Bowhunter

13 hours ago, Indykev said:

I was just told Dane Fife will be added to the staff. Trying to work out contract language on him being the next head coach when Woodson is done. This came from no one I have gotten info from before but I wanted to share. Izzo could retire tomorrow. not sure this makes since.

 

That would absolutely be huge Kev! Dane has done a great job recruiting Indiana kids  to MSU.  Fingers crossed, you are correct!

4 hours ago, DLC said:

Race should not matter and the coach should identify individuals that complement and challenge him. What is the race of Thad Matta? He has more power and influence than any assistant coach.

Thad Matta isn’t on the bench, or recruiting. It would be nice to be diversified for all players on the current team , or to whom would like to join down the road. Just like normally if you see a white head coach, you normally see a black coach as an assistant. It’s no difference.

2 minutes ago, IUCrazy2 said:

Also, I think every player except Armaan has met personally with Woodson.  Not this stupid ass Zoom meeting stuff, but actually face to face.  Dude is from Indianapolis.  You are like 1 hour away.  Why couldn't you make any of those meetings that every other teammate seemed to be able to make.  From what I can tell, Armaan has been the one guy who has always had something better to do then to come meet the new coach.

I like him as a player, I fully believe he has every right to go play ball wherever he wants, however, I don't think he is immune to criticism for how this has been going down from the outside looking in.

Dang, I didn’t know that. That sounds like someone who wants to transfer.

I’m a big fan of Franklin. I love his work ethic! Seems like he comes from a great family. I hope Woody can keep him here where he belongs. 

17 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Been really busy so haven't posted since the weekend. That also gave me a chance to digest this a bit more after the initial disappointment. 

I still think this is a really risky move, and could potentially do more long term damage to the program if it doesn't work. I'm also still disappointed that after Stevens, IU didn't go big game hunting in the college ranks (Beard, Musselman, Drew, Oats, etc.), as I felt the move here was to get a coach with proven Power 5 experience. Think a Kelvin Sampson move but finally getting it right with a cleaner version. 

With that said and more time to hear Woodson speak, etc., I am more optimistic than I was before. I still think this is either a massive mistake or a genius move with little in between, but I do have a little more hope that it's genius, and here's why. 

I'm hoping this wasn't just a "we need an IU guy" move to bring in an old player and Woodson is the best they could find.

What I am hoping is that this was actually a strategic decision by Dolson to be at the forefront of a shift in college basketball. I'm hoping this was a strategic decision with the NIL coming to be ahead of the curve and turn IU basketball into almost an NBA training ground. To be a program that is player friendly and that the top players want to be.

I don't mean a one and done factory, I just mean to build the program as almost an NBA training ground. When you come to IU you have a head coach that ties the tradition of IU with the forward thinking ways of the NBA in terms of style of play, taking care of players, off the court preparation, etc. As consultants you have one of the best college basketball coaches of the last 15 years in Matta and potentially you have one of the top coaches in all of basketball in the last 30-40 years in Larry Brown. As some have said, almost like the Alabama of college basketball with Saban surrounding the program with former head coaches, etc. 

Right there you have three guys that are highly successful in the game of basketball at all levels and have been there and done that. Then you add things like the Cuban Center for Sports Media, hopefully a fantastic, forward thinking group of assistants, and this could be a genius move. 

My hope is that this was strategic beyond just "let's get an IU guy". I don't mean that as a negative necessarily, I'm just hoping there is potentially an even larger strategic plan in play here. 

 

Yes I said earlier that I support him now. My fear is if it doesn’t work out and we can’t get rid of him because of all the IU homer’s . Then making the next hire even harder perception wise.

I’m behind the Mike Woodson hire now. He brings a lot to the table. My biggest concern with this hire from the beginning is that hiring an Indiana guy is great if it works, but at the end of the day, you still have to win.
So if for some reason this doesn’t work, IU could be thought of as a place you don’t want to coach. 

I have also said and still believe that schools tend to hold on to their own longer than an outsider if things aren’t going well. So even if we are mediocre, it could be a long hall, because everyone likes coach Woodson and all the ties to the program, Bobby and his players.
  I liked what I’ve heard so far and have changed my mind since the dust has settled. I’m just stating some things that some may not have thought of if it doesn’t work out.

No college coaching experience. This is crazy 

Brad was never coming and basically made a fool out of the media and our fan base for having to repeat himself. There was one guy on the other site who got some intel and then another so called insider jumped on his info. Lots of false chatter and boom Billy D all over again.

6 minutes ago, Indykev said:

 

That’s an old one Indy 

Congratulations young man!

Sometimes those Purdue kids don’t look good on paper then they turn out to be really good.

Indiana vs Michigan St Sunday likely postponed!

27 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

Instead of athletes I would put basketball player.

Yes the better the basketball player - it takes more than one or two on a team to win games consistently.

My opinion is the more stars, the better the athletes. The better the athletes, the easier it is to win. The easier it is to win, the more wins, the better the program looks.. The better the program looks, the better the coaching staff looks. All this becomes more appealing to future recruits. It’s a cycle.
 

I know this seasons Kentucky will be brought up. That is an exception. They are normally a top 20 team and easily in the tournament. 
 

13 hours ago, kyhoosier29 said:

Losing out to Purdue on the best Indiana recruits? Since when? Not last year or the year before. 

Furst and Kaufman 

We need a stud big man to replace TJD when he goes if we want to compete at a high level. It’s a shame we are losing out on the best Indiana recruits to Purdue.  2022 needs to be a solid class. Seems like we have a bunch of good kids now, lots of good role players. This team could really use another highly talented player to match what these other teams are putting on the court. I like good defense, but scoring points makes everything easier. 

Welcome to Hoosiernation Jordan !!

Any word on how the visit went?

15 hours ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Good stuff.  I like both players, for different reasons.  Cross has the motor and ruggedness that will play well in the B1G.  Love his rebounding numbers too. Geronimo is a rising athlete that looks versatile.  He looks like he has the building blocks to defend, pass, shoot, and drive.

I'd be very happy with either one.  

I want Cross and Geronimo. Someone always leaves every year, take them both.