How Brad Underwood has revived Illinois with son Tyler by his side
HOUSTON — Brad Underwood turned the nook into the Illinois locker room after a win over VCU late Saturday in Greenville, S.C., and was bombarded.
The Illini gamers introduced out the Super Soakers after securing the boys’s basketball program’s second journey in three seasons to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, and Underwood was the goal of the celebration.
As the Illinois coach bounced round within the streams of water, Tyler Underwood stood close by, laughing and clapping. Brad’s son has been with him throughout his total journey of reviving the Illinois program, first as a participant and now as an assistant coach answerable for the Illini’s highly effective offense.
When Brad considered that partnership after the locker-room celebration, his hair moist and a towel hanging over his soaked orange quarter-zip, he fought off a unique form of waterworks.
“Doesn’t get any better,” he mentioned. “Now you’re going to get me emotional. I’ve mentioned this all alongside: He’s very, superb at his job. He’s a lot smarter than I’m. He does a terrific job of speaking with gamers. He does an incredible job of placing a recreation plan collectively.
“That’s really cool as a coach to see, but it’s even better as a dad to see.”
The Sweet 16 video games this week in Houston are a household affair for all 4 head coaches.
On the other bench from the Underwoods on Thursday night time on the Toyota Center (9:05 p.m., TBS/truTV) will probably be Houston coach Kelvin Sampson and his son, Kellen, an assistant coach. Sampson’s daughter, Lauren, is his chief of employees.
The Nebraska-Iowa matchup within the first South Region recreation Thursday (6:30 p.m., TBS/truTV) will characteristic Cornhuskers coach Fred Hoiberg and his son Sam, a senior guard. Sam’s twin brother, Charlie, is a graduate supervisor. Iowa coach Ben McCollum’s son Peyton is on the Hawkeyes roster however suffered a season-ending foot damage in January.
For Tyler Underwood, this week is about serving to his dad march towards the aim he has had since Illinois hired him in 2017: to win a nationwide championship.
The third-seeded Illini have constructed as much as Thursday’s recreation towards No. 2 seed Houston, making their first NCAA Tournament look underneath Brad Underwood — and first total in eight years — in 2021. They have made the match yearly since, reaching the Elite Eight in 2024.
Their return journey to the Sweet 16 is a marker of their quest to be among the many nation’s high groups yearly.
“There are certain pinch-me moments where I try to stay super present and just enjoy this time,” Tyler mentioned. “I don’t assume it may possibly in all probability ever be topped in my life as a coach. These are a number of the greatest moments.
“I grew up watching him, played for him, so just to be here for him in these moments, knowing how hard he has worked, to be a small piece of that and be next to his side is something I’ll forever cherish.”
‘He never wants status quo’
Tyler’s stint as an Illinois assistant isn’t the primary time he has shared a bench with his father.
He spent six seasons as a participant on his dad’s groups, first in a redshirt 12 months at Stephen F. Austin, then at Oklahoma State throughout Brad’s one season there. He spent the ultimate 4 years of his taking part in profession at Illinois after athletic director Josh Whitman lured his dad to the open job with almost triple his wage in Stillwater, Okla.
Tyler, who will flip 30 in August, totaled simply 17 factors, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals in 38 video games over three lively seasons in Champaign.
“Luckily I think I’m a better coach than I was a player,” he mentioned.
He began on Brad’s employees in 2021-22 as director of recruiting and scouting and was elevated to assistant coach after two seasons. He has been Illinois’ offensive coordinator since July 2023.
Playing and training for his 62-year-old dad share some similarities, he mentioned.
“Playing for him, it’s the competitive spirit he brings out in you,” Tyler mentioned. “He’s going to problem you as a participant to make you uncomfortable.
“And honestly, it’s very similar as a coach. He’s going to challenge you. He wants new ideas. He never wants status quo. It’s always about getting 1% better, finding a new idea. He talks a lot about the process. The process for us is being consistent every single day as coaches and players.”
Illinois’ offenses, whereas frequently evolving, have been a number of the greatest within the nation with Tyler because the coordinator.
In 2023-24, the crew that went to the Elite Eight behind Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask, the Illini ranked third within the nation in adjusted offensive effectivity, in accordance with KenPom. Last season’s crew, which went to the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament behind freshmen Kasparas Jakučionis and Will Riley, had the 14th-ranked offense.
And this season’s offense is No. 2 behind solely Purdue, led by an enormous, deep, versatile solid of gamers, together with freshman guard Keaton Wagler and freshman forward David Mirković.
Tyler mentioned he discovered “so much” about working an offense from his dad whereas rising up, noting Brad had the perfect offense within the nation at Oklahoma State throughout his one season there.
“He has always been somebody who has believed in shooting and spacing concepts, so I took a lot of that from him,” Tyler mentioned. “He still has his hand in a lot of our day-to-day offensive stuff. He’s a brilliant mind and was ahead of his time with shooting bigs, so he’s definitely had an influential impact on my way of thinking.”
Both Underwoods have talked rather a lot this season about how their offense revolves round leveraging benefits.
They “matchup hunt” — evaluating their high strengths towards opponents’ greatest weaknesses and attacking them. Tyler informed reporters earlier this season that somebody watching the offense may say it appears to be like like plenty of randomness. But it’s extra a case of gamers understanding how they’re presupposed to function and the place they need to be, relying on what occurs with an opponent on the court docket.
They pull offensive inspiration from throughout, with Tyler noting influences from and similarities to the Boston Celtics in the best way they matchup hunt and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the best way they manipulate spacing.
Mirković mentioned Tyler is aware of the entire tendencies in basketball but additionally has a present for understanding his gamers.
“He knows our personalities and knows what we want on the court,” Mirković mentioned. “He provides us duties and provides us freedom to play, and it simply flows superbly.
“When I have a coach that truly believes in me and gives me freedom to show all the talents I have, it’s just a great opportunity and I would just say we have a great connection.”
Brad credited the period of time Tyler has put into creating the offense. He mentioned he and his son “have our moments — and they stay in the office.” But he speaks with satisfaction about Tyler’s work.
“He’s done a ton of studying and then matching it to personnel,” Brad mentioned. “We’ve in all probability had as many conversations about, ‘Well, I like this,’ particularly earlier within the 12 months, and, ‘Well, it doesn’t fairly match us.’
“And then it’s developing that around Mirk and shifting two 7-footers into different roles. So it’s been some tweaking. It’s a lot of work. He’s very, very smart and understands that side of the ball at a very, very high level.”
That has helped Brad obtain a rejuvenation at Illinois he at all times believed was attainable.
Buying in
When Brad was an assistant at Western Illinois early in his profession from 1994-2003, he watched Illinois have success underneath the steering of Lou Henson, Lon Kruger and Bill Self and believed there was one thing particular in Champaign.
He can’t clarify the lull that adopted the Illini’s look within the 2005 nationwide championship recreation underneath Bruce Weber, however he nonetheless thought it was a top-10 job even with the drop-off.
Now in his ninth season with the Illini, he nonetheless believes, touting his “incredible” employees and services, a fan base and scholar part that sells out the State Farm Center and his love of Whitman.
With his means to attract high expertise due to all of that, he mentioned the aim yearly needs to be making the Sweet 16 and past.
“It’s why I came here. It’s why I’m still doing it,” Brad mentioned after Illinois’ win over VCU. “If I didn’t assume we may have the power to get to the Sweet 16, have the power to win a nationwide championship … it’s laborious. But that’s what drives me.
“The first day I feel like we can’t win a national championship, they need to hire somebody else or I need to retire. We’re in that mix.”
The causes for the success, after all, transcend the services and fan base and into what Brad, Tyler and the remainder of the Illini employees have been in a position to do with a novel assortment of gamers this season.
When Tyler considered his dad’s greatest traits as a coach, he pointed to Brad’s adaptability and compassion, noting how his gamers know that he cares for them. Both of these qualities, Tyler mentioned, are important on this period of faculty basketball.
“Ultimately what this is all about is getting 15 guys to play for one cause,” Tyler mentioned. “In this transfer portal era, you’ve got guys in and out. That is the most important thing. Our guys believe in him. Our guys believe in each other. And he’s really good at fostering that belief and connectivity.”
Former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, now at Penn, supplied an identical rationalization earlier than his crew’s 105-70 loss to Illinois within the NCAA Tournament’s first spherical. He mentioned Underwood at all times has recruited persistently, discovering gamers who’re proper for Illinois in each their ability and their mentality.
The Illini have stretched their recruiting across the globe to try this this season, bringing in 5 gamers with Balkan heritage.
“He gets pieces that fit,” McCaffery mentioned. “He gets pieces that prioritize winning, and his teams continue to win because, as we know, some teams that build rosters now look good on paper, but they don’t win. His teams win, and there’s a reason for that.”
At the person degree, Tyler has watched Brad use totally different types of motivation.
Tyler performed with Ayo Dosunmu when Brad was continuously pushing Dosunmu, making an attempt to assist him discover an edge. Current Illinois guard Kylan Boswell speaks of a similar dynamic, saying Brad typically pushes him with “things I wouldn’t be able to say here.”
Tyler additionally sees his dad supply encouragement to different gamers, corresponding to telling them to maintain capturing, to spice up their confidence.
Still, Brad calls for everybody purchase into their roles.
“He tells the truth, which I think guys appreciate,” Tyler mentioned. “Quite a lot of occasions you’ve gotten coaches that beat across the bush, they usually wish to preserve everybody pleased. He’s very truthful.
“For him, everything is about winning and treating people the right way. If you respect your teammates and you keep winning the main thing, you’re going to get along. If you’re not living up to that standard, he’s going to hold you accountable. These guys want to be held accountable. It’s simple. They buy into it and they love each other and they love him.”
Getting the buy-in wasn’t essentially a straightforward activity on the offensive finish this season with a crew stuffed with expertise. But it has been key to creating the offense work.
Boswell, the crew’s senior chief, has ceded time on the ball to Wagler in the course of the freshman’s outstanding rise to being named a second-team All-American. Andrej Stojaković, who was the main scorer at Cal final season, has been asked to be more than just a scorer and now comes off the bench. The Illini massive males — twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić and Mirković — share the highlight.
Senior ahead Ben Humrichous mentioned the Illini make it work as a result of they perceive how all of them play off each other.
“We are elite when we are able to leverage off of one another, where for instance, Kylan’s ability to get downhill creates advantages for shooters, for a guy like Jake (Davis) and I to get great looks,” Humrichous mentioned. “Or Keaton’s means to draw off a ball display screen, if he’s in a position to shoot off the bounce, may assist the larger guys with their roles and getting simple appears to be like.
“As you’ve seen throughout the season, people have had their times and their moments where they’ve had incredible performances. It’s being confident and trusting a teammate that they’re going to make the right play for what the game presents. And some guys have nights where they go off because of that.”
The Illini will want everybody to be on their recreation Thursday towards Houston’s fourth-ranked protection, according to KenPom. Wagler mentioned he thinks it is going to be probably the most aggressive protection they’ve confronted this season, noting the Cougars’ size and physicality and the way laborious they play.
At stake is a return to the Elite Eight and a matchup with both Iowa or Nebraska, one other step towards Brad Underwood’s final aim.
He informed reporters Saturday that if the Illini win one other, he plans to herald his personal large Super Soaker, one other expertise for him and his son to relish collectively.
“It’s hard because I was gone a lot in my formative years of coaching,” Brad mentioned. “So to have him sit there and be a part of this is pretty special.”
