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College Basketball: Ranking the top coaching moves of 2017-18 offseason

By Taylor Sturm

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Georgetown University athletic director Lee Reed introduces NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach at John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Georgetown University athletic director Lee Reed introduces NBA Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas player Patrick Ewing as the Georgetown Hoyas' new head basketball coach at John Thompson Jr. Athletic Center on April 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks reacts in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 20, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks reacts in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 20, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

No. 8 Brad Underwood to Illinois

After being one of the most talked about names in college basketball whenever a coaching vacancy became available during his time at Stephen F. Austin, Brad Underwood took his talents to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the 2016-17 season. The Cowboys would lose to Michigan in the 2017 NCAA Tournament on March 17, and he would be hired as the head coach of Illinois on March 18.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have always been a mid-level team in the Big Ten, but have the capability to be so much more. The addition of Underwood points to a concerted effort by the school to become relevant in the college basketball landscape, and he is already moving the team forward.

The addition of several four-star recruits in Mark Smith and Trent Frazier lead the 2017 recruiting class and, while I do not expect this team to be an NCAA Tournament team next season, I do expect them to be one in two years. Underwood is a phenomenal coach when it comes to preparing his team for a game, which is how Stephen F. Austin was able to defeat VCU in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and No. 3 seeded West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

Illinois is on the right path, and the hiring of Underwood is a step on the long road to college basketball relevancy in a convoluted conference.

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