Former Colgate assistant Cam Crocker is the outside-the-box hire propelling Illinois to Final Four

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 28: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini hoist the trophy with his team after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 28, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images INDIANAPOLIS — Brad Underwood turned over every stone to build Illinois’ 2025-26 roster. His embrace of recruiting internationally – specifically in the Balkan region – has brought much fanfare, as has being one of just two high-major programs to offer Keaton Wagler a scholarship.

But his roster wasn’t the only part of his program that he designed with intention and unconventional thinking. After Tim Anderson – a Chicago native with deep ties in the state – departed the staff before the 2024-25 season, Underwood took his time on finding a replacement. Then-Colgate assistant coach Camryn Crocker had no connections to the Illinois coaching staff.

His only high-major experience came from serving as the director of player development at Stanford under Jerod Haase for a few seasons before coming back east to the mid-major level. But Underwood hired him in May to be the Illini’s defensive coordinator, and it has paid off. Illinois’ defense ranks its highest on KenPom since 2021, and Crocker has designed game plans throughout the NCAA Tournament run on the road to the program’s first Final Four since 2005.

In the 2022 offseason, longtime Colgate head coach Matt Langel had to replace two assistant coaches who departed for head coaching jobs. Both were former teammates of his at Penn under Fran Dunphy, in Dave Klatsky (NYU) and Mike Jordan (Lafayette). So naturally, he found another former Quaker in Crocker.