Illinois basketball: Q&A with head coach Brad Underwood

By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer

It’s one of the biggest questions in Big Ten men’s basketball entering the 2022-23 season: How good will Illinois be? 

After an offseason of significant roster departures, but also an influx of top-tier transfers and a highly ranked recruiting class, the Fighting Illini are facing a whole lot new under sixth-year head coach Brad Underwood. There’s no shortage of depth and versatility to work with in Champaign, and a 68-27 record over the last three seasons suggests that Illinois can once again finish near the top of the Big Ten and reach the NCAA Tournament. 

That being said, the Illini still lost their top five scorers from last season. All-American center Kofi Cockburn is with the Utah Jazz. Alfonso Plummer and Trent Frazier have also gone to the pro ranks. Jacob Grandison transferred to Duke, while Andre Curbelo headed to St. John’s. 

The headliner is obviously Cockburn, who was the heartbeat of the Fighting Illini over the last three years. The 7-foot Jamaican posted 1,546 points and 861 rebounds in three years in the program, the most of either for any player in Illinois program history over that time span. Much of what Underwood has done in recent years revolved around Cockburn, who was the only player in the NCAA to average more than 20 points and 10 boards per game last season. And rightly so, for Cockburn gave the Illini a distinct advantage. But life without him brings new opportunity. We’ll get to that in a few moments.

As for the newcomers to the roster, Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor) were two hot names in the transfer portal this offseason, and they figure to start for Illinois as Underwood attempts to piece together a new-look roster. The freshman class, ranked seventh in the country according to 247 Sports, features four-star recruits Skyy Clark, Ty Rodgers, Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris. Clark and Rodgers have the best chance to impact this year’s team as part of a backcourt with a very different look.

The Illini have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Underwood has led the program to a Big Ten Tournament title in 2021 and a regular season championship this past season. There’s a rich buzz over the program’s turnaround, with student section tickets selling out in just 36 minutes this past week. 

The challenge for the Illini is similar to many programs that have proven themselves in the weeks and months ahead of Selection Sunday. That’s part of what makes March Madness so dramatic because one day — for good or for bad — can change the narrative around your program. Illinois has had two capable teams of making the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in the past two years, but neither was able to get there. A Sweet 16 run has not happened since 2005, but Underwood’s faith has only strengthened.

He explained why recently in our latest FOX College Hoops Q&A. 

As you enter Year 6 at the helm, what’s your overall vision for Illinois basketball? 

That’s easy. We’re trying to win a national championship. We’ve won Big Ten titles. We’ve maintained a very high level year in and year out. It’s hard to do in a league that’s arguably the best in the country. You need to have really good people around you and above you, and we do here. From a facility standpoint and a support standpoint, we have everything that we need to be successful. Our goal now is to fight the content. We don’t just want to be content with what we’ve done.

There’s a dynamic to the NCAA Tournament. It’s the best postseason for the drama it provides, but also, one bad day could end what otherwise was a great season. So, how do you break through in March Madness and make that Elite Eight or Final Four run?

I think it’s really simple. Just keep getting in the tournament. Kansas won it last year. But, I remember the "Killer Bs" back in the day when they were getting knocked out early by Bradley and Bucknell. It took Jay Wright a long time to break through. The same can be said for Roy Williams.

There’s no exact science to this. We were as good as any team in the country two years ago — going 24-7, 16-4 Big Ten, conference tournament champions — and we had a bad day (against Loyola Chicago). It’s what makes March Madness the best event in all of sports, and I know that I’m talking about a disappointing day for us, but that’s part of the drama of that event. Last year, Houston was great and beat us. I just look at it and say, ‘hey, let’s keep chopping wood. Let’s get there.' It’s matchups. It’s making a play. We’ll do it. That run will happen, I can tell you that much. It’s only a matter of time here. We will do that, and we’ll be better for it when it does happen.

You obviously dealt with a lot of roster changes this offseason. What sticks out to you about this season's team? 

Diversity. We’re very, very diverse and versatile in the ways we can play. We’ve got guys that can play really any spot on the floor. We’ve got a number of options at 6-foot-6 and 6-foot-7 who are interchangeable in the way they can defend, and that should make us more challenging to guard. I’ll put it this way: We’ll have a little more in our bag this year. What I mean by that is we’ve got more ways to get things done. It’s not anything against past teams here, but that’s just how this roster is constructed. I like this team’s versatility. 

How we blossom leadership-wise is a big factor. When you lose Trent Frazier and Kofi Cockburn, you now need new leaders to step up. I love our energy. Every new guy we’ve signed is a state champion and has been very successful. We’ll be a team that has a lot of moving parts.

You brought in a top-10 freshman class but also made some transfer portal splashes. How do you balance all of that in the current climate of change in the sport? 

It’s different today with NIL and the portal. To be clear, that doesn’t mean it’s bad. I think every year’s going to be very different for every program. Some years you may want to go out and get freshmen. Some years you may be positioned to go heavy in the portal. 

The real challenge is going to be freshmen — not recruiting them, but keeping them. If a kid comes into a program and averages 10-12 points per game as a rookie, he’s probably putting his name in the draft. If scouts and front office personnel tell him things he doesn’t want to hear, he’s going to hit the transfer portal and see what he can make with NIL. That’s where the money matters, because if a kid wants to go pro, but it’s not looking good, he’s going to seek out the best financial option for him in college basketball. On the flip side, if a freshman comes in and averages two points per game and doesn’t play very much, he’s going to look to transfer. 

I’ll continue to recruit freshmen, and we want anything we do to be based on relationships. There’s always going to be a state of re-recruiting your guys. That’s just the way it’s going to be. It makes for a very busy spring and early summer. 

What did you make of the NCAA’s new 60-day notification-of-transfer window, in which a player will have to enter the portal in a certain time frame that begins the Monday following Selection Sunday? 

I understand it and think it’s necessary. It makes sense. The one thing I would say is that I don’t love the particular start time of the window opening. I guess I wish that it would start a little later than the day right after Selection Sunday.

Related: How NCAA's new transfer window impacts college basketball

Is it conceivable that a coaching staff getting ready for an NCAA Tournament game could also be dealing with the portal madness due to the window opening when it does?

Sure. Absolutely. I wouldn’t say otherwise. You would hope you don’t have someone on your team, as you’re heading to the tournament, who is looking at the portal, but I would also be wrong to say that it won’t happen. Somebody who isn’t playing or getting minutes is going to be looking for a new destination. I’ll be shocked if there’s a tournament team not dealing with that, and look, you have to stay on top of transfers at every moment because that’s essential in building a roster.

So much of what you’ve done in the last three seasons has revolved around Kofi Cockburn. What does life without Kofi look like?

I’ve been planning for this since the day Kofi stepped on campus. There was always going to be life after Kofi, and it was going to be different. A 7-footer who’s 300 pounds doesn’t walk in every day. We worked very hard to get size on the perimeter to create a different look. I think RJ Melendez and Luke Goode can give us a different dimension. We also wanted to get guards who can break you down and handle the ball at a high level. Between Skyy (Clark), Ty (Rodgers) and Jayden (Epps), they all fit that description. 

We’ve set out to be very intentional with the way we go about it. Versatility was the goal for us to handle Kofi not being here anymore. I believe we’re deeper, and faster. We will play more in transition, and we’ll do some different things on the defensive side. Some of the things that played specifically to Kofi’s strengths, we are going to change, but I think those wrinkles will make us more difficult to prepare for.

 What does the addition of Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. mean to the program?

I knew he was a worker, but I wasn’t sure to what extent. I found out quickly just how badly he wants to be great because he’s waking up at 4:45 a.m. and heading to our facility to get shots up. Maybe that makes him a bad sleeper too (chuckles).

What was your first reaction when you heard Terrence gets up at 4:45 and heads to the gym?

I thought he was nuts. I’m an early riser, but not that early. But, everybody’s got their routine and that’s what makes him comfortable. He has such a mature approach to the game. He’s willing to do the work it takes to help him get his game where he wants to go. The kid is getting 600 shots up starting at 5 a.m, every day. I just love that commitment. That spills over to the other guys on our roster. It’s what being a leader is about. That’s the type of guy we want in our program, and it’s the work ethic I saw with Ayo Dosunmu. Terrence is from Chicago, so he’s at home with us. I feel great about him.

You also acquired a national champion and former Baylor standout in Matthew Mayer. What does he bring to the table?

Matt’s a guy who has been to where we want to go. That’s why he was highly sought after, because he’s a winner. I really took notice of him when we played Baylor in Indianapolis in the 2020-21 season. Matt kicked our tail. We’re getting a guy who’s won a ton of games, who’s a tough shot maker, and will get us 6-7 rebounds a game. He’s got a great understanding of his role, and what he wants to do for us. His leadership and understanding of winning are really invaluable.

Focusing on your freshman class and particularly the guard play, what makes Ty Rodgers and Skyy Clark unique? 

Let’s start with Ty. He can best be described with one word: winner, winner, winner. I think he impacted winning at the high school level as much as any player I’ve ever evaluated. His value to his team in so many facets just stuck out time and again. He’s an excellent defender and an elite passer. He fits who we’re trying to be, with an ability to guard 1-4. Hell, he might be able to guard some 5s. Ty’s also a guy that has a very, very mature approach to the game that I haven’t seen in freshmen. He took just 10 shots for USA Basketball in the Americas Tournament this summer. Just 10 shots in the whole tournament. And yet, the coaching staff raved about him doing whatever it takes to win. He’s already a joy to coach.

As for Skyy, his recovery from an ACL injury that sidelined him for his senior year of high school has been great. He had a very productive summer, and we got him at full speed for a handful of workouts. He’s starting to get stronger, and our next step is to get him back into full game shape. We’re happy with the strides he has made. I think what’s interesting about his injury recovery is that while he couldn’t run or go full speed, it allowed him to really analyze his shot technique and work on that. He just didn’t have freedom to do other stuff. Skyy’s great in ball screens and can be a threat in the open court. We will need him from the get-go.

Back to the overall state of the Big Ten, what do you make of USC and UCLA joining the conference?

I’m excited as heck. I’m really fired up. You’re talking about two great programs. UCLA is one of the marquee brands in the history of the game. Then you look at the job Andy’s [Enfield] done [at USC], that’s a winning program. What both of them bring to football as well is awesome. I’m someone who has the mindset of "go big" when it comes to conference expansion. That’s my philosophy, so I’m excited. They’re going to bring a lot to us, and make this league a hell of a lot tougher, but that’s a positive thing.

Would you change the NCAA Tournament structure? 

I’ll be honest — I love it the way it is. I love the fact that Illinois as a No. 1 seed can get beat by somebody. That makes it what it is. It’s the best event ever. Do I know if it should expand? I don’t know how we would do that. With conference realignment only forging on, you wonder how that impacts the tournament and if a change will be needed, but I love it the way it is. You don’t want to lose the Cinderella stories and drama that happens, because that’s what makes the tournament great. 

You said earlier that it’s only a matter of time until the Illini make a deep March Madness run. Why do you believe that?

There’s a total package here. Between the top-tier talent that the staff has not just recruited, but developed, plus a hungry fan base that is so passionate, and real support from the administration, all of the things you want in a championship-caliber program are here. 

And it’s gotten better. We’ve got a brand new practice facility that’s opened up. We just got in the gym and the weight room, locker room and training room are all opening up this week. We’re really excited about opening up our new home. It shows an unbelievable commitment that our AD Josh Whitman has made. This is a project that cost over $40 million. I have an AD who’s helped me so much in fighting my fight and getting Illinois basketball back to its rightful place. All of these things and all of these commitments don’t just happen with the head coach. It speaks volumes about putting everything together in the right place.

You get to spend a week with any 1-2 coaches in the country. Who would you shadow? 

Before they both retired, Bob McKillop at Davidson and Jay Wright at Villanova. Their schemes and the culture they built at those programs [are things] I admire. 

Could you see Illinois being the job you spend the rest of your coaching career at? 

Absolutely. It’s a really good job. I’ve got a great athletic director. You never say never because people can leave and things can change on a dime. I love the Big Ten, love my AD and I love the direction we’re going. 

To say I’m content? You won’t get me to say that because we’re still climbing the mountain, and we’re not there yet, but I’m a happy man at Illinois. This is a special place.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.