Connect with us

Hoops

Hate Underwood For Leaving, But Blame Holder For Not Paying Him

Published

on

Brad Underwood told Oklahoma State fans lies, only because Mike Holder let him.

Underwood was hired as the Cowboys’ basketball coach in March 2016, and 362 days later he was gone. When he was introduced, he talked about packing Gallagher-Iba Arena, bringing back the tradition and how much of an honor it was to coach at OSU, even if he was the lowest-paid coach in the conference.

His new athletic director sat and marveled at how he hired the hottest commodity in the coaching world for the bottom dollar at a university that hadn’t been the same on the court in a decade, a university that Underwood had virtually no connection with while his alma mater was calling for his return.

If you believe this report then Holder and Underwood were off by about $500,000 at least for Year 1 of a new contract after it was revealed that Underwood would make $2.75 million in 2017-18 at Illinois.

Don’t argue that Holder couldn’t get that done. That’s hogwash. Maybe put the new football uniforms on hold for another year or two. Perhaps that Gundy deal can marinate for a little longer. That new baseball stadium can absolutely wait especially for who seemed to be the greatest hit in OSU basketball coaching history since Eddie Sutton.

In 2015-16, Oklahoma State generated almost $94 million in revenue last year. Frankly, not being able to pay a men’s basketball coach, proven or not, the Big 12 average at one of the most well-stocked athletic departments in the nation, is bunk.

Don’t tell him no. Tell him we will find a way to pay you more but still substantially less than you probably deserve. Build in clauses. Fight. But he did say no, or something like that, and Underwood walked. Can you hate him for that? Yes. Can you blame him for that? No.

Because Holder wouldn’t budge, now Underwood is talking to Fighting Illini fans.

Holder finally found a way to stop the bleeding for an historically successful men’s basketball program that had dropped off in attendance to the point where Big 12 players were performing in a virtually empty home gym. If you’re Holder, who cared whether Underwood won games. He turned that once-bare gym into an electric one. He sold tickets. He made money. And Holder let him go. Don’t take my word for it.

“I have nothing but good things to say about him,” Holder told The Oklahoman. “More important than the basketball is the way he bought into the Stillwater community, re-engaged the fan base. Kind of a dream come true in that aspect. In that matter, that was a lot more valuable than what happened on the court. He checked all the boxes.”

There are two men who Holder can hire who can maintain the attendance bar Underwood set, and only one of them is a realistic hire: Doug Gottlieb and Bill Self.

Take a guess which is the realistic one.

He wants it. He won’t leave. He will pack GIA. And he could redeem what happened in Stillwater Saturday afternoon. Bill Self is an OSU alum, too, but, yeah, let’s move on.

Gottlieb is the most obvious, financially fool-proof choice for an athletic department and athletic director that has demonstrated its frugality and interest.

It’s the only way to regain what trust OSU fans are willing to give to their athletic director again. Don’t make the same mistake twice.

Underwood deserved better. Good on Illinois for providing that.

It looks horrible for Underwood in the eyes of Cowboy fans. He seemingly went back on promises. He went back on the program he seemed so enthused about. Who knows how long he and Holder were negotiating a new contract, but maybe Underwood didn’t fight hard enough to stay.

Then again, why should he have to? He did all season by posting a 20-13 record.

That will never change the fact that OSU fans will see Underwood’s tenure as a mini-vacation rather than anything serious. That also won’t change the fact that Holder’s reputation as a contract dealer, coach manager and program director took a major hit that might not be repaired.

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media