Indiana Basketball: 5 candidates to replace Archie Miller as head coach

Scott Drew

Realistic or not, schools like Indiana will always go for the home run hire. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. Two years ago, it really failed for UCLA as they were forced to “settle” for Mick Cronin. If everything went off with a hitch and both parties were interested, Drew would be a fantastic hire for the Hoosiers.

Drew already has a ton of familiarity with the state of Indiana, as he went to school at Butler before spending a decade at Valparaiso. He was on staff for Valparaiso’s Sweet Sixteen run before spending a season as their head coach. In 2003, he took the head coaching job at Baylor, then a complete and utter disaster, and has turned these last 18 years into something pretty incredible. He’s led the Bears to a pair of Elite Eights, a pair of Sweet Sixteens, and may have his best team of all this season, entering the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed for the very first time.

Those Indiana roots are what some people hope will bring Drew back to the Hoosier State. He’s spent nearly two decades rebuilding Baylor and is really starting to see the fruit of that labor. Leaving right not for a project at Indiana seems like a silly move, but I guess you never really know what people are thinking. His father and brother are no longer coaching or living in the state, so this wouldn’t be a family reunion, though Drew could certainly be the coach to resurrect a long-dormant Indiana program if he so desires.