Illinois Hires Oklahoma State’s Underwood As Men’s Basketball Coach

Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood leaving for IL qualifies as a stunning piece of news, and it occured less than 24 hours after the Cowboys lost their NCAA Tournament first-round game to MI on Friday.

Underwood played college basketball from 1981-1986 for Hardin-Simmons and Kansas State. I can’t wait to get started with our team. Holder is a well-documented penny pincher, but at a university that has long had limited resources – and after he goofed and gave Travis Ford a 10-year contract that continually bit him in the backside – it’s understandable why Holder would be frugal. According to the Tulsa World, Underwood will owe Oklahoma State $3 million because he is leaving for a non-Big 12 job before March 31, 2018.

In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Stephen F. Austin upset West Virginia and in the process Underwood beat coach Bob Huggins, for whom he worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Kansas State.

Oklahoma State finished fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-9 conference record in a season where the Big 12 was rated as the best conference in the nation.

“I’m an Illini through and through”, Thomas said. He earned $1 million in his first season.

IL is a large state school in the Big Ten, not far from the high school basketball mecca of Chicago. To $1.1 million next season, $1.2 million the next, then $1.4 million and $1.6 million.

Tim Finke picked up a scholarship offer from John Groce and IL back in July 2015.

Likewise, the fact that Underwood failed to make the wish lists of many bears no reflection upon his ability.

After three great seasons with the Lumberjacks, Underwood took the job at Oklahoma State.

A year later, history repeated itself.

Underwood replaces John Groce, who coached the Illini for five seasons. That includes beating OSU in 2014 (McGraw is now the Baylor Golf head coach). This makes these upcoming seasons for him extremely important because Underwood’s ability to recruit players in Chicago is going to be exclusively based on how the team performs the next couple of years.

On the other hand, was Underwood willing to take less? IL is a better job but that’s surprising. Hey, I’ve oversteered on the highway, and honestly, I believe it is why I’m here and alive to write this story.

“Oh, no one’s ever told me anything”, Weber said. As always, leave your thoughts in the comments section below.