From the moment Brad Underwood was officially introduced as the head coach of Illinois basketball, his desire to re-establish Champaign as a destination for top local stars was evident.
"There's no question that this state produces a lot of elite talent. And we're the University of Illinois. Chicago, downstate, wherever, we want the best players in this state to come to this university. We're going to do everything we can to recruit those players.”
Fast-forward seven months and Underwood has done exactly that and more while accomplishing what his predecessor failed to do.
It started in April, when the Fighting Illini finally beat out the likes of Michigan State and Kentucky by signing four-star guard Mark Smith.