Mike Woodson is no stranger to the coaching carousel.
Fired by the Atlanta Hawks in 2010 and the New York Knicks in 2014, Woodson knows better than anyone what happens when losses start piling up and expectations aren’t met.
And there’s no doubt that a 15-13 season, with a 7-10 record in the Big Ten, falls well short of expectations in Bloomington.
We written at the beginning of February After a blowout home loss to Penn State, Woodson couldn’t afford an ugly “loser” scenario. If Indiana had done that, the heat would have been unbearable.
The worst case scenario has not happened since. Indiana has picked up two more wins since the loss to the Nittany Lions, but they are still just 2-4 over that span with losses to Northwestern and Nebraska at home, and a second loss to Penn State in this sequence. And beyond victories and defeats, statistically, this is one of IU’s worst seasons for decades, despite having one of the program’s most talented frontcourts in recent memory.
So things aren’t looking good, and Indiana appears to be firmly in a gray area when it comes to Woodson’s status as head coach.
For his part, Woodson, who turns 66 this month, said last week that he “I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.” when asked how long he planned to coach. So, at least on the surface, it doesn’t look like he’ll make that decision for Indiana.
But one thing we do know is that the IU administration – led by AD Scott Dolson, President Pam Whitten and Board of Trustees Chair Quinn Buckner – is at an inflection point.
Despite back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in Woodson’s first two seasons, a sizable portion of the fan base is angry. Fueled by chat rooms and social media nonsense, they now overreact to Woodson’s every move, or lack thereof. It has become a toxic and unhealthy cloud hanging over the program.
And of course the outside world sees it. A critical offseason begins in less than three weeks. When the transfer portal opens on March 18, Indiana will need to have its message on Woodson’s status.
So what is its status? The national media is talking about Woodson’s job security, which is a good indicator, if you needed one, that this isn’t just a local overreaction to a bad season.
The Estate of the 68s, Jeff Goodman the message is simple.
“Indiana has no plans to move on from Mike Woodson.”
Sometimes words do a lot of work, of course. And “no plans” doesn’t mean it will never happen. But this is clearly an opinion that doesn’t change after doing due diligence.
Aaron Torres of Fox Sports Radio addressed the situation from the perspective of not only Woodson’s performance, but also the potential opportunity cost of keeping him around. Torres suggested that someone like former IU basketball manager and current Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May could be available today and gone tomorrow.
“Indiana is in a tough position. Probably not ready to move on from Mike Woodson. But if you keep it, you risk losing the one you think is your dream candidate,” Torres said.
Whether or not you think May is your dream candidate, Torres’ logic seems sound. If Indiana has its eyes on another coach, timing is everything. And regional jobs like Ohio State, Michigan and Louisville could all open up in the coming weeks.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello last week also dropped May’s name in relation to the UI.
Borzello wrote that a coaching change at Indiana “probably won’t happen this year,” but he didn’t completely shut down the change.
“This is one of the jobs that could really get the carousel going,” Borzello wrote. “The Hoosiers are struggling this season, they won’t make the NCAA tournament and the fans seem ready to move on from Mike Woodson. After leading IU to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons and with $12.6 million remaining on his contract after April, firing him might not be feasible. Could Woodson, 65, resign on his own? Or could Dusty May – a student leader under Bob Knight – flirting with other schools inspire Hoosiers to take action?
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