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Jay Bilas ‘Surprised’ by Underwood’s OSU Departure

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We can now count Jay Bilas among those taken aback by Brad Underwood’s choice to leave OSU for Illinois earlier this spring.

In an interview with The Oklahoman this week, the long-time ESPN personality says he was “surprised” by Underwood’s decision–attributing it in part to the coaching culture we live in—and placing more blame on the administrators involved than the coaches when it comes to similar situations like Underwood’s.

“I was surprised, because I didn’t see it coming, just like I was surprised with the Thad Matta thing at Ohio State,” Bilas said. “It’s hard to rail on it, because on the one hand, you’d like to say, ‘Wait a minute, (Underwood) signed a contract’ and all this stuff, but that’s kind of the way the game goes, if he feels like that’s a better opportunity. But I felt like when he took the job that Oklahoma State was a destination for him. I’m still kind of wrapping my head around that this is not the same as it was. People aren’t staying anywhere 20 years anymore. It’s different. These dream jobs don’t open up, and if that is (Underwood’s) dream job — and I take him at his word that it is — then Illinois should expect him to stick around a long time. But that’s a gut punch when you hire somebody and you think you’ve got your guy. Not many athletic directors are thinking, ‘OK, I need to update my list (of prospective hires) after Year One.’ They had to feel pretty comfortable that he was gonna stay there. I don’t blame the coaches for the decisions they make. I blame the administrators. If they really cared about competitive balance, they wouldn’t take other people’s coaches like that. They wouldn’t go in through the back door and ask them to break their contracts.” [NewsOK]

Illinois paid Oklahoma State a hefty amount to buy out the remainder of Underwood’s contract to bring him in as the head man in Champaign, and interestingly, Bilas says the administrators involvement (such as when the Illinois AD paid a visit to Underwood immediately following OSU’s first round NCAA Tournament loss) is to blame.

Fortunately (or in this case, unfortunately) that’s the world we live in today. Illinois wanted Underwood, so they went and got him. It sounds like funny business, but it’s business nonetheless.

Bilas also added that he feels Underwood’s successor, Mike Boynton, will do a swell job – so long as he can win in the recruiting game.

“I think Mike Boynton will do a good job (at OSU). They’ll have to recruit really well. They’ve got some good pieces, but you lose Jawun Evans, it’s gonna be a hit. They don’t have a lot of those waiting in the wings to step in. But he’ll do a good job. He’s a good coach.”

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