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“He handled it better than I Did”: Brad Underwood reflects on Terrence Shannon Jr.

Illinois basketball head coach sat down with The Field of 68.

Published

4 months ago

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Brad Underwood gives Terrence Shannon Jr. an embrace.
Credit: Matt Krohn
When Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended from the Illinois basketball program on December 29th, it felt like the world had flipped upside down. Illinois had just beaten Missouri in entertaining fashion and the vibe around the team could not be better. Brad Underwood had his team gelling on and off the court, just think about the post-game interview where Shannon Jr. invited the rest of the team to stand behind him

And then the news broke. Terrence Shannon Jr was suspended effective immediately charged with rape.
The following weeks were difficult to bear for all fans, let alone Shannon Jr and his family. However, at the end of the day, Shannon Jr was found innocent on June 13th and was selected in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft.

Brad Underwood reflects

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood kept his team together at such a difficult time. It was certainly difficult for Underwood in a lot of ways; seeing your best player and his family deal with the cloud over their head has to be a tough pill to swallow.
However, Brad Underwood credits Shannon Jr. and the way he stomached all of the ongoing occurrences in an interview with the Field of 68.
“I got angry sometimes, at the things people were saying. It entailed every emotion for me. Honestly? He handled it better than I did. He helped me.”
Underwood added “The kindness that he showed for his teammates, the concern for his mother, this young man could have went a lot of ways. He was mature and he knew in his heart what had happened. His faith was never in doubt”

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