Illinois has lost three of its top men’s basketball assistants since the season ended with Stephen Gentry announcing Friday he accepted a position at Gonzaga.
He follows Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman, who both left Champaign earlier this month to join Kentucky.
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Gentry was a former walk-on with the Bulldogs from 2002-06. He worked on Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s staffs at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State before joining the Illini two seasons ago.
“Thank you Illinois for a tremendous two years,” a post on his Twitter page read, listing accomplishments such as earning a No. 1 seed for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. “It was the relationships forged through the chasing of these achievements that I will never forget and will always hold dear.”
Underwood on Friday announced Geoff Alexander, who served in an off-court capacity as an assistant to the head coach the last four seasons, was promoted to an assistant role.
Former Illinois guard Chester Frazier, who previously worked as an assistant at Virginia Tech and Kansas State, was hired earlier this month.
“Geoff has more than earned this opportunity,” Underwood said in a statement. “(H)e has been an integral part of the everyday operation of our program these past four years during a period of tremendous growth and success. He has countless connections throughout his home state of Illinois and extensive recruiting experience across the country and internationally from his previous stops.
“I’ve always said that Geoff is a student of the game. That love and passion he has for basketball comes through in his coaching. He has great relationships with our players and familiarity with our systems, making this a very smooth transition.”
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