Sam Amico
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Brad Stevens said he’s happy coaching the Boston Celtics. Nevada coach and former Indiana star Steve Alford reportedly isn’t a fit. And ex-Michigan coach John Beilein is 68-years-old and has a cushy television gig.
So who may be the leading candidate for the Indiana coaching vacancy?
Well, the quick answer is Mike Woodson, a former member of the Hoosiers who has coached in the NBA. Woodson is currently an assistant under Tom Thibodeau with the New York Knicks.
He has been the head coach of the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks and an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and, of course, the Knicks.
So Woodson has spent time in the college game only as a player. But that was at Indiana from 1976-80, which means he played for the legendary Bob Knight and alongside Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas.
Woodsen was no slouch himself. He led the Hoosiers in scoring his junior season and went on to be a regular starter in the NBA. So he has all the credentials, and some fans are excited about the possibility of Woodson as the next Hoosiers coach.
And according to Rick Bozich of WDRB-TV, Woodson may indeed be a real possibility, as is former Ohio State coach Thad Matta.
“Other names who are believed to be under consideration are Texas Tech coach Chris Beard; former Michigan coach John Beilein; Pacers assistant coach Calbert Cheaney; Baylor coach Scott Drew; Eric Musselman of Arkansas and Michigan State assistant coach Dane Fife, a former IU player,” Bozich wrote.
Butch Carter , randy Whitman as assistant
If Beilein is possibility they would be foolish not to hire him. All he does is fix programs, get them winning and leave the house much better than when he arrived but.. yes hire someone with no experience. I’m good with that.
If they pulled the trigger last year they could have made a run at Billy Donovan.
The word is that Matta was all set to go but failed a physical so he’s out. Too bad he has such physical problems because I like the guy. Whoever is chosen – they better be able to talk more about what type of athlete they are recruiting. That’s what I like about Chris Beard. He says – we can’t out recruit Texas and Kansas in the 12. So, we need to find “our type of player” – defensive, quickness, speed, physicality and then put the other teams to the test each night. It’s not 1975. Indiana isn’t going to out recruit anyone. They need a plan and players to execute that plan. Woodson? Maybe.