Brad Underwood embracing his time in Champaign: “I’ve got the Best Job in the Country”

Head coach Brad Underwood appeared on Inside College Basketball with CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein and expressed his gratitude for being the head coach at the University of Illinois.

“It took me 26 years to become a Division 1 head coach, so I don’t take anything for granted”, Underwood added.

Underwood began his Division I head coaching career at Stephen F. Austin in 2014. He led the Lumberjacks to three NCAA Tournaments and is still tied with Brad Stevens and Jon Scheyer for the most wins in a head coach’s first three seasons in men’s NCAA basketball history, with 89.

In 2016, Stephen F. Austin defeated West Virginia as a No. 14 seed and finished the season 28-6 overall. The Lumberjacks lost just one conference game during his entire tenure at SFA.

“I’ve got a great administration, facilities, support from our fans. You want it for all of those people”.

While at Illinois..

Illinois has taken significant strides as a program and as a university since Underwood took over in 2017. The Illini completed a full renovation of the Ubben Practice Complex, giving the program one of the top facilities in the country. Illinois has won two Big 10 Tournament championships and one regular-season title since 2021.

“I am the most blessed guy on the planet that I get to be the basketball coach at Illinois.”

Brad Underwood does not hold back when showing his gratitude and appreciation for the Illinois basketball fan base. He constantly says that Illinois has the best fans in the country and does not take their support for granted.

The Illini will look to make their sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and reach their second Sweet 16 in three years this March.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois news! Go Illini!