Before the season began, I wrote about how this could be a potential make it or break it year for Brad Underwood. Not necessarily for his job security, but more so for the fanbase.
Much of Illini nation began to grow impatient after multiple early tournament exits, especially considering the level of talent those teams had. Now that the Illini are in the final four, the monkey on his back has been lifted.
Underwood and the rest of his staff deserve credit for the way this season has gone. This roster
was rebuilt about as well as it could have been in one offseason. Retaining Kylan Boswell and Tomislav Ivisic was extremely important. But so many newcomers have made huge impacts.
Keaton Wagler has obviously been a star, David Mirkovic gives this team toughness down low and has a rare arsenal of offensive skill for his size, Andrej Stojakovic can get to the rim whenever he would like, and Zvonimir Ivisic has been the paint protector this team has missed the past few seasons. I’m not really sure this staff could have done a better job piecing this roster together this season.
This staff has always been great at evaluating talent/ roster building, but in my opinion this season has been the best job they have done since Brad Underwood arrived in 2017. They have arguably a top-five roster in all of college basketball, yet you never see their payroll listed as one of the highest in the country. That just goes to show how elite this coaching staff is at evaluating talent.
They have truly built one of the best teams in school history.
So, enjoy this season.
Celebrate it, keep these great memories in your mind as vividly and as long as possible because seasons like this don’t come around often. And once the season is over, take a moment to reflect on where this program is at right now. Has it truly been in a better place than it is right now?
You could argue during the late 1980s or early 2000s, but regardless there is no doubt this is one of the absolute best times to be an Illini fan. And you can thank Brad Underwood and his staff for making this possible.
