BREAKING – Brad Underwood to Remain at SFA

Will he stay or will he go?

That has been the question on the minds of many SFA faithful fans concerning the status of Lumberjack basketball coach Brad Underwood. 

Thanks to the unparalleled success that the Jacks had this past season, the first year SFA coach has been mentioned in many conversations concerning job openings at programs such as Marshall and Missouri, however, it's the job vacancy at the University of Southern Mississippi that has generated the most rumors and reports over the past few days.  Most recently, reports at CBS Sports have indicated that Underwood had been offered the job with the Golden Eagles and that it was all but a done deal.

Heck...even Wikipedia lists him as the new coach at Southern Mississippi. Of course, Wikipedia relies on submissions and updates from people that sometimes end up being false.

However, Robert Hill, director of athletics at Stephen F Austin State University issued a statement through the SFA Basketball website that "Brad Underwood will remain with the university contrary to reports on several social media outlets."  If indeed this is the final word on the matter, then I for one will be among many jumping for joy.

There is a momentum and excitement to the basketball program that could lead SFA to become a mid-major powerhouse that could etch SFA as a fixture in the top-25 rankings with deep runs in the NCAA playoffs.  There is still a long way to go to reach those ideals, but Coach Underwood seems to be person that could lead the Jacks towards those goals.

There is still that part of me that says 'never say never' when it comes to the coaching carousel, but I'm hoping that the wheel for SFA has stopped and that Coach Brad Underwood remains a Lumberjack.