Tag: Mike Woodson

Another ugly loss has Mike Woodson on hot seat in Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers were blown out by Penn State on Saturday, is coach Mike Woodson already on the hot seat in Bloomington?

There was a lot of buzz around the hiring of Mike Woodson for the Indiana Hoosiers in 2021, and for good reason. Woodson is a school legend, he had 15 years of NBA coaching experience under his belt, and the program was desperate for a change following the Archie Miller era and a five year hiatus from the Big Dance.

While Woodson did deliver a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in his first two years, year three has been a disaster – and after a deflating 14 point loss to lowly Penn State on Saturday, it is fair to wonder if the 65-year-old is already on the hot seat.

The Hoosiers were up as many as 11 in the first half, but the Nittany Lions outscored them by 18 in the second half and secured an easy victory, while Indiana fell to 5-6 in the Big Ten – having lost four of their last five.

Woodson inherited a roster with All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, and in the first year following his graduation this team has struggled – despite bringing in talented big man Kel’el Ware via the transfer portal and star freshman Mackenzie Mgbako, who decommitted from Duke to come to Bloomington.

Woodson may get another year – after all he did go to two NCAA Tournaments and seems to be capable of recruiting high end talent – but this Indiana fanbase is beyond frustrated with the team’s falling stock as a college basketball powerhouse, and they won’t be patient for much longer.

Texas, UConn, Indiana to play in Empire Classic hoops series

Texas could face UConn, the 2023 NCAA Champions early next season.

The Texas basketball schedule appears to be ramping up next season. After a respectable schedule saw the Longhorns face Gonzaga, Creighton, and Illinois, the team is already set to play high profile games next season.

Earlier this week, we learned that Texas would reunite with former head coach Shaka Smart and the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Big 12-Big East Battle. Smart pulled off a surprising AP National Coach of the Year bid this season after helping his team to a No. 2 seed. Marquette fell to the Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 32.

Now it appears the Longhorns will join UConn, Indiana, and Louisville in New York for the Empire Classic in early November. The early season series gives Texas the opportunity to face two of the top coaches in college basketball, UConn’s Danny Hurley and Indiana’s Mike Woodson.

The low stakes series of games gives Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company a chance to simulate tournament style basketball with their new look team. The games kick off Nov. 19 toward the start of next season.

Indiana Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson thinks the NBA should retire No. 6 for Celtics’ Bill Russell

Bill Russell ‘was the (expletive)’ in Woodson’s estimation.

While we can’t use the expletive dropped by former NBA player and head coach Mike Woodson to describe how much he appreciates the life and career of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell, we can say that Woodson thinks the world out of the 11-time champion and US civil rights advocate who passed last weekend at the age of 88.

In a recent interview with TMZ, the current head coach of his NCAA alma mater Indiana let it be known he is among the many voices who want to see the entire NBA take No. 6 jerseys out of commission across the league to memorialize the life and contributions of Russell to the game and the world beyond it.

Check out the conversation for yourself to hear why Woodson thinks no one else ought to wear an NBA jersey with the number six on it again.

Given the impact of Russell on the lives of all Americans, the Hoosiers coach has a point.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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WATCH: What Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after loss to Ohio State

In case you missed it, here’s what Indiana head coach Mike Goodson said after the loss to Ohio State.

Ohio State was able to get back in the win column on Monday night to stay within shouting distance of first place in the Big Ten. But it wasn’t easy. After leading by double digits, Indiana rallied in the second half to take a late lead before the Buckeyes were able to come from behind and send the game into overtime where they took control for an 80-69 victory.

Hoosiers’ head coach Mike Woodson was clearly displeased with his team suffering a fifth-straight loss but he had to face the music after the game in his postgame media availability.

In case you missed any of his comments, we’ve got them in their entirety for you thanks to the YouTube channel of The Daily Hoosier. Click on the below and hear Woodson discuss the ebbs and flows in the game, the difficulty of guarding Malaki Branham, how E.J. Liddell got free at the end of regulation, and more.

Ohio State will next be in action on Thursday night when it travels to face  Illinois on the road.

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Tom Izzo releases statement on departure of longtime MSU assistant coach Dane Fife

Tom Izzo released a statement on Monday following the departure of his longtime assistant, Dane Fife, to Indiana.

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On Monday, longtime Michigan State basketball assistant coach Dane Fife announced that he would be returning to his alma mater, Indiana, as an assistant coach for new Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson.

Fife has been a fixture of the MSU program and Izzo’s staff since 2011. After the news was made official, Tom Izzo released a nice statement on Fife leaving to Indiana.

You can read it below:

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Michigan State basketball assistant Dane Fife to join Indiana basketball staff under Mike Woodson

MSU assistant coach Dane Fife is joining Mike Woodson’s staff at Indiana.

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After 10 years coaching on Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State basketball, MSU assistant coach Dane Fife will be moving on. It was reported on Monday that he will be joining new Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson’s staff with the Hoosiers.

This makes a good bit of sense, considering that Fife was a tremendous player for the Hoosiers during his playing career, where was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after his senior season. He still owns the all-time steals record at Indiana with 180.

Fife was an assistant with Indiana from 2003-05 before becoming the head coach for IPFW from 2005-11. He has been on Izzo’s staff since 2011.

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