Underwood’s tough-loving ways have transformed the Cowboys

KANSAS CITY, MO. – Brad Underwood’s booming bark echoed throughout Gallagher-Iba Arena, bouncing through the old gym and delivering unintended added effect.

“I want toughness; gotta have toughness,” Underwood yelled with pointed intensity at no one in particular.

“Who’s going to maximize their effort?”

That was Monday. And that was last week and last month. And last summer and early fall, too. And it was probably the tone of Underwood’s initial team meeting, although possibly softer for introduction sake.

Possibly.

Since arriving as Oklahoma State’s coach almost one year ago, Underwood’s been crafting a culture change in the program. Built around a mantra of “Everyday Guys,” he’s promoting a culture of hard work and toughness and togetherness, intangibles he craves.

“Culture wins. Character wins,” Underwood said. “The commitment these guys have made to buying in, that’s why we have guys stay in the gym after practice. That’s why we have guys in here every night.

“Sure, you’ve got to have good players. But culture can win. Our guys have not quit when it was 0-6, not quit in a game when we were down 10 or 12. Not done those things. To me, that’s culture.”

The Cowboys open play Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament against Iowa State having just completed their first regular season with Underwood. It’s been good so far, at 20-11 overall and 9-9 in conference games.

Still, there’s work yet to be done, losses to avenge, including two to Iowa State.

This isn’t the end game for Underwood, simply becoming relevant again in the Big 12 and becoming one of 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament. They haven’t arrived and the rebuild is far from over; won’t be this season.

Yet there’s undeniable progress, not only in the win column, but the evolution of this team and its tone.

“I’ve seen us grow mentally and physically,” said point guard Jawun Evans. “We’re out there fighting hard.

“I feel like it’s making us better every day.”

The Cowboys practiced hard before. But not like this, where every second is intentional, and where bodies collide regularly, with players taking charges or spilling onto the floor in mad scrambles for loose balls. It’s the Underwood way. And it’s the only way, lest players risk drawing his ire or time on the treadmill situated near the court for any and all who make mental mistakes or momentarily forget to hustle.

At first, the demands and tough love all brought more culture shock than culture building.

“It kind of spun us around,” said senior captain Leyton Hammonds. “It was an eye-opener for me. I was here for three years before and I didn’t realize that my body could be pushed to a whole other level.

“All it takes is the right person, somebody to push you to that level to perform at that high level all the time.”

The Cowboys never balked at Underwood’s demands. And once they started seeing the benefits, particularly late in games, turning what had become sure losses into their fair share of wins, the script on this team flipped.

Underwood hasn’t backed off either. The practices remain hard and rough, with bodies littered on the floor here in March. The voice still booms, too; prominent even in OSU’s simple Sprint Center shootaround Wednesday morning, before the Cowboys quickly headed to a nearby school for a full workout.

Not that anyone’s complaining.

The culture has changed, with the Cowboys now reveling in their toughness that’s been seen late in games during surges or rallies.