IU’s Main Man
Alum Mike Woodson takes the reigns of faltering program
By Keith Edmonds Of Fort Wayne Ink Spot
Indiana University has named Mike Woodson as their new head men’s basketball coach.
Since the firing of Bobby Knight, IU’s basketball has been in tumult over the last two decades going through five coaches since the 2000-01 season. IU has missed the last four NCAA tournaments. It hasn’t won a title since 1987; its last Final Four appearance was in 2002, when Mike Davis' Hoosiers finished runner-up to Maryland.
Hoosier Nation has not just been downhearted, fans have been downright furious.
Why would Woodson, who will be IU’s second men’s basketball coach after Davis, jump into the hornet’s nest of IU basketball? “It's a dream come true!” he told the media.
IU athletics began their search for a new head men’s basketball coach immediately following the release and subsequent buy-out of Archie Miller, although some would say that the search was going on all season-long given the uncertainties of the current make-up of this team and the lack of success.
Miller came to IU in 2017 after several successful seasons as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Dayton. What occurred was nothing short of catastrophic (if you’re a true “die-hard” Hoosier fan). The program was mired in uninspired play on the floor, lack of “blue chip” players, and tough losses that lead to dwindling attendance, along with fan and administrative discord. If you mix in zero NCAA tournament appearances and a 67-58 record after four seasons, you could see Miller’s dismissal was not unexpected.
To revive this once-storied program, Indiana University athletics began setting their sights on someone with the following criteria: Ties to our state to keep our best in-state talent; a background of winning to re-establish the program to the “glory” of years gone; and finally, someone who understands the rich tradition of what it means to play basketball in the Hoosier state.
So, with that criteria, as its blueprint, it was no coincidence that the call went out initially for Brad Stevens, currently the head coach of the Boston Celtics, who also led the Butler University to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Championship game and experienced multiple winning seasons with the Bulldogs. IU desperately pursued him with the same amount of rigor and diligence as a young man trying to secure a prom date three days before the event happens, only to find that he was happy and secure with his current coaching situation with the Celtics and just like the young man looking for the date, he politely turned them down.
Their sights then turned to Head Coach Chris Beard from Texas Tech who is doing a remarkable job for the Red Raider program and once served as an assistant with former Indiana coach Bob Knight at Texas Tech. Once again, the response was thanks but no thanks.
So, when the call went out for former Indiana great Mike Woodson it was with great apprehension that he’d accept the offer, and when he did, a sigh of relief went out and the decision was made to hire a coach with no previous collegiate experience but 25 years of NBA coaching experience. He is someone who knows the “Indiana way” of playing and being in the environment of “Hoosier Hysteria” down in Bloomington.
I applaud this decision simply because I think that not only will Woodson, if given time, do a great job (if but he will change the culture. Woodson played from 1976-80 for Bob Knight and is in the top five of all-time scorers in Indiana University history—which says a lot.
My main initial concern with Woodson's hire was how he would handle the challenges of the college game, given he had no experience coaching at that collegiate level, chiefly in handling recruiting. My concerns were answered a little in the recent naming of former Butler and Ohio State head coach Thad Matta as Woodson’s associate athletic director for men’s basketball administration—whatever that means. Matta brings wisdom and knowledge to the bench and he’ll be able to assist Woodson in putting together a staff capable of competing for top talent, and hopefully, assure that Indiana won't lose in-state recruits to rival Purdue University and other Big Ten schools that they will compete against for players.
Is it a reach to hire Mike Woodson? I’d say yes, but it is the right hire. I hope it’s a dream come true for both Woodson and IU.