With everyone looking ahead towards Indiana’s new coaching staff and roster, it’s easy to lose sight of the people impacted by the change.
Most, if not all of Mike Woodson’s IU staff is looking for a fresh start after the upheaval of the last two months.
Former assistant coach Yasir Rosemond has found a good landing spot. He was announced on Monday as an assistant coach at LSU where he’ll work under head coach Matt McMahon.
“I’m beyond excited and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the LSU Basketball program,” Rosemond said in an LSU release.
Rosemond was on the IU staff for all four years of Woodson’s tenure. He was a relative unknown who had been out of coaching for a brief stint after being connected to the FBI’s NCAA college basketball investigation. The IU job was a career resurrection for him.
“I sat in my car and cried for 10 minutes when coach (Mike) Woodson offered me the job,” Rosemond said shortly after he was hired in 2021.
An Atlanta native, Rosemond’s recruiting connections were attractive to Woodson, and he helped the Hoosiers land several players during his four years.
Kel’el Ware, a big man transfer from Oregon, was probably Rosemond’s most decorated recruit. Ware became the third Hoosier in the last 25 seasons to average at least 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was a Big 10 Second Team selection.
Some of the other players Rosemond played a significant role in recruiting to Indiana were Michael Durr, Jakai Newton, Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, and Kaleb Banks.
Rosemond ended up serving as head coach for one game when Woodson was ill. He led IU to a 61-57 win at Minnesota, a game in which star forward Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 25 points and added 21 rebounds. As head coach for the game, Rosemond did a postgame interview on the Big Ten Network and delivered an epic line.
“If you can find 25 to 30 people better than him (Jackson-Davis) in the NBA draft, I’ll kiss your ass.” he told Robbie Hummel live on the air.
Indiana went 4-4 against Purdue during Woodson’s time at IU, and Rosemond took the lead for game planning against a Boilermaker program going through on of their best stretches in program history.
After IU made their first NCAA Tournament in six years in 2022, Rosemond received a raise and an associate head coach title.
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