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For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood hosts WSOY-AM “Sports Talk” in front of a live audience at Hickory Point Golf Course in Forsyth. He met with Mark Tapper and Tim Kaine. Three things Underwood, joined by assistant coaches Zach Hamer and Tyler Underwood, said on the eve of his eighth season with the Illini as he unofficially previews a charity exhibition Sunday at Mississippi State, courtesy of NG Sports. Staff Writer Joey Wright:
Setting standards
An energetic crowd of about 250 Illinois fans watched as Mark Tapper rattled off Brad Underwood’s accomplishments at the University of Illinois since 2017, including winning the Big Ten Tournament twice in the past four seasons. The crowd applauded.
“That’s where we need to be,” the Illini coach said. “For me, we haven’t done anything yet. When you start to think you’ve accomplished something, you have to retire. You have to do something else. I came here with one thing in mind: to play on the last Monday of the year.”
home sweet home
Illinois coaches highlighted recent improvements to the Ubben Basketball Complex, which underwent extensive renovations prior to the 2022-23 season, and continued efforts to improve the program’s facilities.
“I think one of the things we started doing right after the season was we’re not really good at staying put,” Underwood said. “We’re in a world where as great as the Ubben facility is, it’s unbelievable, but someone will go through it. …Change is something I love. So don’t be afraid, we’ve completely redone the hallway where the locker rooms are.”
He also emphasized the benefits of hosting the IHSA Men’s Basketball Tournament at State Farm Center.
“We want it to be a place where young people come in and say, ‘Oh, that’s where I want to be.'”
The road to professionalism
Two days into the 2024-25 season, Tepper asked Underwood about current NBA players Terrence Shannon Jr. and Ayo Dosumunu. Specifically, Underwood’s favorite play from his Champaign days.
As for Dosunmu, who is currently in his fourth season with the Chicago Bulls, he scored the game-winning goal with less than one second left in a game against Michigan on January 25, 2020, breaking a 62-62 tie. “Aiyo was the perfect trash talker,” Underwood said. “They knew it was coming, and when he jumped up and made that shot, it was a mid-range pull-up, well defended. Sometimes the offense gets better,” he said. That was very special.”
“Scoring 40 points in a game is really, really difficult,” Underwood said of Shannon, who is currently in his debut season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. “(The game against Nebraska in the Big Ten tournament) was so special because it was really, really difficult.”
