Brad Underwood on a Mission to Restore Oklahoma State to Glory

NEWARK — Brad Underwood knows that Kansas has been the gold standard in the Big 12 Conference for more than a decade now, but the new Oklahoma State coach is on a mission to restore the Cowboys to glory.

Bill Self and the Jayhawks have earned at least a share of the Big 12 title for 12 straight years, but Underwood says the Cowboys should consistently challenge them for league supremacy.

“Absolutely, it should happen, it should happen,” he told me on Friday at the Brayden Carr Foundation Coaches Clinic at Prudential Center. “We have very passionate, educated fans and when you have Mr. [Henry] Iba, you have Eddie Sutton and you have an arena [Gallagher-Iba] which to this day is the loudest arena I’ve ever been in in my life as a player and as a coach, we’ll get back to that.

“And we do that then we become a relevant name again and that’s something that’s not just our goal, but I think it’s the place we belong.”