Oklahoma State Hires Stephen F. Austin’s Brad Underwood

Stephen F. Austin head coach Brad Underwood has agreed to become the next head coach at Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma State athletic department has announced. Here’s what athletic director Mike Holder said in an official release from okstate.com:

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. He played in the Big Eight for Jack Hartman, a disciple of Henry Iba. 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. 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.

Underwood lead the Lumberjacks to an 89-14 overall record and a 53-1 mark in the Southland conference as the head coach, including multiple NCAA tournament appearances in 2014 and 2016 – winning the first round game in each appearance.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun, and I’m excited as heck about the opportunity to get to know the community of Stillwater and the OSU family,” Underwood said in a statement on Monday evening.

Stephen F. Austin finished the season 28-6 overall and an undefeated 18-0 record in conference play, which included a first round upset over West Virginia and a last second loss to Notre Dame on Sunday.