Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
According to Gavin Good, the program reached a deal with Underwood to extend his contract through 2026. He gets a salary bump to $3.4 million annually, and it’ll eventually hit $4 million. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Per an #Illini release, Brad Underwood’s contract has been extended three years through 2026.
Underwood’s base salary is bumped up to $3.4 million per year & will gradually increase to $4 million per year.
Assistants all get raises + extensions through 2022.
— Gavin Good (@itsallG_O_O_D) March 2, 2020
While Underwood’s first couple seasons with the Fighting Illini were absolutely brutal, he now has his guys rolling.
Illinois is currently 20-9, tied for second in the Big 10 and they’re playing some of the best basketball in the country.
There’s nobody who is eager to play Illinois. That much I can guarantee you as somebody who watches a ton of B1G basketball.
His success also goes to show that you sometimes have to trust the process. After his horrific first two seasons, there are probably plenty of people who would have thrown in the towel.
View this post on Instagram
Instead, Illinois rode the wave with him, and he now has them in outstanding tournament position. Sometimes you just have to give the situation plenty of time.
We’ll have to see how Underwood can close out the season through the B1G tournament, but they’re a lock for March Madness.
View this post on Instagram
That’s a hell of a turnaround from where they were a couple years ago.