Brad Underwood is leaving his position as Oklahoma State head coach to take the same position at Illinois. Illinois confirmed the news Saturday afternoon.
Underwood had just completed his first season at Oklahoma State. He led the Cowboys to a 20-win season and a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Michigan 92-91 in a high-flying first-round game. The announcement comes roughly 26 hours after the end of Oklahoma State’s season.
Underwood had taken the Oklahoma State position after three successful seasons at Stephen F. Austin. He led the Lumberjacks to 89 wins, three NCAA tournament appearances and two NCAA tournament wins.
Illinois fired John Groce last Saturday after five seasons and just one NCAA tournament appearance. Athletic director Josh Whitman moved quickly to line up Groce’s successor.
Underwood was making $1 million per year at Oklahoma State. Illinois likely made him a significantly better offer.
Underwood, who went to school at Kansas State and spent a good amount of his Division I coaching career in the Big 12, is a huge get for Illinois.
0 comments:
Post a Comment