Written by Nicole Auerbach at USAToday.com
Oklahoma State has announced that former Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood will become its new head men’s basketball coach.
“There’s not enough adjectives to describe how excited I am for the opportunity to coach where some of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball have cut their teeth,” Underwood said in a statement Monday night.
“Oklahoma State has unparalleled tradition, history and culture. The fan support, the noise and the home court advantage is what I remember most about Gallagher-Iba Arena, and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of that now. I played in Gallagher-Iba back in the Big Eight days, and then going back as an opposing coach, I can tell you that it’s one of the best venues in the nation. We’re going to have a lot of fun, and I’m excited as heck about the opportunity to get to know the community of Stillwater, and the OSU family.”
Underwood went 89-14 in three seasons at Stephen F. Austin — which ties Butler’s Brad Stevens as the best three-year start for a head coach at an NCAA school — and is coming off a second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, a heartbreaking loss to No. 6 seed Notre Dame which followed an upset of No. 3 West Virginia two nights before. Underwood was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year three times.
There is no question Brad has elevated our men’s basketball program, athletic department and University to a national brand,” Stephen F. Austin athletics director Robert Hill said in a statement. “We will always be indebted to him for what he was able to accomplish. He engrained himself into the community and campus and there is no place he isn’t admired and well liked. I expect to see him accepting a national championship trophy before he completes his career. We wish him only the best.”
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