Brad Underwood Leaves Impression On OSU Faithful

Oklahoma State players, fans, and notables gathered at Gallagher-Iba Arena Wednesday afternoon to welcome OSU’s new men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood.

"This day means a great deal to me; it's actually a dream come true," said Underwood. "I'm honored. It's my pleasure to stand on this court and I look forward to the opportunity.”

Coaching at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood won 89 games in three years and made the NCAA Tournament during each season. He teaches a style of play that is tough, hard-nosed and heavily influenced by OSU legend Henry Iba.

"We're gonna guard, we're gonna rebound, we're gonna make life tough as hell on everybody we play," explained Underwood.

Related Story: OSU Introduces New Men’s Basketball Head Coach Brad Underwood

OSU athletic director Mike Holder was also excited in the program's new direction.

“Today is a welcome but also a statement that we're all going to get this back together,” said Holder. “We're going to fill this arena back up.”

Underwood assured fans that as the Cowboys new head coach no guys would work harder than his players and that he was going to get the team back on track.

“It takes everybody to do this the way we want to do this,” he stated. “We're coming here to win. [I] told the players losings not an option. We're going to work.”

Underwood also urged students to attend games.

“We can't do this without you,” he said. “This is about filling this arena because of the tradition and the culture. The Iba's and the Sutton's, that's as big as it gets. We've got to have the students, the rowdiest arena?  We have to get back to that. We have to make this miserable for our opponents.”

As for finalizing his staff, “it’s a process” he says. But before putting the final pieces into play, Underwood will take a trip to New York to be a guest during NCAA Tournament coverage this weekend (on CBS).