Illinois coach Brad Underwood spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon and covered a myriad of topics, including the hiring of new assistant coach Chester Frazier.

Illinois hired Frazier to fill one of its two assistant coaching vacancies. Both Orlando Antigua and Ron Coleman left this offseason for similar jobs at Kentucky.

“I’ve very much been looking for someone who has a vested interest in Illinois basketball and winning Big Ten basketball,” Underwood said. “There was nobody better than [Frazier].”

Underwood also shared some insight into what he’s looking for in Illinois’ final assistant coach vacancy. He said he wouldn’t hire a coach in order to recruit a specific player and that he values character.

Illinois is losing a lot of talent from its 2020-21 team that won the Big Ten Tournament, but the Illini should still be competitive next season. Key players like Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams and Andre Curbelo are all expected to return.

Curbelo is especially exciting for Frazier, who complemented his basketball IQ on Tuesday.

Underwood did not give a timeline for announcing a hire for Illinois’ third assistant coach.