Illinois
Brad Underwood contract buyout: What Illinois basketball coach owes if he leaves for another team
Brad Underwood coached Illinois basketball to the NCAA Elite Eight this season.
The coach’s sustained success at the Big Ten Conference program means his name has surfaced in media reports as a possible replacement at Kentucky following coach John Calipari’s reported departure to Arkansas.
Underwood just completed his seventh and most successful season at Illinois. The 60-year-old led the Illini to the Big Ten Conference tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. His Fighting Illini teams are 117-49 over the last five seasons, including a 69-31 record in the Big Ten in that span.
KENTUCKY BASKETBALL: Could Brad Underwood be the next Kentucky basketball coach? He is being mentioned
Underwood was hired by Illinois in March 2017 after one season at Oklahoma State. He originally signed a six-year contract — but earned one-year extensions to that contract in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Underwood’s success this season helped add to the deal, earning him $160,000 in bonuses and triggering a one-year extension. The coach’s contract now runs through April 30, 2030, and includes a buyout.
Here’s everything to know about Underwood’s contract, including his buyout:
At $4.7 million this season, Underwood’s compensation is eighth among college basketball’s highest-paid coaches at public schools, according to a USA TODAY database. In the Big Ten, he trails only Michigan State’s Tom Izzo ($6.2 million). Kansas coach Bill Self ($9.6 million) tops the list.
Illinois’ appearance in the just concluded NCAA Tournament resulted in his contract being automatically extended for one year, so if Underwood were to leave Illinois for a job at a school outside the Big Ten, he would owe Illinois about $15.3 million. If Underwood were to take a job at a Big Ten school, he would owe double what he would owe if he left for a non-Big Ten school.
If Illinois were to fire Underwood without cause, the school would owe him about $30.6 million, subject to Underwood having a duty to find another job and Illinois being entitled to offset its payment to Underwood based on his income from the new position. At present, Illinois’ buyout payments to Underwood would be made in monthly installments through the end of the scheduled contract term, which is now April 30, 2030.
What’s next for Illinois basketball? Transfer portal, NBA, recruiting and more
- Career record: 251-115 (11 seasons)
- Stephen F. Austin (3 seasons, 2013-16): 89-14, 53-1 Southland
- Oklahoma State (1 season, 2016-17): 20-13, 9-9 Big 12
- Illinois (7 seasons, 2017-present): 142-88, 80-58 Big Ten
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
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