Illini men's basketball coach Brad Underwood gets contract extension

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois announced on Monday that basketball coach Brad Underwood has agreed to a contract extension through 2026.

Underwood receives a significant pay increase throughout the term of the contract, with his salary rising from $2.985 million in base salary to $3.4 million. His salary will increase gradually each year, rising to $4 million by the contract’s final year.

Underwood has “exceeded even my admittedly high expectations at this relatively early stage in his tenure," Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman said in a statement on Monday.

The coach is in the third season of the six-year contract he and the Illini agreed to in 2017. The program is on the cusp of making its first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2012-13 season.

At 12-6 in the Big Ten, the Illini are in the midst of their most successful conference regular season since the 2004-05 team won the Big Ten with a 15-1 record.

“I am extremely pleased with the upward trajectory of our Fighting Illini men’s basketball program and believe we are headed toward a championship future,” Whitman said in the statement. “Under Coach Underwood’s leadership, our student-athletes have showed steady progress on the court and in the classroom. He has instilled a culture based on competitiveness, toughness, preparation, and accountability that is yielding exciting results.”

So far at Illinois, Underwood is 46-48. The 2019-20 team has eclipsed last season’s 12-win total and is tied for second place in the Big Ten, trailing Maryland by one game with two to play.

After Illinois announced the extension, Underwood tweeted, “I am so proud to be your coach, #ILLINI Nation. Let’s continue on the path to greatness together!! #EveryDayGuys.”

The new contract allows for subsequent extensions each time Illinois makes the NCAA tournament from 2022 to 2025, possibly extending the contract through 2030.

Underwood’s buyout increases to $8 million and decreases each year throughout the agreement. If he remains at Illinois throughout the length of the contract, he will receive a $750,000 retention bonus.

Whitman’s statement wrapped up with a nod toward the stability that comes with the extension.

“I am grateful to Brad and Susan for joining our Fighting Illini family, and we look forward to many future years of their leadership, friendship, and engagement here at the University of Illinois," Whitman said. "I am also appreciative of our assistant coaching staff and the many talented, dedicated members of our support staff who have worked tirelessly to advance our men’s basketball program. We are happy to build stability within our staff and believe it will yield even greater coming success.”

Illinois also is increasing investment in Underwood’s staff. The school upped by 25 percent the salary for on-court assistants Orlando Antigua, Ron “Chin” Coleman and Stephen Gentry, and extended their contracts through 2022. Strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher has been extended through the 2022 season.

Illinois has the largest turnaround from the 2018-19 season of any school in one of the six major conferences (+10.0).

The Illini (20-9) have also won 20-plus games for the first time during the regular season since 2012-13, with two games against No. 19 Ohio State and No. 18 Iowa remaining on the schedule. The Illini have won four in a row.

“Serving as head coach at the University of Illinois is a professional dream come true,” Underwood said in the release. “I am honored to be part of what is a collective effort in working to get Illinois Basketball where it needs to be. “Building a program is hard work; there are no short cuts. But I am excited by the growth we’ve seen. We are gaining momentum and continuing to climb that mountain.”

Gavin Good is the University of Illinois correspondent for Gannett Illinois. Contact him at gavinrg2@illinois.edu or at Twitter.com/itsallG_O_O_D.