Geoff Alexander is in his fifth season as assistant coach and ninth year on the Fighting Illini staff. He was elevated to the on-court position on May 21, 2021, after spending his first four seasons in the role of assistant to the head coach.

Alexander serves as recruiting coordinator and has developed a reputation as one of the best international recruiters in college basketball. He has been instrumental in the signing of multiple European players to the Illini program, highlighted by Lithuanian point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who was a first round in the 2025 NBA Draft following a stellar freshman campaign. 

Alexander has also contributed to scouting reports, game and practice preparations, offensive and defensive implementation, player development planning, and video analysis during his time in Champaign. 

The Illini are coming off six-straight successful seasons, highlighted by the winningest multi-year Big Ten run in program history, during Alexander’s time in Champaign.

Illinois won 21 games during the regular season and finished ranked No. 21 in the AP poll in 2020. The Illini then went 24-7 in 2021, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship to earn an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Illini set a school record by defeating six top-10 teams and ended the year at No. 2 in the final AP poll, the second-highest rating in program history. 

Illinois won the 2022 Big Ten Championship after going 23-10 overall and 15-5 in conference play to officially win its first regular-season title since 2005. Alexander helped Kofi Cockburn become the nation’s most dominant center. Cockburn earned consensus first-team All-America honors in 2022 after becoming the only player in the country to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds on the season.

Illinois won 20 games again in 2023 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois won the Big Ten Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024, its best NCAA Tournament finish in 19 years. The Illini finished with 29 wins, marking the third-most in school history, and end the year ranked No. 6 in the final AP poll.

The Illini won 22 games in 2025 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. 

Alexander came to Illinois in 2017 after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Evansville. During his time serving under then-head coach Marty Simmons, the Purple Aces recorded three 20-plus win seasons. Included in that run was a 25-win campaign in 2016 that equaled the most wins for Evansville in its Division I history and culminated in a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title-game appearance. The 2015 Evansville squad, meanwhile, won 24 games, highlighted by the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship.

Prior to his tenure at Evansville, Alexander spent one year as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois in 2012. That followed five years as an assistant at Idaho State from 2007-11, where he also served as the Bengals’ recruiting coordinator.

Alexander served three years as an assistant for Underwood at Daytona State College from 2004-06. The Falcons compiled a 70-24 record, including a 25-5 mark in 2006, and won three consecutive Mid-Florida Conference Championships. He began in the junior college ranks as an assistant at Jacksonville (Texas) College during the 2003 season.

Alexander’s coaching career started as a two-year graduate assistant at his alma mater, Western Illinois, from 2001-02. He competed for the Leathernecks for two seasons from 1999-2000 while Underwood was a WIU assistant, following two seasons of play at Southeastern (Iowa) Community College.

Alexander had a stellar playing career at Lincoln High School. Geoff played for his father, Neil, the legendary Illinois prep coach who now ranks second on the IHSA all-time coaching wins list. Geoff graduated from Lincoln in 1995 and still ranks in the program’s top-10 for career points, rebounds and assists. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2012, along with his younger brother, Gregg. They joined their father, who was a 2004 IBCA Hall of Fame inductee

Alexander earned two degrees from Western Illinois, a bachelor’s in 2000 and a master’s in 2002.

He is married to the former Kiersten Coleman. The Alexanders have two daughters, Braelyn and Kinley, and a son, Jax.