What will Antigua and Coleman bring to the program?
Kyle Tucker, Kentucky beat writer: Antigua has been on a lot of UK fans’ wish list for a long time. He was an integral part of recruiting and developing the best teams of the Calipari era in those first five years. The Cats went 38-1 the season after he left but have not been back to the Final Four since, in part because of a slight but significant dip in securing the truly elite recruits. While he flamed out as a head coach at South Florida, Antigua went right back to star assistant status at Illinois, helping put that proud program back into the national spotlight.
Coleman is another ace recruiter with deep ties to talent-rich Chicago, his hometown. He coached the Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire on the Nike grassroots circuit for several years — where he tutored future lottery picks Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor and Meyers Leonard — before jumping to Division I on Tim Miles’ staff at Colorado State (and then Nebraska). He coached at Bradley and the University of Illinois at Chicago before Underwood hired him at Illinois in 2017 to keep local talent home. He nailed that assignment, landing star Ayo Dosunmu and top-40 recruit Adam Miller.
How does UK move forward after last season?
Tucker: Well, these staff moves are a big part of that process. Calipari is at his best when backed into a corner, and a 9-16 season at Kentucky qualifies. He has loaded up on impact transfers in Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia), C.J. Fredrick (Iowa) and Kellan Grady (Davidson), has a top-10 recruit (Daimion Collins) coming in to patrol the paint and now just needs a high-level point guard. Uncommitted five-star TyTy Washington appears to be the top priority there, and the Wildcats are locked in a battle with Arizona (among others, but this seems to be a two-horse race now).
Now that they’re official, Antigua and Coleman can jump in and try to help Calipari close that deal. And if Davion Mintz stays in the NBA draft, Kentucky will still need at least one more backcourt piece. This new duo of assistants should be very useful in filling that spot.
What’s next for the Illinois staff?
Brian Hamilton, senior college basketball writer: No denying it’s a momentous shake-up for Brad Underwood. He can’t miss on the replacements if the program aims to maintain its current trajectory. But Stephen Gentry remains to mastermind the offense, which gives Illinois a strong foothold. And if the school is willing to pay well, as it did for Antigua and Coleman, Underwood can take big swings. Making at least one hire with direct ties to Illinois or the in-state talent pipeline — or both — makes too much sense. Some (admittedly speculative) names to watch? Roger Powell, Dee Brown, Chester Frazier, Nick Irvin, among others.
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