How Mike Woodson is Revitalizing Indiana Basketball
By: Bryce Williams
THE PAST IS IN THE PAST
After Archie Miller was fired due to a disappointing tenure that did not live up to his promises, Indiana Basketball was written off as a future contender in the B1G Ten. Trayce Jackson-Davis, the team’s best player, was contemplating declaring for the draft. The multiple five stars that were recruited did not perform as well as they had hoped. However, there was no better symbol of the Archie Miller era at Indiana than Romeo Langford. The hyper-athletic guard from New Albany, Indiana held offers from top programs such as Duke and North Carolina. Miller convinced him to stay home, in turn, creating high expectations for the team as they seemed to be on the rise. However, Miller failed to put his vision on the court, playing 67–58 overall and 33–44 in Big Ten. The program was rumored to be in the mix with many high profile coaches such as Brad Stevens and Tony Bennett. Indiana University decided to go against the grain, and hired their first Indiana linked head coach since Bob Knight. A former player, Mike Woodson coached in the NBA since 1996, most notably the Knicks from 2012–2014.
IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP
Woodson’s first year had no shortage of drama. While picking up big wins at home with Ohio State and Purdue, the Hoosiers disappointed on the road, losing to Penn State and Northwestern. One staple among the season was defense, as Woodson prides himself on his teams’ giving effort on the defensive end. Indiana soon became a top fifty team in defense and was able to stay in most games when the offense struggled to manufacture points. Although Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson were able to produce in the offense down low, the perimeter shooting was lackluster. Northwestern transfer Miller Kopp was expected to lead the attack from behind the line, but shot just 35% throughout the course of the year and was not able to hit enough big shots when the team needed it most. With Indiana standing at 21–14 after a run to the B1G Ten Tournament semifinals, Woodson brought his team back to the dance for the first time since 2016. After winning a back and forth affair in Dayton against Wyoming, the Hoosiers got run off the court during the Round of 64 by Saint Mary’s; a regular at the top of the West Coast Conference. In the post game press conference, Woodson looked forward to the offseason ahead. He mentioned the steps the team needed to make, stating “Well, shooting is a big part of it. I thought our defense carried us guys, and we didn’t shoot the ball extremely well this season. You guys know that.”
WELL, MAYBE NOT…
While there was a lot of progress made in Mike Woodson’s first year at the helm, he needed to come through on the recruiting trail to continue to build the Hoosiers back to national relevance. He did just that, bringing in the number nine overall recruiting class in the country, which was second in the B1G Ten only to Ohio State. The class is headlined by five-star guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, a top 25 player in the class. The six foot five guard from Montverde Academy has changed the culture in Bloomington, leading former high school teammate Malik Reneau to flip his commitment from Florida to Indiana. Woodson also recruited a hyper athletic forward in Kaleb Banks, and an Indiana native in CJ Gunn. While the five-star is the only freshman that is projected to start, the other three should feature meaningful roles, providing depth at the end of the rotation. Reneau and Banks will back up Jackson-Davis and Thompson, and Gunn will be provided opportunities to show off his shooting ability if perimeter players Miller Kopp and Tamarr Bates are unable to knock down shots at a consistent rate. The top ten recruiting class has brought high expectations for the program as they are widely regarded as a top fifteen team in the country, and are the odds on favorites to win the B1G Ten. Key returners include the best big man in the conference Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as previous starters in Xavier Johnson and Miller Kopp. The Hoosiers will not go without a challenge though, as the out of conference schedule features both teams from last year’s national championship game, North Carolina at home and Kansas in the Phog. Indiana will also play Arizona at a neutral site in Las Vegas. If the team can come away with two wins or a sweep during that stretch, Indiana will be in prime position to earn a top seed in March Madness this year.
LOOKING FORWARD
There were many questions when IU hired former player Mike Woodson as their coach, but the hire is slowly turning out to be the right one. Woodson is revitalizing the program, and there seems to be a palpable buzz in Bloomington for what feels like the first time since Victor Oladipo came to town. The campus has an aura around it, with students counting down the days until they can fill into historic Assembly Hall to cheer on their beloved Hoosiers. Although it is early, many media outlets believe in this team to be atop of the B1G Ten come February, and make a deep run in March. Mike Woodson has brought his alma mater back to relevance, and they are here to stay.
