BADGERVOL

6 hours ago, MoyeCowbell said:

I haven't posted a lot recently because I'm not sure I have anything new to bring to the conversation that hasn't already been brought up. That said, I do have a couple thoughts on Woodson and how they impact my feelings towards him/the future of the program.

He brought a level of confidence/arrogance back to Bloomington when he showed up that we desperately needed. I liked it then and still like that characteristic now. I like bold, confident coaches that don't feel like they should take a back seat to anyone. Regardless of his recruiting record, his feeling that IU should be able to sit at the big boy table with any recruit is spot on... But if you have all that confidence and arrogance, you better back it up with a relentless pursuit of excellence, tireless work ethic, and most importantly: great results. Cignetti knows, just Google him.

Woodson also helped bring the UK game back. Now, do I want him coaching in that game? Can't say that I do.

Here are the two questions that I ask myself that lead me to that answer.

IF Woodson comes back for another year, it is going to be very telling by who stays and who leaves. It could be a "who's gonna blink first"-situation between the players and administration that has a very real possibility of making a tough situation worse.

IF Woodson comes back, to counter this dismal season, the pendulum of success has to swing so far in the other direction... is it realistic, or even feasible, that it could occur? Fair or not, season #4 would have to be significantly better than season #2 -- and we finished second in the conference. At this point in time, there is very, very little that I'm seeing that suggests we are Big Ten Championship-level material next season.

I think you’re right but I think anyone would agree what would need to happen and what would be stacked against that happening…it would be greatly irrational to assume it had any chance OF happening. So it would be much more likely we’d throw another year away AND be in even worse of a situation we’ll be in now.

8 hours ago, DC2345 said:

Makes sense. Sparks may be the only guy that stays if Woodson is back

It’s looking based on rumors flying elsewhere that Pearl might be the guy behind the scenes with a handshake agreement. Do you think there’s any traction to this and do you think he’s right the ship and stick long enough to get us semi back for 6-8 years?

23 minutes ago, DC2345 said:

Woodson has lost the team and at least 5 players that could return will be entering the portal if nothing changes 

If this is the case, and I have zero doubt it is, we won’t win another game and lose most by double digits.

And if that combined with obvious defections isn’t enough for Dolson to make the change then he needs fired immediately.

He’s gone mentally. GONE. So out of touch.

Odds are we are going to finish the season on a 9 game skid.

If we continue to drop games, and there’s no reason not to think we will, AND he returns, it’s going to get CRAZY ugly.

Everything is set up for this to be a horrific year. From people leaving to fans flipping out, to the AD having to support him like mad, to the losses piling up and doing more damage to recruiting, etc. it’s endless how much WORSE this can get from where it is right now.

You can never keep a coach you know you should hire because of recruits. You’ll likely stay on the radar of some currently being recruited and add some that weren’t interested as of now.

Plus it doesn’t count the new coaches connections to other players who aren’t even on the radar right now.

Then add in the portal and a new coach can turn things around with recruiting faster than ever.

Get rid of Woodson!

1 hour ago, spe317 said:

The counter point may be, who can look at this and be grumpy and simultaneously willing to give a cool 10 million when it has continually led to meh. At some point the pockets may be tighter and tighter. 

Absolutely possible. If I was a booster I’d want no part in anything unless I was convinced it was a slam dunk hire.

Who could ever (booster or otherwise), look at this trainwreck and justify thinking or saying “honestly Woodson just needs more time. You can see where he’s taking the program and this is headed slowly towards championship level basketball!”

WHO??!!

I’ll go on record as saying Pearl isn’t my first choice, but that he is a safe choice to help us get back traction.

I’d also add that although his age is a concern, I’d see a man like him coaching for 5-6 more years regardless, BUT if at his dream job probably more like 7-9 years. Just my gut feeling.

11 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

I'm here to report that I have NOT been contacted by IU about becoming their next head basketball coach.  In the event that they do, I will post the news exclusively on HSN first.  

FINALLY all the money I pour into this site will count for SOMETHING

8 hours ago, IU Scott said:

It doesn't and still don't buy that lifting weights doesn't effect your shooting. If you look at the all time shooters they don't look like linebackers

Then don’t buy it idk what else to say. There isn’t a soul in basketball that doesn’t lift and if you look across all of NBA and NCAA and say it’s affecting shooting in a negative way then 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

31 minutes ago, IUFLA said:

I think most coaches agree that the WORST time to start looking at what went wrong in a loss is right after the game when emotions are still high...Emotional people don't make good decisions, or aren't going to say the right things. A cooling off period helps...it can be addressed the next day. Apparently Mike Woodson has read a leadership book or two...

Your second paragraph is right on...No, we don't know, though many assume they do...and you know the old saying about "assume."

I went back a few times and looked at the Purdue game at Mackey. Our start on offense was probably one of our best starts of the year...The ball moved well, and we were getting easy buckets. So we can do it, we just don't sustain it...Especially when a good team makes their run. We don't know how to step up and stop it. Experience will teach us that.

And I'm not sure what y'all want Woody to say at the press conferences...Again, after a tough loss is probably the worst time for a coach to talk, but he sticks to the program. I mean, what's he supposed to say? He's trying to keep the confidence of his kids up. I'm not a big fan of calling them out in public, but he knows his kids better than I do...I saw Knight do it to Alford because he knew it was going to elicit the response he wanted. You motivate different people different ways...

I'm not sure what people think a donor is going to say at this point after we paid Archie Miller $10 million dollars to skedaddle and now Dolson goes back to them for $14 million to buy out Mike Woodson after 2 fairly successful years, and one mediocre (and not quite over) season. I know what I'd tell him. And Dolson isn't going to admit a mistake that really hasn't been born out to be a mistake by anybody but the press, and some overly emotional internet posters...

And I appreciate the sentiment... I don't see the ship as burning...We'll have new on the court leadership, and I think Cupps, Mgbako, and Reneau will all step up and assume the mantle...Patience is a virtue  

-buck stops at the top

-it’s basically your roster now

-you get paid millions

-you’ve had a lot of season and three years to get us going and not be in this spot

-you’re showing lack of ownership and leadership

Thats my mindset. We can pick at reasons to give excuses but this isn’t working overall at all.

Tangent: is this McNeely kid similar to Luke Recker coming out of HS?

1 hour ago, madmax said:

Earlier this season I half jokingly told my friend that I’d offer painter $8 million a year and then go up by 2 every time he says no. Now I mean it whole heartedly.

I know the March success is lacking, but it’s just a matter of time before they break through to the Final 4.

I don’t want Painter but two things…

1.) it would be the all time greatest dig at Purdue EVER. It would officially say “dude you are our little brother…own it.”

2.) he’d be able to recruit better at IU by far. Which is impressive considering he does well in that area

8 hours ago, IUJoe said:

If that’s our lineup, McNeely and the point guard will have to combine for 20 rebounds per game.

Dude we need MARTHA THE MOP LADY to pour in five boards a game! And can she shoot???

28 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said:

so..very good chance we finish 16-15 going into BTT.  looks like we'd probably be 3rd last in the conference?  we'd have a decent chance to win the 11 v 14 or 12 v 13 game, then lose the second one, so 17-16.  if we end 10th, we'd likely lose the 10 v 7 game and end 16-16.  would be the second worst season we have had since 2010-2011.  we had an excuse of the rebuild that season.  

Fair assessment and after two years that wasn’t a rebuild when he has most of the roster HE has built.

12 minutes ago, OLDIUFAN said:

I know good basketball when I see it , but never coached it. So I’m not going to say Woodson is a bad coach. I will say we have some strong players that I hope we keep. We do how ever need to win some big time players in the Portal this off season. 
Need shooters everyone can see that not just one a couple great shooters. Ball players that can handle the ball an not turn it over! 
Also Woodson needs to look at his staff. He needs help running his practices to teach basketball and fundamentals. Bring in a staff that can help players develop. 

So basically you’re saying if we stick with Woodson we need him to clean up most all the things that a coach is hired to do for next season…one is pretty hard pressed right now to see anything he brings that is shows he’s a good coach. Good guy? Sure. Coach? Not so much.

So we busted out new alternate uniforms to draw more attention to ourselves and turn around and lose. That way no one misses it 😂 

9 hours ago, 13th&Jackson said:

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has an enormous amount of respect for the "blueblood Indiana basketball program,'' and he would have loved to coach there. “Indiana was my dream job, it really was. I love everything about Indiana basketball. The timing was never right, I suppose. Nothing ever really aligned, but it would have been a dream come true to coach Indiana. That's how much I love and respect that program.''

I’m not saying I’m a hire HIM automatically but that sounds like fine for the chance even at his age he’d likely not coach just for a few years. And at his energy level if he wanted it I could see him coaching past 70 and having the energy to do so.

Again I continue to see “we aren’t the IU of old” and then lower the expectations to not just below that, but below teams like even Wisconsin.

because we aren’t the IU of old and don’t have RMK we have to accept that we have to be a below average program now?

some of us are suffering from an either/or fallacy. Either we are a top five program year in and year out OR we have to be able to accept being below average.

The fans who want better simply aren’t ok with what we’ve got. The fanbase is actually VERY reasonable. If Crean could have more success than this then a good solid coach can do better than Crean.

Stop over lowering the bar to make excuses. Cripes 

20 hours ago, Steubenhoosier said:

You deflected from the question.

 I don’t care about what your opinion is.

What makes you the expert to judge professional people on their decisions?

One doesn’t need to have the same education or expertise on a subject to have an informed opinion on a matter based on reason.

To say otherwise is the “Argument from Authority Fallacy.”

I don’t need a degree in theology nor be a pastor to know a scam artist at a pulpit. I can use my head and be right. 

I’ve tried to catch up on 7 pages of post.

One thing I hope I’m not hearing from ANYONE who calls them self a fan of IU, is that if we land another Crean caliber success of a coach we should learn to be ok with it.

My gosh people we have what it takes to win at any level anyone else can.

I always compare us to the Badgers because I love north of Madison but cripes we have a 100 better selling points for college basketball coaches and recruits than MADISON.

You look at the Badger’s success over the past 15-20 years, we should be several steps better than them AT LEAST…CONSISTENTLY.

If you don’t believe that idk what to tell you. Wake up fans and demand more. Fricken fans should be protesting and going bonkers on campus right now and every booster should be calling and demanding change.

And open up the pocket book and spend with a blank check! FIX OUR PROUD PROGRAM OR FIND A NEW AD AND PRESIDENT!!

(Breathing…sigh…breathing)

I’ve missed so many games this year half of the time forgetting and half the time wanting to watch a movie or pet my dogs rather then watch a game I get stressed about 😂 

1 minute ago, IndyResident16 said:

Lol.

This might not be statistical the worst season ever (it isn’t), but easily the most disappointing, unenjoyable season in my 52 years. Watching IU basketball is like a chore. There’s nothing redeeming about this years team or anybody on it. When Anthony Leal coming off the bench to beat a 12-9 Iowa team at home is likely the highlight of the season, you know its bad.

We have way too much talent to be where we are at right now. When factoring in poor roster construction