CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — March 2017 saw a pivotal change in Illinois basketball when Athletic Director Josh Whitman fired John Groce and subsequently hired Brad Underwood as the program's 18th head coach. Whitman's vision for Illinois basketball has since resonated with fans, alumni, and the national and local media.
Whitman said on the day of Underwood's hiring, "We have a basketball program that we all expect to compete for Big Ten and national championships year in and year out. I was here at the peak. I was here 10 years ago. I saw the energy. I felt the environment at State Farm Center. When you couldn't find a ticket. When every game was an event, every fan was in an orange shirt, the waiting list was thousands of people long to get a season ticket to an Illinois basketball game. I remember standing in the crowd, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up when the pregame video was on the board that said, 'The Champ is here.' Do you guys remember that? The Ali video, the movie, 'The Champ is here.' I've never forgotten the feeling of when that team took the floor and that video was on the board. That's what we are striving for. That was 10 years ago. And if we're not careful, it'll be 30 years ago. That's what I can't allow to happen."
Whitman's decision to hire Underwood has paid off, as Illinois fans recall the glory days of the 80s under Lou Henson and the early 2000s under Lon Kruger and Bill Self. Big Ten championships and NCAA tournament runs were the norm, and Underwood has revitalized those expectations.
Each year, Underwood has raised the bar. This Sunday, he and his staff landed arguably the highest-ranked recruit in over 25 years: 6-foot-8 perimeter wing Will Riley. Illinois beat out Kentucky, Arizona, Arkansas and Alabama to secure Riley's commitment. Riley has the potential to be Illinois' first ever one-and-done basketball player, ever.
In 2024, Illinois hoisted a conference trophy for the third time in four years, winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship in Minneapolis. The Illini finished 29-9 overall in Underwood's seventh year, with the 29 victories marking the third-winningest season in the program's 118-year history. Illinois earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the East Regional Final, marking the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 2005.
Underwood coached junior Kofi Cockburn, the most dominant player in college basketball, to consensus first-team All-America honors in 2022. Cockburn was the only player in the country to average 20 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the first Illini in 50 years to do so. Cockburn joined Ayo Dosunmu as the only AP first-team All-American in school history, both mentored by Underwood in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, Illinois is the only school to name first-team All-Big Ten selections each of the last five years, including Dosunmu, Cockburn, Marcus Domask and Terrence Shannon Jr.
The 2024-25 roster includes sophomore four-star guard Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn; junior Ty Rodgers, a four-star prospect ranked 52nd in the country by ESPN; sophomore Carey Booth, ranked 49th in the nation; junior guard Kyland Boswell, rated as the No. 4 point guard in the 2023 class before moving to the 2022 recruiting class; freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, projected as an NBA first-round draft pick in the 2025 NBA Mock Draft reports; freshman Morez Johnson, Illinois' Mr. Basketball ranked in the top 30 by ESPN; and 6-foot-7 junior wing Tre White, ranked 28th nationally by ESPN.
"Illinois is my dream job, you can win a national title here," Underwood said. "That's why I took the job."
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