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Ex-Hoosiers coach on hiring of Mike Woodson: ‘Indiana will get back to the Final Four’
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After a few weeks on the coaching search, Indiana found its guy.
Sunday afternoon, Indiana officially announced it was hiring Mike Woodson to be the next head coach of the Hoosiers, replacing Archie Miller. Though Woodson hasn’t coached the college game before, he’s a former IU player with plenty of connections to the state. His NBA experience is certainly a benefit, as well.
As with any coaching hire, there are some folks who are excited about the move, some who enter wait-and-see mode and others who aren’t on board…at least just yet. Former Indiana head coach Mike Davis thinks the school made the right move.
“It’s a great hire. Mike is an outstanding coach with a ton of experience,” Davis told Jim Coyle of IndianaRivals.com. “Indiana will get back to the Final Four.”
I reached out to former Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis –
"It's a great great hire. Mike is a outstanding coach with a ton of experience. Indiana will get back to the final 4" #iubb— Jim Coyle (@jimcoyleISB) March 28, 2021
Davis was named the head coach at Indiana in 2000, filling in for the fired Bob Knight after serving as an assistant for three seasons. His teams were 115-79 with four NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons, and one trip to the NIT.
Indiana’s 2001-02 team, coached by Davis, finished the year 25-12 and played in the national championship, falling to Maryland. It was the last time the Hoosiers played in a Final Four. Davis was then let go following the 2005-06 season.
Competing for B1G titles and national championships is the goal at Indiana. Davis believes Woodson has the ability to lead the program back in that direction.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB