Illini Coach Brad Underwood Reveals Heart-Wrenching Family Struggles After Leaving Oklahoma State

An assaulted son and vandalized car were among the responses of his Stillwater departure

Nick Shepkowski | Oct 1, 2024

Mar 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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Big Ten Basketball Media Days come this week and Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has one of the conference favorites in the freshly expanded league.

Underwood and the Fighting Illini reached the Elite 8 Eight last season before falling to eventual national champion Connecticut. Although Underwood and the Illini have seen great success of late, it wasn't always an easy path in Champaign, and the path just to get to Central Illinois was perhaps even more challenging.

Brad Underwood Details Difficulties on Family Upon Leaving for Illinois

In a clip that was released by What Drives Winning in March but has resurfaced recently online, Brad Underwood was asked about making the move from Oklahoma State to Illinois.

"If they hate you when you leave, you did a good job," said Underwood, but he shared some troubling details of the impact the move had on his family.

Underwood shared that his son Tyler, who was an Oklahoma State senior at the time, was "roughed up one night coming out of the rec center," and that it wasn't easy on his wife Susan or his daughters, either.

"My girls had their car vandalized at the high school, smoothies poured on them, you know, that kind of stuff," added Underwood.

What Brad Underwood Used As Lesson From Reactions

"It's their problem not ours," is what Underwood said he told his family after the events, "And we didn't do anything wrong."

"Try to laugh it off and try and understand the severity of it and it was going to be uncomfortable for a moment and it shows how strong my wife is because she was there the whole time and she had to deal with going to the grocery store or to church and feeling that 'you left us' kind of looks and things."

Brad Underwood Full Clip

You can see the entire clip of Brad Underwood discussing departing Oklahoma State below. Thanks to Ryan Foran for putting this back out there just days before Media Days in what is hopefully a season to remember for Illinois basketball.