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 as well as anyone what happens when losses begin to compound, and expectations are not met.
And there is no doubt that a 15-13 season, with a 7-10 record in the Big Ten, is well short of expectations in Bloomington.
We wrote in early February after a home blowout loss to Penn State, Woodson could not afford an ugly “lose out” scenario. If Indiana did that, the heat would have been unbearable.
The worst case has not unfolded since. Indiana has picked up two more wins since the loss to the Nittany Lions, but they’re still only 2-4 in that span with losses to Northwestern and Nebraska at home, and a second loss to Penn State in that stretch. And beyond wins and losses, statistically this is one of IU’s worst seasons in decades, despite one of the program’s more talented frontcourts in recent memory.
So things are not going well, and Indiana seems to be firmly in a grey area when it comes to Woodson’s status as head coach.
For his part, Woodson, who turns 66 this month, said last week he “wasn’t going anywhere soon” when asked how much longer he planned to coach. So at least on the surface, it doesn’t sound like he’ll make this decision for Indiana.
But one thing we know, 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 not insignificant portion of the fan base is fuming. Fueled by message board and social media silliness, they are now overreacting to Woodson’s every move, or lack thereof. It has become a toxic, unhealthy cloud that is hovering over the program.
And of course the outside world sees that. A critical offseason begins in less than three weeks. When the transfer portal opens on March 18, Indiana has to have its message on Woodson’s status nailed down.
So what is his status? National outlets are talking about Woodson’s job security, which is a good clue, if you needed one, that this isn’t just a local overreaction to a bad season.
The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman’s message is a simple one.
“Indiana has no plans to move on from Mike Woodson.”
Sometimes words do a lot of heavy lifting of course. And “no plans” is not the same thing as never going to happen. But clearly that’s one opinion landing on the side of no change after doing some diligence.
Fox Sports Radio’s Aaron Torres addressed the situation from the angle of not only Woodson’s performance, but the potential opportunity cost of keeping him. Torres suggested someone like former IU basketball manager and current Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May could be available today, gone tomorrow.
“Indiana is in a tough position. Probably not ready to move on from Mike Woodson. But if you keep him you might lose out on what you believe is your dream candidate,” Torres said.
Whether or not you believe May is the dream candidate, Torres’ logic seems sound. If Indiana has their eyes on another coach, the timing matters. And regional jobs like Ohio State, Michigan and Louisville could all open up in the coming weeks.
Last week ESPN’s Jeff Borzello also dropped May’s name in connection with IU.
Borzello wrote that a coaching change at Indiana is “likely not happening this year,” but didn’t completely shut it down.
“This is one of the jobs that could really get the carousel rolling,” Borzello wrote. “The Hoosiers are struggling this season, they won’t make the NCAA tournament and the fanbase appears 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, step down on his own? Or could Dusty May — a student manager under Bob Knight — flirting with other schools spur the Hoosiers into action?”
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