Indiana's Mike Woodson not expected to return following 2024-25 season
Yesterday at 05:27 PM
Following reports that Indiana head coach Mike Woodson is contemplating retirement at the end of the next season, it has been confirmed that he will not be coming back to lead the Hoosiers for the next campaign, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel.
Vice President and Director of Athletics at Indiana University Scott Dolson issued a statement extending his appreciation to Woodson while also offering some clarity regarding the news.
“During a meeting with Coach Woodson on Wednesday, he informed me he wanted to step down as our program’s head coach at the end of the current season,” Dolson said, per reporter Andy Katz. “He said it had been weighing on his mind for a while, and that it was an emotional and difficult decision. We have had subsequent thoughtful conversations about his decision and his desire to ensure that the program is in the best position it can be moving forward.”
“It’s clear to me from our discussions in the last several days that his No. 1 priority is for the attention to be off him, and instead focused on uniting Hoosier Nation in support of our student-athletes, coaches, and, most importantly, the program,” Dolson continued. “Coach Woodson is a class act. During the last four years, he has led the program during a transformational time in college athletics and helped us become a national leader in evolving areas including NIL and the Transfer Portal. No one loves IU Basketball more than he does.”
Mike Woodson breathed new life in Indiana, but he could not finish the job
Woodson returned to his Alma mater, a school where he scored more than 700 points from 1976-80, in the hopes of reviving Bloomington men’s basketball. And although he ignited a temporary spark, the 66-year-old is leaving Indiana without fulfilling that objective. He led the team to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, capped off by a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference and a Round of 64 win in 2023. The gradual ascent earned Woodson a lucrative contract extension in August of 2023.
Momentum has stalled over the last two years, however. The Hoosiers missed March Madness last season after compiling a lackluster 19-14 record and are falling well below expectations in 2024-25. They are 14-9 and 5-7 in conference play with few quality wins to present to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Despite a preseason top-25 ranking and a wealth of NIL funds at its disposal, the squad is fading back into obscurity.
Woodson is hardly the first man to underachieve here, as the program becomes further removed from its prestigious past, but his departure will enable Indiana to find a candidate who can possibly thrive in this modern age of college basketball. Striving to replicate the Bobby Knight era is not a suitable goal at this time. The next head coach must establish a sustainable winning culture that can one day pave the way for a powerhouse to emerge.
Before that massive quest commences, though, Mike Woodson will try to wrap up his run on the right note. The Indiana Hoosiers are reeling after losing four straight games, but the schedule will provide them with the opportunity to salvage this season. They host No. 24 Michigan on Saturday and then visit No. 9 Michigan State next Tuesday.
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