · Mar 18, 2017

Underwood spent over a decade as an assistant in Macomb, IL, must like central IL and will enjoy Champaign/Urbana! What a great hire!

Ga65 · Mar 18, 2017

Seems to me that our existing team and our recruits fit his system well. 3 or 4 PGs (incl Smith), 5 wings and 3 big men. Hoping to see a cross between the flying Illini and Dee style. Love to see the Rev as an assistant.

Deleted member 526137 · Mar 18, 2017

Josh Whitman deserves a raise!

bredhartmann · Mar 18, 2017

OldGreg said:
Remember this morning when people were talking about Whitman still being new to the job and that he could possibly be making mistakes on this search? Where you at Chalmers?

He already said he's over the moon about this hire. And it was a valid concern to have seeing as Whitman had never done any coaching search like this before. Luckily for us fans he just continues to blow expectations out of the water.

Brad Underwood Named Illini Basketball Coach

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