Illinois hires Oklahoma State's Brad Underwood as new coach
CHAMPAIGN — Josh Whitman doesn’t waste much time. Neither does Brad Underwood. The Illinois athletic director and new Illinois men’s basketball coach have that in common.
Whitman hired Oklahoma State’s Underwood to coach the Illini one week after firing John Groce from the position. Underwood took fewer than 24 hours following his former team’s first-round NCAA tournament defeat to Michigan before accepting the Illini job.
Illinois’ AD announced the hire via Twitter on Saturday afternoon, nearly seven days to the hour from when the program announced Groce’s dismissal.
"We were looking for a proven winner who would build upon our proud tradition while developing an unmistakable identity for Illinois basketball,” Whitman said in a release. “Brad's teams play a fast, aggressive style and show unyielding toughness. They have a tremendous energy that I believe will ignite the Orange Krush and our fans to once again make State Farm Center one of the most intimidating venues in all of college basketball.”
According to ESPN’s Andy Katz, Underwood flew back to Stillwater, Oklahoma, with his former team following its 92-91 loss Friday to Michigan in Indianapolis.
Underwood began his coaching career at Hardin-Simmons, the first college coaching home of Lou Henson, the legendary Illini coach who holds the program record for wins and whose name is inked on the State Farm Center floor.
"Coaching basketball at the University of Illinois is a once-in-lifetime opportunity," Underwood said. "I always saw the Illinois coaching job as one of the truly best in the nation. … I can't wait to get started with our team.”
Underwood spent three successful seasons at Stephen F. Austin before signing to coach Oklahoma State. The Cowboys got off to a rough start to Big 12 play before rallying down the stretch to land an NCAA tournament bid. Oklahoma State fell to seventh-seeded Michigan 92-91 on Friday, closing out Underwood's only season in Stillwater.
"You see a lot of coaching changes across America, but very rarely do you see one after just one year," Kansas coach Bill Self, an Oklahoma State alum, said. "But Brad's a really good guy and done a great job. But from the outside looking in, it looked to me like OSU and Brad fit very, very well."
In his first speech at Oklahoma State, Underwood talked about his desire to return Oklahoma State to the level of the Henry Iba and Eddie Sutton glory days. It worked — he brought fans back to Gallagher-Iba Arena after they had become apathetic toward the end of Travis Ford's stay.
Now, Oklahoma State has to look for a coach again after being raided by a Big Ten school.
"We are saddened and disappointed in Brad's decision to leave Oklahoma State after one year," Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said in a statement. "We are trying to digest this news."
Illinois was impressed with Underwood's 109-27 record as a Division I coach and the fact that he has reached the NCAA tournament in each of his four seasons. If he did not have permission to leave, according to Underwood's contract, he owes Oklahoma State $3 million.
Whitman also went big-time in bringing in Lovie Smith to lead the football program a year ago. His first recruiting class was ranked No. 34 by Scout.com and No. 45 by 247sports.com, and recruits have raved about Smith.
Underwood replaces John Groce, who was let go earlier this month. The Fighting Illini went 95-75 in five seasons under Groce but made just one NCAA tournament appearance.
Self, who was the head coach at Illinois before he took over at Kansas, raved about the opportunity there.
"Illinois is a great basketball job," he said. "I was there. There's no other way to look at it. It's one of the better jobs in the Big Ten. If you look at recruiting base and institution, location, exposure, budget. There's a lot of things about it that is very, very attractive."
Underwood, 53, spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Western Illinois and spent one season as the associate head coach at both Kansas State and South Carolina before landing at Stephen F. Austin. A Kansas native, he said he enjoyed his run at Oklahoma State.
"The players, fans and administration at Oklahoma State have been absolutely incredible, and I want to thank them for the support they've given me and my family over the last year," Underwood said. "However, during my time at Western Illinois, I always saw the Illinois coaching job as one of the truly best in the nation."
Peter Bailey-Wells can be reached at pbaileywells@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @pbaileywells. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
