Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, March 18, 2017
Illinois has hired Oklahoma State's Brad Underwood as its new men's basketball coach, Illinois AD Josh Whitman announced Saturday afternoon.
[ MORE: Tom Dienhart's story | Brad Underwood by the numbers | FightingIllini.com release | AP story ]
Underwood, whose Cowboys lost to Big Ten tourney champ Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, was on campus Saturday to finalize the deal.
The former Cowboys coach spent one season in Stillwater, Oklahoma, after making his head coaching debut with Stephen F. Austin, where he won three Southland Conference titles in as many years and won one tournament game in 2014 and 2016.
Welcome Coach Brad Underwood! #WeWillWin #ILLINI pic.twitter.com/9yqLI0Ce1x
— Josh Whitman (@IlliniAD) March 18, 2017
Here's some of the Twitter reaction to the hire:
FABULOUS hire!
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 18, 2017
#illini fans, the industry thinks you got a really good hire
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) March 18, 2017
I stumped for Brad Underwood last year. His SFA teams dominated on both ends. Phenomenal basketball mind. Excellent tactician. Good hire.
— Brad Evans (@NoisyHuevos) March 18, 2017
Josh Whitman is my hero. Illinois AD crushed it with the search and didn't throw away $75K of school's money on… https://t.co/Pao5XY8lg8
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 18, 2017
Very good coach. Has ties to Jamall, I believe. Both born in Kansas. Worked for Huggins and Frank Martin. K-State grad. #dechr https://t.co/FRXMahHJ4Q
— Mark Tupper (@MarkTupper) March 18, 2017
those who complain about this hire aren't worth listening to because they don't know anything about basketball.
— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) March 18, 2017
Incredible. An AMAZING hire by Illinois. https://t.co/kOLeDSjWti
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 18, 2017
Bill Self on Underwood to Illinois: ?I just heard it 10 minutes ago. It shocks me. ? Brad was on a roll, I thought, in Stillwater."
— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) March 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/williamfleitch/status/843195192693997570
If Illini planned to target coach who lost Fri, guess was Archie Miller. Surprise pick Brad Underwood has good rep, fast offense. Open mind.
— David Haugh (@DavidHaugh) March 18, 2017
Illinois hire is thru the roof great! Underwood gets it. Only downside is seeing how loosely these contracts for Coaches have become.
— Tim Brando (@TimBrando) March 18, 2017
