CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood has long been a fan of EuroLeague basketball due to its cutting-edge style of play, offensive ingenuity and burgeoning talent that, among professional leagues, can only be superseded by the NBA.
Underwood has also dabbled in recruiting European players for a long time, dating back to his days as a junior college head coach during the George H.W. Bush administration and as an assistant coach under Frank Martin in South Carolina. But in those days, most of the top European talent stayed home, tied to lucrative contracts with European clubs.
No longer.
Underwood is part of a big transatlantic recruiting effort to bring Europe’s best amateur talent to America and the college basketball ranks. His 2024-25 team largely will be shaped by his two highest-profile European imports: Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis and Croatian center Tomislav Ivisic, two of the top-three European prospects in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports.
A global recruiting approach befitting a global university (about 24% of the UI student population is international students) — and what Underwood hopes is a growing global basketball brand.
“I thought it was a good fit when we got here just because of the international piece on campus,” Underwood said. “I’m a Euro basketball fan. I watch a lot of the Euro League, and I know how well they’re schooled and the coaching. I’ve always been a fan.”
The timing of this European influx at Illinois is the product of a few converging factors: 1) the Illini staff’s multi-year effort to make inroads in Europe; 2) the Illini’s rise back to prominence in the Big Ten and nationally; and 3) the ability to now legally compete financially with European clubs with the proliferation of NIL in college athletics.
What is certain is the international influx is not a temporary phenomenon for college basketball — nor for Illinois. As the NBA game has globalized during the last few decades, college basketball has followed suit. And the Illini are now one of the leading global recruiters in the sport with Jakucionis, Ivisic and Canadian five-star wing Will Riley starring for a reshaped 2024-25 Illini team that tips off its season Monday against Eastern Illinois.
“You see it in the NBA now. The international piece is real. It’s now the same with the college game,” said Illinois assistant Geoff Alexander, who has led the Illini’s European efforts. “I think you’re going to see really, really good international play from a lot of places.”
Illini Inquirer caught up with Underwood and Alexander to discuss the Illini’s decision to prioritize international recruiting efforts, their challenges and successes and their long-term outlook about recruiting overseas.
