BADGERVOL

We should consistently be a top 10-15 team with maybe once every 3-4 years we drop to a team that’s borderline top 25. We should NEVER be below middle of the pack in conference and that should be a down year. 
 

A kid who stays four years should expect to make at least one run for a final four or better.

Be a good coach and recruit well in the region and thus can be expected. If Crean, who’s above average at best did what he did then a good to great coach should accomplish the above

On 2/16/2024 at 11:58 AM, Maedhros said:

I think it's very easy to make the case Woodson was showing steady progress until this year. I wouldn't call Woodson's first two years Great either, but they were better than what came before. Last season was about as good as we've had post-Knight, excepting only the Sampson years and Crean's two peaks. I had fun, warts and all. This is college, you're always going to have warts. I think what Woodson accomplished his first two years earned him a fourth, even as bad as the third has been. You make it clear this season can't happen again, and then - even if next year is another Good season - if you don't have clear and definitive reasons to think we're back on the track to contention I'm fine cutting loose at that time.

Coaches have bad years, where the roster doesn't come together. Look at Painter's years 8-9. Look at Musselman this year. Or Mick Cronin. Like a player having a sophomore slump, you don't cut a coach loose after one bad season. Even at Indiana, allow coaches an opportunity to learn and grow on the job. Give him a chance to right the ship. If he can't, then you'll know.

That all said, I actually don't think Woodson turns this around, and I don't think he ever delivers Great years. To me the big flashing warning sign is the recruiting. The five-stars are wonderful, but there hasn't been near enough four-star talent brought in to round out the roster and provide continuity. Some of that feels by design, which means it could be correctable, but time is vanishingly short. 

I want Woodson to succeed, because he's the head basketball coach at Indiana, and I want Indiana Basketball to succeed. If next year Indiana Basketball succeeds with someone else at the helm, that'll be more than fine by me. 

I think your post is incredibly reasonable and rational. The only part that I would add to it that I think changes things is not that he had a bad year, it was the way in which it WAS bad. Sticking to his guns when it isn’t working and demonstrating a style of basketball that anyone with a basketball IQ knows won’t work longterm but he is clearly not going to change, makes it different IMO. Add in that he throws the players under the bus proves he isn’t changing a dang thing. He knows he’s right.

Well if Dolson doesn’t think he’s right he should be fine because the bad that can come this season with his stubbornness couod burn IU in many ways 

14 hours ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

The first SENTENCE.

Think maxing out Bench Press (which was my focus with BUFF). Then re read my very first sentence.

If you’re going to max out bench and think it’s not going to affect your shot for a day yes. If you think “getting buff” throws shots off in the sport of basketball you are sorely mistaken.

1 hour ago, IUfaninIllinois said:

I can’t like this post enough!!!! Post of the year!!!!

These are the types of people who still think all kinds of wive’s tales like lifting when you’re a youth stunts your growth, and lifting leads to more injuries and other complete nonsense that has not a shred of data to back it up.

Strength training hurts your golf swing too! Yea…sure does…Tiger could bench press over 300lbs and put the golf world on its head cuz he wasn’t a beer drinking, cig smoking, sweets eating, man bod on the pro tour. 🙄

I coached XC and Track for 16 years and THAT sport does have a small argument for damaging ability but it’s for longer races like marathons and even those runners do SOME strength training.

SOB this fable gets so old.

On 3/11/2024 at 10:37 PM, KDB said:

So happy for TJD. Dude is killing it.

Can’t believe that many teams passed on him in the draft.

As a Bucks fan I SO wanted him and felt he’d be awesome for them off the bench. Oh well 🤦🏻‍♂️😩

1 hour ago, DWB said:

Personally, I think May is a much better coach than Woodson. Would May be good for us? Nobody knows for sure. But in my mind he would be a huge “upgrade” to what we have now. 
 

that may not be good enough for this “un-true” fan base, but lacking an absolute home run hire, I could certainly live with it.

What is an “un-true” fan?

Highly unlikely he’ll ever be at IU now.

He pans out and he won’t leave and we’ll need a new coach before he’s been there that long anyway to assess.

If he sucks we won’t want him.

9 hours ago, Indykev said:

I told a friend today, yes i have a couple, that our players would look like slow plotting mules against a lot of these teams looking like racehorses. XJ is the only player that has the speed that we are watching. sad they have taken on the coaches mind set and actions. broken down old body.

You’re absolutely right. When you play slow and plodding all season you can’t just flip a switch and be electric. We are what he built us to become. And it’s dumb

23 minutes ago, ForHumanity said:

It's rather simple, Boycott the games and don't buy BB merchandise...especially if the students followed up. But too many are soft minded...no balls. 

I for one am done but you are totally right. Not a dollar of my money is going to IU until Woodson is gone 

42 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

This one is just over 200 pages so this isn't even close to the over 900 pages over on BTB. Those guys are more delusional than people on this site.

Then I want to give them a run for their money. We need to come together as a fanbase and demand BETTER.

41 minutes ago, madmax said:

Realistically, the standards have dropped such that if Mike gets us into the tournament as any seed, under any circumstances he will not be fired. 
 

A round of 64 loss and going 22-10 is a successful season now. And especially when the coach is a donor favorite. It’s just not going to happen. 

I want to puke at your post except you’re probably right.

1 hour ago, Common Sense said:

This is the bad part of being an IU fan.  Years 1 and 2 weren't that great and year 3 was atrocious.  Unless he hits a home run in the portal and he changes his system, year 4 will be worse.  He has had the same offense and defense for 3 years and it sucked then and it will suck in the future.  He is lazy, stubborn and a 66 year old in a 90 year olds body.  Who cares what he wants.   One of his buddies or his wife needs  to tell him that he sucks and be a grandpa and enjoy his multi million dollars his below average behind got from IU.   

Also, nobody cares what he did in 1980.  44 years ago....

Ya went the F OFF and I read it to my son and we BOTH laughed out loud 😅 sometimes you can only laugh at this utter dumpster 🔥 

1 hour ago, tdhoosier said:

Eek. Single digit seed? That's it? I personally think we need to be a 5 seed or better because we'll most likely be in the same situation next year: 6 or 7 spots will need to be filled though the portal. So, because essentially nothing is being built from the ground up with HS recruits, then Woody needs to prove that he can be a top 25 caliber team with 50% of the roster made up of transfers year in and year out. 

Woody made his bed. He must lie in it. If this portal heavy strategy doesn't work, he has nobody to blame but himself because he's already set himself to be in the same situation in 25-26. And nobody has the patience to wait until 26-27, not even QB or the SImons. 

 

I agree but it seems he tried with HS talent and failed. His philosophy was go big recruits or bust and it failed. Now he lives with it.

4 minutes ago, Kdug said:

At this point, it seems like Woodson is back for another year. I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are on what next year would need to look like to not move on from Woodson after next year. This isn’t about whether you think it’ll happen or not, just what would be good enough for IU to keep Woodson.

IMO we’d need 3 things:

1. Single digit seed in the tourney. Imo sneaking in as a double digit seed isn’t good enough.

2. Some sort of recruiting momentum with high level guards/wings. Could be either HS or portal

3. More competitive in high level games. 15+ point blowout losses to good teams shouldn’t be the norm.

I think other things would need to happen in order to accomplish those goals, like changing the style of play. But imo, that should be the minimum for a coach in his 4th year at IU.

Love your list. We need to feel secure that he is the answer to bridge to the next coach. That all facets are covered well and it doesn’t seem like he got hot in an isolated fashion for just next year.

16 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said:

man.  i would love for him to stay put.  after this season we'll definitely be looking for a new coach.  while i would take a bigger name with more big time experience like Pearl, i'd like for May to at least be available.  if he goes somewhere, i hope it is immediately and to a place that he would eventually still leave for IU.  would be pretty awesome to get Pearl for a few years, the go to May after he has experience at a bigger school and Pearl is ready to hang it up!  still say Beard would be nice for present and future.  

Couldn’t agree more. If he makes another run this season or even loses second round in a nail biter color me very intrigued. Follow it up with another good season and tournament bid and I say pluck him if we can

If this thread keeps going will it convince Woodson to retire?

🤔

Probably not 😂

1 hour ago, SawatchHoosier said:

With Sparks leaving I'm assuming that Woodson is now going to focus on playing a more modern style of basketball and Sparks wasn't in the plans for that. The issue is now we have no backup for Malik which I feel Sparks would have done well at. 

You honestly believe Woodson is going to change anything of significance moving forward? 🤔 

If the administration and boosters truly are not about making what’s obviously the right changes then yes it IS up to the fans to take back their program. If enough come together they could force change.

And I realize that’s painful and I realize we’ll catch flack as a fanbase for “abandoning our players.” We have to do SOMETHING to get the attention to force change and get our program back. We need a vocal leader like an Evan’s or group of former players to start a social media campaign to make a BOLD statement.

57 minutes ago, DC2345 said:

The IU staff feels like they have 1 or 2 big time transfers locked up. That said we’ll see if that actually plays out.

Yea looked like we had a bunch of four and five star seniors this years class and ended with Zero. 
But as always thank you for what you bring

3 minutes ago, Between2Halls said:

My top concern is that we will get “stuck” with what we get by assuming we can be picky or deserving. I understand NiL availability, but we don’t offer much else as far as on the floor product. I hope I’m wrong. 

I don’t trust Woodson whatsoever to make any good decision with building this program. And if I was a recruit I’d have very little desire to come to IU at this time

3 hours ago, 13th&Jackson said:

More than half of those teams will be in the NCAAT, some are still playing in their conference tournament. But IU won’t accept an NIT bid to “focus on the portal”. Total BS. Real programs can do both. 
If I’m a shooting guard, there are a dozen teams on that list I’d consider before looking at IU. 

It is insane the effort Woodson is giving. I cannot grasp he’s allowed to give us little effort and it’s acceptable considering his pay.

58 minutes ago, DC2345 said:

Nope, he’s going to go through the NBA draft process and then make a decision. Woodson will probably wait around without a backup plan and then MM will decide to stay in the draft. 

Would expect nothing less 😡

1 minute ago, IUfaninIllinois said:

I understand and truly respect where you’re coming from but how he is acting and ruining this team absolutely deserves the extreme but just my personal opinion and completely understand anyone who thinks otherwise.

I’m sorry but anyone who gives as little effort as they do for a job while collecting that level of pay deserves any pressure they get. Period.