Illinois on SI looks back at Brad Underwood’s strongest lineup construction, with an updated “All-Brad Underwood” starting five

A new Illinois on SI exercise revisits the best starting group assembled during Brad Underwood’s nearly decade-long run in Champaign, highlighting how the Illini’s talent development has become harder to reduce to five players.

By The Apex Times Newsroom3 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Illinois on SI published a ranking-style feature that attempts to do something increasingly difficult in the Brad Underwood era at Illinois, choose one definitive starting five from nearly a decade of scholarship recruiting, roster construction, and player development. The article frames the exercise as a moving target, noting that the list has had to be revisited as Underwood’s teams have continued to produce NBA-caliber talent and NBA Draft-level prospects.

The piece emphasizes the program’s recent draft impact, stating that in the past three years Illinois has produced four first-round picks, and that two of those players are included in the updated edition of its “All-Brad Underwood Illinois Starting Five.” The underlying point is not simply that the Illini have recruited talent, but that they have developed it in a way that has translated to the highest tier of the NBA Draft.

Underwood took over Illinois with a clear identity-building task: install an offense and a defensive baseline while also turning new recruits and transfers into consistent contributors. This kind of sustained roster iteration typically makes “best lineup” arguments harder over time because the standard pool keeps expanding. Illinois on SI’s updated approach, as described in the feature, is meant to account for that growth rather than treat Underwood’s earlier players as the only frame of reference.

A useful way to interpret the feature is as a measure of how Illinois’ player development has become a repeatable strength. In the same preview materials for the story, the publication describes Underwood as signing and then developing as much talent as any coach in the program’s long history, and that claim is anchored to the recent wave of first-round draft results it highlights.

The updated “Starting Five” angle also matters because Illinois’ roster-building priorities tend to show up in the mix of positions across multiple seasons, not just at one spot on the floor. When a program can repeatedly send lottery-level talent (and other first-round profiles) into the NBA, it usually reflects a broader staffing and development framework, including recruiting to fit the system, using continuity to grow players year to year, and coaching to maximize strengths within role-defined assignments.

Of course, a fan-era “best starting five” exercise is not the same as an official all-time roster list, and Illinois on SI is ultimately making a subjective selection. Without the full lineup details in the materials available here, the most defensible takeaway from the feature is the trend it points to: Underwood’s Illini have continued to produce first-round-caliber outcomes, to the extent that even narrowing the era down to one five-man unit requires updating.

Looking ahead, the story’s premise suggests what Illinois supporters are watching next, whether the program can sustain that level of production and whether future drafts will add more names that compete for the top-five “Underwood era” spots. With each new high-end prospect, the debate becomes less about whether Illinois can develop elite players and more about which specific group best represents the peak combination of talent and coaching across the Underwood timeline.

Why It Matters

A steady stream of first-round NBA outcomes raises the baseline for what Illinois is expected to recruit and develop each year.
“All-era” starting five debates highlight how roster building across positions becomes central to program identity, not just individual star power.
If the Illini can keep turning players into first-round selections, it affects national perception and recruiting momentum going into future classes.
Features like this can shape how fans and analysts remember an era, especially when the list must be updated after each new draft cycle.

Sources

Key Facts

Illinois on SI published an updated “All-Brad Underwood Illinois Starting Five” feature that revisits the best Underwood-era starting lineup.
The article describes the exercise as increasingly difficult due to the number of high-level players produced during Underwood’s nearly decade at Illinois.
The feature states that in the past three years Illinois produced four first-round NBA Draft picks.
It also says two of those players are included in the updated “Starting Five.”
The feature portrays Underwood’s role as both signing talent and developing it, framing the result as among the program’s best in its history.