CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Illinois head men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood is feeling like a kid in a candy store. Why? He’s finally got his whole team together on campus ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“We’re back at it, we’re grinding,” Underwood said on Tuesday. “It’s go time… It’s the opportunity to really dig into those guys in terms of the character piece.”
The Illini are building chemistry and working hard from a strength and conditioning standpoint until official practices begin on Sept. 30.
“Everybody is going through something new right now, it’s exciting times,” Underwood said. “It’s fun to be out there with them.”
The Illini will have plenty of new faces on the court after losing their top four scorers. Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Quincey Guerrier all played their final season of college basketball in 2023-24, while Coleman Hawkins transferred to Kansas State over the offseason.
Underwood said the team has worked a lot on offense, but will transition to spending more time on defense in September. They’re also emphasizing leadership.
“We’re different,” Underwood said of his 2024-25 squad from a defensive perspective, compared to previous seasons. “I think we’re improved. I thought [defense] was one of the things last year that we struggled with a times.”
Underwood pointed out how size and length can help the Illini in the form of rim protecting, shooting over defenders and rebounding. Illinois has ten guys on the roster for the upcoming season listed as 6-foot-6 or taller.
“This team has a chance to be a great rebounding team on both ends of the court,” he said. “We’re really emphasizing that, but this is a team that has got to sit down and guard the basketball.”
Of course, with the regular season opener still two months away, the Illini are a work in progress.
“I don’t think we have the grit yet, I don’t think we have the toughness yet,” Underwood said. “I don’t think we have the understanding of what it takes to win a possession. Not just win a game but win a possession. And get a stop when you have to do that. We’ve got to grow into that, every team does, but I sure like the pieces.”
Underwood spoke with reporters ahead of the 100th annual Kiwanis Champaign-Urbana men’s basketball banquet/ celebration.
The Illini have an exhibition scheduled against Ole Miss on Oct. 27 before the regular season begins, in the State Farm Center, on Nov. 4 against Eastern Illinois.
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