Indiana Bringing In Indiana Man Mike Woodson

Indiana has landed its man, and that man just happens to be from Indiana.

Per multiple reports, the Hoosiers are tabbing Mike Woodson to be their next basketball coach.

Of course, he is also a native of Indianapolis, starred at Broad Ripple High School in the mid-1970s, and played for Indiana University from 1976 until 1980. He has therefore lived through and appreciates the idea of Hoosier Hysteria.

"Every yard had courts, little basketball hoops in the yard," he once said of his home state. "If you didn't have it, you had neighbors two doors down that had it. You had parks in every area of town where you could go get a pickup game. Had rec centers where you could go play. It was a place to go learn your craft."

Woodson is currently an assistant coach with the New York Knicks. He was actually up for the Knicks' head coaching job last offseason, but they decided to go with Tom Thibodeau instead. Woodson has NBA head coaching experience, having led both the Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.

This move to IU will mark Woodson's first foray into college coaching -- as he has spent his entire professional career as a player, assistant coach or head coach in the NBA. Still, it's pretty evident Indiana University basketball has remained near and dear to his heart.

Now, he'll get the chance to do something that hasn't been done in quite some time. He will get a chance to return basketball-crazy Indiana to national relevance for the first time since the days of former coach Bobby Knight.

That really would bring hysteria to the Hoosier program once again.

Written by
Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.