CHAMPAIGN – Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood was in a good mood Wednesday.
It might have still had a little to do with the feel good from the season, those 19 wins against teams from “the best league in the history of college basketball,’’ he said.
But, on a day reserved for upgrading the roster, whether it comes from a letter of intent through the fax or the email, Underwood gushed about the additions of guard Brandin Podziemski, forward RJ Melendez and transfer big man Omar Payne.
While searching to improve a program that rolled through the back half of the Big Ten Conference season and won the conference tournament before a quick exit in the NCAA bracket, Underwood identified a need to improve the athleticism along the perimeter, where he also pointed to adding shooters and length.
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