Indiana bringing in a 63 year old assistant coach from the NBA as next head coach

[NorthKCHawk]

And as far as I know, this guy has never rebuilt a college hoops team. This was a real shot in the dark for Indiana.

I agree on the take on Fran. Yes, he seems stuck in the first weekend of the NCAA tourney, but we did end the season ranked 5th in the country and with the POY. Iowa was nationally relevant and fun to watch all year round. Things could be much much much worse.

 

[HuckFinn]

I have no idea how good this guy will be as a coach at Indiana. His age seems to be a topic with some negative perceptions. You may want to cultivate some friendships with a couple of guys that age before you judge.

 

[okeefe4prez]

There may be something to this, but I think the weather is impacting recruiting talent more than recruiting coaches, especially in football. Back in the day, Nebraska and Michigan could fly down to Florida and gather all the talent they wanted, and those kids knew if they wanted to be on TV, they best head North to football country. Those days are gone. SEC kids are staying in SEC country

I still think the problem is that these programs are not getting the right people. I always believed that when Michigan briefly flirted with KF as their football coach, that would have been a good match. A grinder like KF with more resources and exposure to talent? He could have thrived at Michigan. That is type of guy that is needed in these environments. Steady program builders. Not resume builders.

I think you hit the nail on the head. People who live in places like Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana and Kansas don't truly realize how unattractive those locales are because most of them have never been more than a 6 hour drive from home. All things being equal, I'd much rather live somewhere like Lexington, KY, Knoxville, TN or somewhere south over Lincoln or Iowa City.

Michigan needed to hire either KF or Pat Fitz. Someone with a Big Ten track record who knew the opposition and would steadily build. KF at Michigan wouldn't be a title contender, but he'd have them regularly in the top 10 at the end of the year and would be just that OSU game away from maybe sliding into the playoffs.

 

[Northside Hawk]

But is an 18 kid going to commit and play for a 63 year old coach they never heard of?

The question is going to be how he can relate to recruits or pull them in.

That was a hot topic on sports radio this morning. He is a generation older than Juwan Howard.

The very fact that Woodson is 63 makes ME feel old. I remember watching him in middle school like it was yesterday.

 

[Northside Hawk]

If Jeff Horner continues his career trajectory... he could be a realistic candidate at some point. He'd likely need to move up from Truman and have success at a smaller D1 school first.

Northern Illinois just bounced longtime coach Mark Montgomery. That would be a nice next move for Horner.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I have no idea how good this guy will be as a coach at Indiana. His age seems to be a topic with some negative perceptions. You may want to cultivate some friendships with a couple of guys that age before you judge.

His biggest recruiting selling point will be his ties to the NBA.

 

[WindsorHawk]

His biggest recruiting selling point will be his ties to the NBA.

Are you saying he had every GM on speed dial? Where have I heard that before?

 

[Robowe]

Look no further then Indiana as to why those that have been in a hurry to get rid of Fran should pump the brakes. The grass isn't always greener. If Indiana can't make a hire of any significance to move the needle what gives us any confidence that Barta could? Hell I feel like he got lucky getting Fran to begin with after the Licklighter disaster. Asking Barta to make another hire seems like pushing our luck.

I mean if you're gonna make a coaching change just to change it (not because the guy really sucks or is breaking rules) then you better be damned sure who you're going to get is good and will be your guy. What Indiana just did settling for their 4th choice or so is a terrible look. Paying that huge buyout to do that?

Half of Indianas lineup is in the transfer portal so it's basically a rebuild now. Granted rebuilding these days is different then it used to be with the transfer portal and all. But still what kind of expectations should they have for the next couple yrs?

UCLA tried to get J. Calipari, T. Bennett, J. Dixon, and R. Barnes. They ended up with Mick Cronin. So far, so good.

https://au.sports.yahoo.com/mick-cronin-ucla-hoops-back-044620503.html

 

[Knight78]

Northern Illinois just bounced longtime coach Mark Montgomery. That would be a nice next move for Horner.

That may be. However, Horner was suspended from Truman's team just after being named the conference coach of the year and before their conference tournament. Also, has anyone heard is he still cancer-free? That would be a consideration for any team looking to hire him.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Are you saying he had every GM on speed dial? Where have I heard that before?

I never stated that it was going to be that valuable or a home run for him. I merely stated that's going to be his best pitch to recruits.

Way to read into it and write your own story. It is similar to KF and his ties to the NFL.

 

[WindsorHawk]

I never stated that it was going to be that valuable or a home run for him. I merely stated that's going to be his best pitch to recruits.

Way to read into it and write your own story. It is similar to KF and his ties to the NFL.

I was kidding...Hoiberg’s old line.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I was kidding...Hoiberg’s old line.

Oh, didn't even catch that. Nicely played sir!