Mike Holder: ‘Brad Underwood is going to be a great fit for Oklahoma State’

Mike Holder discussed on Monday evening why he hired Brad Underwood to be the 19th basketball coach at Oklahoma State.

“I named three things that I was looking for in the new head basketball coach at Oklahoma State: character, coaching style and fit,” Holder said. “Brad Underwood gets the highest marks in each of those categories.”

I can’t speak for his character, but he’s right about the other two. Underwood is from Kansas, played in the Big 8 and coached one of the most tenacious defenses in the nation last season. SFA was first (out of 350+ NCAA teams) in turnover percentage on defense.

That’s something I can get fired up about.

“He played in the Big Eight for Jack Hartman, a disciple of Henry Iba,” said Holder. “He has coached and recruited in the Big 12, and has been very successful as a head coach in one of our prime recruiting grounds in the state of Texas.”

I very much agree with this next part Holder said about Kansas State.

“K-State is a sister institution with Oklahoma State in a lot of ways, so anyone who graduates from there and lives in Manhattan is probably going to connect quickly with our fans and our people. And as for character, everyone around him speaks of him as the great friend, father and person he is. In my opinion, Brad Underwood is going to be a great fit for Oklahoma State.”

I hope he’s right.