Illinois head men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood has a reputation for being a hothead. But on Sunday, the Illini head whistle showed a softer side.
Before Illinois’ game against Chicago State, Underwood gifted a basketball signed by the entire team to the wife of Big Ten Network announcer Mike Hall. Hall’s wife, Linda, is an Illinois graduate and, of course, a big fan of the basketball program. Last month, the couple went public with Linda’s breast cancer diagnosis, hoping to encourage women in similar situations to get screened.
Well done, @IlliniMBB 👏
Brad Underwood gave @MikeHallHere a basketball autographed by the team for his wife, Linda, an Illinois grad, who starts chemo for breast cancer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/tZjjYOY9fo
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 29, 2024
“It was such a lovely gesture,” Hall, who was on the call for Sunday’s game, said on the broadcast. “My wife, about a month ago, found out that she had breast cancer…the next journey is chemo, which starts tomorrow. The outpouring of support and love from friends, from acquaintances, from strangers, has been just a delightful slice of human decency at a time when we really needed it.
“My wife’s a huge Illini hoops fan, so she’s going to freak out when she sees it. The only reason we went public, she wasn’t sure what it was and almost did nothing. But some of her friends were openly talking about that they were fighting breast cancer, and it made her think, ‘Maybe I need to get this checked out.’ And because she did, hopefully it looks like we found it early. So she wants other people to know, if you see or feel anything that you think could be (cancer), please do yourself the service of going to your doctor.”
The moment is a sober reminder that there are always things bigger in life than sports. Underwood’s gesture certainly won’t go unnoticed in the Hall household.
[Big Ten Network]
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.