Bob Asmussen | Bielema fired up about basketball team's success
Mar. 19—CHAMPAIGN — When Bret Bielema first considered coming to Illinois as football coach, one of the people he heard from early was Illini men's basketball coach Brad Underwood.
"Josh (Whitman) called me on Monday. I think Brad called me on Tuesday during the recruiting process," Bielema said.
They hit it off swimmingly and have a built a friendship the last four years.
"For the first time in my career, I'm in the same age category and background and history as my head basketball coach," Bielema said during a Monday press conference on Zoom.
When Underwood's Illini beat Wisconsin on Sunday to take the Big Ten tournament title, Bielema was fired up.
"I couldn't be more excited," Bielema said.
He won't be attending Illinois' NCAA tournament game Thursday against Morehead State in Omaha, Neb. His own Illinois team has practice that day and will also host its annual coaching clinic on campus.
"I will watch every chance I get," said Bielema, who attended games at State Farm Center during the season.
The players on both teams are close. Bielema likes the connection.
The fourth-year Illinois coach has always been a basketball fan of the programs where he worked.
First, came Iowa, which is also his alma mater. Tom Davis was in charge of the Hawkeyes when Bielema played and coached with Hayden Fry.
Bielema went from Iowa to Kansas State, where Jim Wooldrige had a mediocre run while the football team won big.
Next for Bielema, Wisconsin. The Badgers were led for Bielema's entire nine years by Naismith Hall of Fame nominee Bo Ryan.
Current Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was an assistant to Ryan during Bielema's time there.
Mike Anderson coached the Arkansas men's basketball team during Bielema's five seasons, reaching the NCAA tournament twice. One time, the Razorbacks made the Sweet 16.
No surprise, one of Bielema's favorite Illinois basketball players is Dain Dainja, who looks like he would be an asset on the defensive line or at tight end.
Back at it
Illinois opens spring practice on Tuesday morning. For the next five weeks, the team will work out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Mostly in the mornings.
The spring game is scheduled for April 20 and will air on BTN.
Some schools aren't scrimmaging in the spring. But Bielema thinks it is important to see his team in live action.
The team will be without a handful of key players during the spring, starting with tailback Kaden Feagin. Feagin
"He's come along great," Bielema said about the Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond product who rushed for 438 yards in 2023 but missed the end of last season because of a shoulder injury. "He looks good."
Others on the sidelines include tight end Henry Boyer, linebacker Kenenna Odeluga, linebacker James Kreutz, and defensive backs Xavier Scott and Matt Bailey.
"He is right on the cusp of being ready," Bielema said.
With Feagin sidelined, Josh McCray and Aidan Laughery will get the bulk of the spring carries with the first unit.
The team is made up almost entirely of Bielema recruits, unlike a year ago when many of the key players came to Illinois during the Lovie Smith era.
What does Bielema want to see from his team?
"It's really growth," he said. "Some guys are going to jump out."
Taking chargeOne of the early questions to Bielema was about returning starting quarterback Luke Altmyer. Altmyer threw for 1,883 yards and started nine games before getting injured and then replaced by John Paddock last November.
"One of the things Luke brings to the table is a skillset throwing-wise that I don't know that I've had a quarterback that has as good a skilllset throwing the ball as him," Bielema said.
Remember, Bielema once coached Russell Wilson, who later won a Super Bowl.
"He's got the ability to throw the deep ball, the short ball, the intermediate ball," Bielema said, "and he has nice touch."
