Report: Mike Woodson to Return as Indiana Men’s Basketball HC Despite Struggles
Despite the men’s basketball team’s struggles, Indiana University will retain head coach Mike Woodson for the 2024-25 season, a Hoosier athletic department source told Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.
Woodson, a former IU basketball standout, has coached the Hoosiers to a 16-13 overall record (8-10 in Big Ten) in his third season.
Indiana snuck into the tournament in his first season, making the First Four after going 20-13 (9-11 in Big Ten). The Hoosiers won in that round against Wyoming but fell 82-53 to Saint Mary’s in the first round.
Last year was Indiana’s best under Woodson, as the Hoosiers finished second in the Big Ten standings and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, their season ended with another early tournament loss, this time to Miami (85-69) in the second round.
This year has been tough for the Hoosiers, who have gone 4-8 in their last 12 games to fall to ninth in the Big Ten standings. At this point, it appears the Hoosiers will need to win the Big Ten tournament just to make March Madness again.
As Osterman noted on March 5, firing Woodson would trigger a $12.6 million buyout.
“Under the terms of his original contract, Woodson would have been owed 100% of remaining compensation through March 31, 2025, and then 50% thereafter. In addition to his raise last summer, Woodson also gained an extra year of full buyout protection. Indiana would now owe all remaining guaranteed compensation — roughly $12.6 million on April 1 and reducing monthly — through March 30, 2026.”
Woodson signed a six-year deal with IU in 2021 for just over $3 million, per Osterman. A agreed-upon contract restructure in August led to a $1 million raise per year for the rest of his deal. The contract re-do also included extra buyout protections.
It’s easy to see why Woodson was hired in the first place. He was a second-team All-American at IU before enjoying a successful 11-year NBA career, averaging 14.0 PPG. Woodson then coached in the NBA for most seasons from 1996-2021, most notably as the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks (2004-2010) and the New York Knicks (2012-2014).
Woodson led five of his eight teams to the conference semifinals, including the 2012-13 Knicks, whose 54-win season marks the team’s highest victory total since 1996-97.
Woodson served as the Knicks’ assistant head coach under Tom Thibodeau before IU added him into the mix.
Last season certainly brought great hope for the future, but this year has been a tough one, especially given the recent slide.
It’s certainly possible Woodson can turn this around in year four, though. He’s proven capable of shepherding successful teams, and he has a wealth of knowledge and experience spanning five decades in college and pro hoops.
For now, though, IU is hoping to close strong. The Hoosiers have won their last two and will look to keep it rolling Wednesday at Minnesota.
The 2023-24 NBA season tips off with two games Tuesday night, which feature a trio of former Indiana Hoosiers: Jalen Hood-Schifino, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Eric Gordon.
Hood-Schifino and Jackson-Davis are the two newest Hoosiers in the NBA after being drafted 17th and 57th, respectively, while Gordon, the seventh pick in the 2008 draft, is the longest tenured Hoosier.
Indiana currently has a total of seven alumni in the NBA, including five first-round draft picks. It would have been eight, but Romeo Langford was waived by the Utah Jazz a week before the season. The 23-year-old was the No. 14 pick in the 2019 NBA draft, but has struggled to find his role as a pro.
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