Dane Fife not returning to Indiana

[Hippopotamo]

4 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

just doesn't ring true to who Dane Fife is. 

I don’t have a dog in this fight beyond wanting IU basketball to be successful, but can you confidently say you know what Dane Fife’s character is? We watch interviews and see him on the sideline, but none of us know him. 

[BobSaccamanno]

Just now, IUwins0708 said:

I take back what I said about being a bad look.  Totally just looks bad on Dane now.  Sounds like Dane is the egotistical one.  Props to Woody for being the leader and doing what needed to be done.  Sounds like it wasn’t that tough of a decision after reading Rabbys post. Wowsers!!

Let's see what Dane says before we pass judgement.  Maybe he will say it's all true.  Or there is nuance and he is getting convicted without explaining what really happened.

He will get over it.  He makes a ton of money and will be able to keep doing so, for life.  I wish him well.

[IUJoe]

46 minutes ago, IUBBx5Banners said:

CMW knows best 

Wow.  Just stunning that a guy would wait 10 years to return to his alma mater and do this.

[IUwins0708]

1 minute ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Let's see what Dane says before we pass judgement.  Maybe he will say it's all true.  Or there is nuance and he is getting convicted without explaining what really happened.

He will get over it.  He makes a ton of money and will be able to keep doing so, for life.  I wish him well.

Rabjohns saying it normally wouldn’t seal the deal for me but he and Dane are buddies.  I can’t see Rabby just making this up to save face for Woody.  I liked Fife as a player but it sounds like he was a problem.  

[BobSaccamanno]

2 minutes ago, Hippopotamo said:

I don’t have a dog in this fight beyond wanting IU basketball to be successful, but can you confidently say you know what Dane Fife’s character is? We watch interviews and see him on the sideline, but none of us know him. 

You're right, there are limits to how much we can know anyone from the public sphere.  But the opposite can 100% be said about this character assassination going the other way.  That's why I mentioned character, because the allegations against him go right to his character and I think I am the only one here saying let's not rush to judgement.  

The campaign against him is insanely one-sided, I look forward to his answer. 

I am disappointed that everyone is jumping all over him, believing it all.  We are talking about a 100% IU guy.  He left Izzo to come here.  I am giving the benefit of the doubt until we hear him say it's all true and that he lost his mind.     

[Hippopotamo]

1 minute ago, BobSaccamanno said:

You're right, there are limits to how much we can know anyone from the public sphere.  But the opposite can 100% be said about this character assassination going the other way.  That's why I mentioned character, because the allegations against him go right to his character and I think I am the only one here saying let's not rush to judgement.  

The campaign against him is insanely one-sided, I look forward to his answer. 

I am disappointed that everyone is jumping all over him, believing it all.  We are talking about a 100% IU guy.  He left Izzo to come here.  I am giving the benefit of the doubt until we hear him say it's all true and that he lost his mind.     

I appreciate your perspective, and I agree that a lot of people are jumping to conclusions based on a small percentage of info. I’m not really thinking this is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just a thing that happens and we’ll see how it turns out. I think for me I get somewhat annoyed when posters (not you in this case) use a lot of hyperbole that frankly just sounds really dramatic. 

[IUwins0708]

2 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

You're right, there are limits to how much we can know anyone from the public sphere.  But the opposite can 100% be said about this character assassination going the other way.  That's why I mentioned character, because the allegations against him go right to his character and I think I am the only one here saying let's not rush to judgement.  

The campaign against him is insanely one-sided, I look forward to his answer. 

I am disappointed that everyone is jumping all over him, believing it all.  We are talking about a 100% IU guy.  He left Izzo to come here.  I am giving the benefit of the doubt until we hear him say it's all true and that he lost his mind.     

Honestly you think he’s going to say it’s true? Now way he will, career suicide.  He will give a generic reason and say it was mutually agreed to part ways.  Rabby was pretty detailed for him to just made up stuff, especially when he talked about not calling recruits back and offering certain recruits he named.  

[Steubenhoosier]

22 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

On the NIL, people are acting like Fife thinks IU shouldn't participate in it.  I bet he sees kids absorbed in their phones focused on everything but hoops and he wanted them to get focused.   I bet he will say that his twitter thing (which I never saw) was inartfully stated and misunderstood.  I have a hard time believing he thinks IU shouldn't participate in the NIL, which is what this pile-on is suggesting.  He probably thought he was ok because he was making a different point and not saying NIL shouldn't exist.  

To me the pile-on just doesn't ring true to who Dane Fife is.  He probably made an inadvertent mistake, which he would own up to.  Intentionally going rogue, I doubt it.

To be clear. I am not piling on Dane. Dane was a great presence in NE Indiana as coach of IPFW. I hope he finds success wherever he lands

[KoB2011]

50 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Come on, you can't put the MSU scandal on Fife.  That's a stretch.  That was over his pay grade.  He literally has nothing to do with it. 

I think anytime a head coach fires a top assistant, it is 100% fair game to challenge it.  IMO you don't let a top guy go due to the head coach's personal weakness or frailty.  Top assistants don't grow on trees and letting one go is not wise management, IMO.  I said it before, I am 90% positive, but I am not going to reflexively defend anything coming out of the program.  

I am not putting the MSU scandals on Fife at all, if I was doing that I wouldn’t have said I liked him.

What I am challenging is that Fife is this untouchable guy that we can’t afford to lose and Woodson is some idiot for firing. Again, when we compare Woodson and Fife’s resumes as former Hoosiers or as a coaches, they aren’t comparable. It leans significantly in Woodson’s favor.

Then we look at what makes Fife a “top” assistant and it’s his decade at MSU that was easily the worse half of Izzo’s tenure and was riddled with actual scandal. Again, not blaming Fife for the scandal but it’s certainly worth noting that his boss covering up sexual assault and being a piece of human garbage wasn’t a deal breaker for him.

Now add the smoke about Fife undermining the NIL, talking like he was the coach in waiting when he wasn’t, etc… and I can see how Woodson may conclude he needed to go a different direction.

If we step back and take our emotion and loyalty to Fife out of this I don’t think it’s exactly hard to see how we got to this place. I’m not happy we got here, but we did and based on what I know I get why Woodson felt like it was time to part ways. Woody has earned the benefit of the doubt in my mind.

Serious question for you @BobSaccamanno, since you seem to not really respect Woodson’s chops as a head coach over this… do you think Thad Matta was consulted on this decision and do you think he agreed with it? What about Buckner?

[FKIM01]

1 minute ago, BobSaccamanno said:

You're right, there are limits to how much we can know anyone from the public sphere.  But the opposite can 100% be said about this character assassination going the other way.  That's why I mentioned character, because the allegations against him go right to his character and I think I am the only one here saying let's not rush to judgement.  

The campaign against him is insanely one-sided, I look forward to his answer. 

I am disappointed that everyone is jumping all over him, believing it all.  We are talking about a 100% IU guy.  He left Izzo to come here.  I am giving the benefit of the doubt until we hear him say it's all true and that he lost his mind.     

...and I'd be surprised if he said that.  More likely if he did some of the things alleged, he'll acknowledge making some mistakes and having some misunderstandings, but at the same time saying that you can't believe everything you read on the internet/fan forums.

On the flip side, it's really hard to believe that Rabjohns would destroy his insider credibility by posting a bunch of stuff about his friend Dane that was completely fabricated.  Assuming his post is mostly true, Dane made some head-scratching moves that indicates he was probably too comfortable about his job security.  If so, it's a great opportunity to take some time off, reflect and learn.  Then come back better, refreshed and more mature.  Years down the road, Dane could look at this as a really good growing experience that made him a better coach and person.  Whatever he does, I hope he comes out better on the other end.

[BobSaccamanno]

1 minute ago, KoB2011 said:

I am not putting the MSU scandals on Fife at all, if I was doing that I wouldn’t have said I liked him.

What I am challenging is that Fife is this untouchable guy that we can’t afford to lose and Woodson is some idiot for firing. Again, when we compare Woodson and Fife’s resumes as former Hoosiers or as a coaches, they aren’t comparable. It leans significantly in Woodson’s favor.

Then we look at what makes Fife a “top” assistant and it’s his decade at MSU that was easily the worse half of Izzo’s tenure and was riddled with actual scandal. Again, not blaming Fife for the scandal but it’s certainly worth noting that his boss covering up sexual assault and being a piece of human garbage wasn’t a deal breaker for him.

Now add the smoke about Fife undermining the NIL, talking like he was the coach in waiting when he wasn’t, etc… and I can see how Woodson may conclude he needed to go a different direction.

If we step back and take our emotion and loyalty to Fife out of this I don’t think it’s exactly hard to see how we got to this place. I’m not happy we got here, but we did and based on what I know I get why Woodson felt like it was time to part ways. Woody has earned the benefit of the doubt in my mind.

Serious question for you @BobSaccamanno, since you seem to not really respect Woodson’s chops as a head coach over this… do you think Thad Matta was consulted on this decision and do you think he agreed with it? What about Buckner?

I just logged off to put my kids to bed but I will try to reply later. But you reminded me about Matta.  Let’s see if he survives.  He was also foisted on Woodson.  

[Stlboiler23]

19 minutes ago, Hippopotamo said:

I don’t have a dog in this fight beyond wanting IU basketball to be successful, but can you confidently say you know what Dane Fife’s character is? We watch interviews and see him on the sideline, but none of us know him. 

Not sure if anyone on here knew about this but after he left IPFW he started working for Painter but reneged after like a week (after already being involved in recruiting) and joined MSU instead. Pretty shitty thing to do IMO. 

[IUwins0708]

1 minute ago, Stlboiler23 said:

Not sure if anyone on here knew about this but after he left IPFW he started working for Painter but reneged after like a week (after already being involved in recruiting) and joined MSU instead. Pretty shitty thing to do IMO. 

Forgot all about that, but that makes me like him more again! LOL

[rogue3542]

2 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

Honestly you think he’s going to say it’s true? Now way he will, career suicide.  He will give a generic reason and say it was mutually agreed to part ways.  Rabby was pretty detailed for him to just made up stuff, especially when he talked about not calling recruits back and offering certain recruits he named.  

Honestly, whatever it is had to be pretty egregious to get fired after the first year, especially when Fife was hired on as an IU guy.  Woodson's not stupid; he knows Fife is a fan favorite, and, given his goal of trying to bring former players back in the fold, this had to be a tough decision for him.

Don't see how this reflects poorly on anyone but Fife.

[13th&Jackson]

2 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I just logged off to put my kids to bed but I will try to reply later. But you reminded me about Matta.  Let’s see if he survives.  He was also foisted on Woodson.  

Yeah, I suspect his “health” will lead to an announcement that he’s stepping down. 

[IUwins0708]

@BobSaccamannoplease don’t take anything personal from me. I’ve enjoyed the conversations and can appreciate your side as well.  

[KoB2011]

22 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

Let's see what Dane says before we pass judgement.  Maybe he will say it's all true.  Or there is nuance and he is getting convicted without explaining what really happened.

He will get over it.  He makes a ton of money and will be able to keep doing so, for life.  I wish him well.

You are being really quick to pass judgment that Woody made a bad move, but now that all the evidence points to it being an easy move you’re saying to slow down? Come on, Bob. 

[rogue3542]

3 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I just logged off to put my kids to bed but I will try to reply later. But you reminded me about Matta.  Let’s see if he survives.  He was also foisted on Woodson.  

Nobody's getting rid of Matta except Dolson - or Matta if he chooses to leave.

[btownqb]

3 minutes ago, Stlboiler23 said:

Not sure if anyone on here knew about this but after he left IPFW he started working for Painter but reneged after like a week (after already being involved in recruiting) and joined MSU instead. Pretty shitty thing to do IMO. 

No, that's a fantastic thing to do. 

Yeah, that's pretty crappy.. at the time, a way better spot though, agree? 

[5fouls]

I think it's a mischaracterization to say Rabjohns and Fife were friends.  A friend would never post something that damaging, regardless of whether it was true or not.

There are two sides to every relationship.  Often times there are no rights and no wrongs.  Just differences.  I don't see a need to condemn either side here.  Any of us random message board dudes that have pledged 100% allegiance to one side or the other are not looking at it correctly.  

Much as with the NIL, if the 'politics' component of Rabjohns post is true, then Dane should know better.  Politics have no place outside a person's own head.  Dane may have a hard time finding another job if that piece of the story is true, at least with a high-profile university.

Dysfunction is bad for the program.  As long as the core members of the team stay the course, this move is best for all concerned. The players need to know that the coaching staff is united for the good of the team.   

[FKIM01]

Just now, IUwins0708 said:

@BobSaccamannoplease don’t take anything personal from me. I’ve enjoyed the conversations and can appreciate your side as well.  

Ditto.  I'm doing my best to reserve judgment here but it's a good thing to have a balanced discussion.

[IUwins0708]

1 minute ago, btownqb said:

No, that's a fantastic thing to do. 

Yeah, that's pretty crappy.. at the time, a way better spot though, agree? 

Yes it was a way better job at the time.  Wasn’t that right after the “baby boilers”?

[btownqb]

14 minutes ago, IUwins0708 said:

@BobSaccamannoplease don’t take anything personal from me. I’ve enjoyed the conversations and can appreciate your side as well.  

You dont have to worry about that with Bob. He cool. 

Get your kids to bed, Abe, so I can tell you that you are wrong! 🤣

(Not unreasonable to want to hear DFs opinion)

Edited March 24, 2022 by btownqb

[Inequality]

2 minutes ago, BobSaccamanno said:

I just logged off to put my kids to bed but I will try to reply later. But you reminded me about Matta.  Let’s see if he survives.  He was also foisted on Woodson.  

I mean seriously, if Matta leaves because of some internal drama then that would signal failure at the top. Which, wouldn’t surprise me.

Matta was the number one reason I had hope for this staff over every single one of them. I really hope he sticks around.

[Steubenhoosier]

2 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said:

Yeah, I suspect his “health” will lead to an announcement that he’s stepping down. 

Calhoun’s health is the word😛