University of Illinois Fighting Illini Brad Underwood autographed leather basketball (value $100)
Brad Underwood was hired as Fighting Illini men's basketball coach in March 2017. He is the 18th head coach in program history.
Underwood arrived at Illinois from Oklahoma State, where he led OSU to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cowboys had one of the most exciting and prolific offenses in the country, ranking eighth in the NCAA in scoring (85.7 points per game) and leading the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (kenpom). The Cowboys ranked eighth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.402) and fourth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (.383).
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 top conference in the nation. That was a dramatic improvement for the Cowboys, who went 3-15 in league play a year ago. Oklahoma State came on strong during the second half of the season, winning 10 of 11 games from Jan. 21-Feb. 25, which included a pair of five-game winning streaks.
Underwood arrived in Stillwater following a dominant run at Stephen F. Austin where he led the Lumberjacks to Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in each of his three seasons. Underwood compiled an 89-14 record at SFA, tied with Brad Stevens (Butler, 2008-10) for the most wins by a head coach in his first three seasons at an NCAA school.
He led SFA to a 28-6 overall record and NCAA Round of 32 appearance in 2016. The Lumberjacks rolled past No. 3 West Virginia in the first round, 70-56, before narrowly missing a trip to the Sweet 16 with a 76-75 defeat to No. 6 Notre Dame in the second round.
That Stephen F. Austin squad was efficient on both sides of the ball, ranking 57th nationally on offense and 38th on defense. The Lumberjacks averaged 80.2 points accompanied by high-pressure defense that forced the highest turnover rate in the country (.259).
Underwood's second SFA team went 29-5 in 2015, also advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks ranked seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (.487) and led the NCAA in assists (18.7 apg).
His debut season in Nacogdoches in 2014 included a 29-game winning streak and culminated in a 32-3 record and NCAA Round of 32 appearance after a victory over No. 5 seed VCU in the opening round. Underwood earned the Joe B. Hall award, given to the nation's top first-year coach.
Prior to taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood served the 2013 season as associate head coach at South Carolina under Frank Martin. He went to Columbia with Martin after serving on his bench for five seasons as an assistant at Kansas State, with his final season elevated to associate head coach. Underwood spent his first year at K-State in the role of director of operations for then-head coach Bob Huggins.
Underwood had two head coaching stints in the junior college ranks, compiling a 70-24 record in three seasons at Daytona Beach (2004-06) and a 57-63 mark in four years at Dodge City (1990-93). In between those opportunities, Underwood was entrenched in the state of Illinois for 10 seasons, as an assistant coach for Jim Kerwin at Western Illinois from 1994-2003.
Underwood is a December 1986 graduate of Kansas State. He played in Manhattan for the legendary Jack Hartman, K-State's all-time winningest coach. Former Illinois head coach Lon Kruger also played and coached for Hartman at Kansas State.
Underwood began his college career at Hardin-Simmons, where he later worked as a graduate assistant. Hardin-Simmons was the first college job for Lou Henson, the Fighting Illini's all-time winningest coach, and whose name permanently adorns the court at State Farm Center.
Donated by Jamie Wright
