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Is Brad Underwood Too Extreme?

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Is Brad Underwood Too Extreme
Jan 24, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood directs his players during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Talk of Illini Twitter this past week has been about whether Brad Underwood’s coaching is too extreme?

Since the end of the Illinois Basketball season, Illinois Twitter has been in a constant state of panic and disagreement. This past season did not go the way anyone wanted it too. After Jayden Epps entered the transfer portal this week, many were shocked given that the freshman guard played over 25 minutes a game and would likely continue that trend had he stayed. However, there was noise that Epps and those around him did not particularly appreciate the way that Brad Underwood coached him up.

Many began to question their belief in Underwood, as it seems that every offseason, a promising young guard transfers out of the program. Andre Curbelo, Adam Miller, Brandin Podziemski, and Jayden Epps are the ones that come to mind. Afterwards, there was a tweet from an assistant sociology professor that sent all of Illini Twitter into one large argument.

Winning solves everything

Look, if Illinois had just lost in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 or if Illinois did not lose 7 of their last 11 games to finish the season, I doubt anyone would be mentioning Brad Underwood’s coaching style. However, given the struggles and Epps’ transfer, Underwood’s practice is in question. Is the tweet above absolutely ridiculous? Yes, I think so. However, I wanted to dive into both sides.

Does Brad have to tune it down?

Brad should never have to change who he is. Part of what makes coaching successful is being genuine and true to oneself. However, a coach also has to be a steady hand at the ship. What I mean by that is that Brad has to know what his players would respond and would not respond to. Let us be honest, some people in this world do way better with a fire lit under their ass. Some people know what they need to do, they just need to be empowered to do so. Some people may thrive when their buttons are being jumped on like Brad Underwood gets on his players. However, Brad needs to know which of his players would respond to that kind of coaching

The enigma arises, however, you never want to be accused of treating player’s differently. You need to find a way to treat everyone equally while also being cognizant of the coaching style they would respond to. See below.

It starts with Recruiting

Brad and his staff have to find out which players would respond well to their coaching style. Look, Brad is not for everyone. I think he and his staff know this, however when on a premier talent search like Illinois has been, we can lose sight of that. Before Illinois basketball hit their successful period, we always talked about finding players who fit, not the 5-star who would be there for a year. I think Brad lost sight of that the last year. Though it is an extremely hard job to figure out who would respond to a particular coaching style through short recruiting visits, it is absolutely imperative.

Brad’s coaching style works

Brad Underwood is not too extreme. Many of his players have backed the man up. A former walk-on jumped in on the stupid tweet from the Sociology professor claiming that Brad is “Abusive”, however Coleman Hawkins and Terrence Shannon have voiced their support of Coach Underwood’s style and who he is. I am not one to say that if a player transfers, they are not “as strong as Da’monte Williams and Trent Frazier”. However, I do want to bring forth this particular video.

Underwood has gone 55-25 in the last 4 seasons in conference play. Though his postseasons have left more to be desired, he would not have Illinois back in the upper echelon of the conference if his coaching style and practices were inadequate. What he needs to do is find players that fit his needs. The past two seasons, he seems to have followed on to his assistants swinging for the most talented players possible. Brad and his staff needs to be on the same page in regards to filtering out types of players, otherwise the same cycle will continue to repeat itself.

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Alex is the Owner of Armchairillini.com, your go-to source for in depth coverage of the Illinois Fighting Illini. Alex is also the head of content creation and editing on Armchair Illini. His expertise has landed articles featured in top media publications like Bleacher Report, YardBarker, Verbal Commits, CBS Sports and more.

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