By Larry Smith/IlliniGuys.com

Monday, April 5, 2021

Brad Sturdy - the pre-eminent Illini insider and analyst - has joined the IlliniGuys staff on a full-time basis, starting on Monday.

Sturdy has covered Illini sports for the Rivals-affiliated website OrangeAndBlueNews.com for the past 16 years, carving out a reputation as the go-to source for all things Illini.

"Brad Sturdy is a name that is synonymous with Illini athletics and has been for nearly 20 years,” said IlliniGuys co-founder Mike Cagley.

"He has built his personal brand on three pillars - accurate reporting, insightful analysis and personal integrity.  When I was looking to form IlliniGuys, there was only one name that could be the foundation of an Illini sports site. Of course, that name was and is Brad Sturdy."

Sturdy is one of the original co-founders of IlliniGuys and helped guide the multimedia website's direction and coverage from its inception in January, 2021.  His "Sturdy For 30" podcasts have quickly become one of the nation's most popular college basketball podcasts in the country and the IlliniGuys website has gained a reputation for its coverage and fan-friendly approach to Illini sports.

The central Illinois native has coached basketball, baseball, and softball for nearly three decades on the junior high and high school level and in AAU, winning a state championship along the way and developing countless players.  His daughter Payton was a three-time All-Stater in softball and daughter Ashlyn was a two-time All-State in basketball.

Sturdy's player analysis began in college, when he worked Five Star and Metro Index basketball camps on the east coast.

"I have known Brad for almost 20 years.  Everyone knows about his coaching prowess, his massive network and his basketball mind,” says IlliniGuys co-founder Chris Lee.

"What many who know him mostly from his online presence don’t know is what a decent man he is. He is able to develop the types of long-term relationships precisely because he genuinely cares about the recruits, coaches and parents he meets and treats them with respect."

Sturdy's expanded role with IlliniGuys will provide its members with increased access to current Illini coaches and players as well as expert analysis of prospective Illinois recruits.

"Brad has so many great ideas and we are just scratching the surface of what this place could be.  I am excited for all of us and, most of all, our members.  It is about time he got his own rodeo,” said Lee.