Oklahoma State University Athletics
Underwood On Cowboy Basketball, Coaching Style And Family
March 22, 2016 | Cowboy Basketball
STILLWATER – Things moved fast on Monday night, but OKState.com had a chance to catch up with new Cowboy basketball coach Brad Underwood on his thoughts about Oklahoma State, his reverence for our culture and his basketball philosophies.
OKState.com: Welcome aboard, coach Underwood, and congratulations. What excites you most about being the head coach at Oklahoma State?
Brad Underwood: "Oklahoma State is one of the elite jobs in America. When you look at the Big 12, the history and culture of Oklahoma State basketball, it's unparalleled. All of these things mean a great deal to me. 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. Oklahoma State has unparalleled tradition. You're talking about one of the greatest coaches of all time in Mr. Henry Iba. His influence on the game is monumental. I was very fortunate to play for one of his people in Jack Hartman, and he helped me get to know coach Iba during my playing days. And then you fast forward to one of the game's winningest coaches in Eddie Sutton, who is no doubt a hall of famer, in my opinion."
OKState.com: What comes to mind when you think about Gallagher-Iba Arena and Cowboy basketball?
BU: "The history and the culture. Being able to play in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Going in there as a player 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 history of college basketball. The fan support, the noise and the unparalleled home court advantage is what I remember most about Gallagher-Iba Arena, and that excites me. The future is extremely bright, and there are so many positives to build upon. I look forward to the opportunity."
OKState.com: What is the most important thing to you as you begin your journey at OSU?
BU: "With me, everything starts with my family. We incorporate family into our program, and that entails our fans and every part of OSU. I use the term family a lot. I want everybody to be a part of this and enjoy the opportunity. I want our students to be a part of memorable nights coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena. I want it to be a part of what they talk about when they look back on their student experience. We're going to have a lot of fun. I'm a very people-oriented person. I'm from up the road just a few hours North in McPherson, Kansas. I'm one of you. I'm an Oklahoma State person – I believe that. And I'm excited as heck about the opportunity to get to know the community of Stillwater, and the OSU family."
OKState.com: Tell OSU fans about your basketball philosophy.
BU: "It all starts on the defensive side for us. It's aggressive, hard-nosed, tough man-to-man defense. You win games with offense, but you win championships with defense and rebounding. Those are old-school beliefs that still ring true today. We're going to try to be extremely consistent in our efforts every single day. From an offensive standpoint, we've always been a team that scores around 79 to 80 points per game. We're capable of playing very fast, but we're an execution-based and efficient team. A year ago we led the country in assists per game, and this year we were second. I think that plays into being a well-rounded basketball team. I'm very big on selfless basketball, and that shapes our philosophy on the offensive and defensive side of the ball."
OKState.com: We all know about the great work you've done at SFA, but who are the basketball influences that helped shape your program?
BU: "I've been very fortunate to have been around some very good people, starting in high school in McPherson, Kansas. Jack Hartman was instrumental in my development as a player. Then to have worked with Jim Kerwin for 10 years at Western Illinois. He was a former Stillwater High School coach, as well as an assistant at Oklahoma. Bob Huggins and Frank Martin are two of the best in the business, so I just tried to adapt and learn and take the best from each of these great coaches and place them within my personality. I'm going to be who I am, but being surrounded by such great coaches throughout my career I would be foolish if I didn't take things from every person I've worked with."
OKState.com: Welcome aboard, coach Underwood, and congratulations. What excites you most about being the head coach at Oklahoma State?
Brad Underwood: "Oklahoma State is one of the elite jobs in America. When you look at the Big 12, the history and culture of Oklahoma State basketball, it's unparalleled. All of these things mean a great deal to me. 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. Oklahoma State has unparalleled tradition. You're talking about one of the greatest coaches of all time in Mr. Henry Iba. His influence on the game is monumental. I was very fortunate to play for one of his people in Jack Hartman, and he helped me get to know coach Iba during my playing days. And then you fast forward to one of the game's winningest coaches in Eddie Sutton, who is no doubt a hall of famer, in my opinion."
OKState.com: What comes to mind when you think about Gallagher-Iba Arena and Cowboy basketball?
BU: "The history and the culture. Being able to play in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Going in there as a player 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 history of college basketball. The fan support, the noise and the unparalleled home court advantage is what I remember most about Gallagher-Iba Arena, and that excites me. The future is extremely bright, and there are so many positives to build upon. I look forward to the opportunity."
OKState.com: What is the most important thing to you as you begin your journey at OSU?
BU: "With me, everything starts with my family. We incorporate family into our program, and that entails our fans and every part of OSU. I use the term family a lot. I want everybody to be a part of this and enjoy the opportunity. I want our students to be a part of memorable nights coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena. I want it to be a part of what they talk about when they look back on their student experience. We're going to have a lot of fun. I'm a very people-oriented person. I'm from up the road just a few hours North in McPherson, Kansas. I'm one of you. I'm an Oklahoma State person – I believe that. And I'm excited as heck about the opportunity to get to know the community of Stillwater, and the OSU family."
OKState.com: Tell OSU fans about your basketball philosophy.
BU: "It all starts on the defensive side for us. It's aggressive, hard-nosed, tough man-to-man defense. You win games with offense, but you win championships with defense and rebounding. Those are old-school beliefs that still ring true today. We're going to try to be extremely consistent in our efforts every single day. From an offensive standpoint, we've always been a team that scores around 79 to 80 points per game. We're capable of playing very fast, but we're an execution-based and efficient team. A year ago we led the country in assists per game, and this year we were second. I think that plays into being a well-rounded basketball team. I'm very big on selfless basketball, and that shapes our philosophy on the offensive and defensive side of the ball."
OKState.com: We all know about the great work you've done at SFA, but who are the basketball influences that helped shape your program?
BU: "I've been very fortunate to have been around some very good people, starting in high school in McPherson, Kansas. Jack Hartman was instrumental in my development as a player. Then to have worked with Jim Kerwin for 10 years at Western Illinois. He was a former Stillwater High School coach, as well as an assistant at Oklahoma. Bob Huggins and Frank Martin are two of the best in the business, so I just tried to adapt and learn and take the best from each of these great coaches and place them within my personality. I'm going to be who I am, but being surrounded by such great coaches throughout my career I would be foolish if I didn't take things from every person I've worked with."
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