CHAMPAIGN — Two narratives run parallel in most any discussion about Orlando Antigua.
There’s Antigua, the highly-regarded recruiter responsible for helping Kentucky land first-round pick after first-round pick. And there’s Antigua, the former South Florida coach who was fired midway through the 2016-17 season with a 23-55 record in 2 1/2 seasons and an NCAA investigation into alleged academic fraud, leaving a serious cloud hanging over the Bulls program.
The former was one of the reasons new Illinois coach Brad Underwood added Antigua to his first Illini coaching staff. The latter was a topic of conversation between the two — and athletic director Josh Whitman — before the hire was made.