After the Archie Miller era, Indiana Basketball hired someone with plenty of basketball experience for its next head coach. Mike Woodson, a former coach in the NBA with the New York Knicks, took them to a rare Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Indiana and coach Mike Woodson are in discussions about the coach’s wishes to step away at end of 2024-25, sources tell me/ @jeffborzello . He’s expected coach the rest of the year, but is unlikely to return next year. The details of the exit are being discussed. pic.twitter.com/3bqvwIZKLx
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 6, 2025
The hope was that he’d take the Hoosiers back to national prominence, and early on, they were on track. The team made the NCAA Tournament in the first two years, including being a 4 seed 2023. However, the past two seasons have seen the program take a big step back. They went 19-14 in 2024 before going through a complete roster overhaul last offseason.
Mike Woodson is a program legend. One of the best in history. And deserves his flowers for that
— FIREMIKEWOODSON (@Real_Jo_Li) February 6, 2025
However, his tenure as a coach was just a disaster, and his unwillingness to adapt set this team back many years. Wish him well in retirement https://t.co/nRlbInnhOu
The 2024-25 roster was ranked in the top 20 in preseason polls. Yet things just never clicked for them. They went 1-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament and have gone through a very rough stretch in Big Ten play that has all but taken them out of the NCAA Tournament conversation.
✅ Joe Manhertz
— NIT Stu (@nit_stu) February 6, 2025
✅ Leonard Hamilton
✅ Mike Woodson
Who wants next??
Indiana has lost six of the last seven games, including a pair of 25-point blowout losses. The last game against Wisconsin may have been the last straw, with them starting out down 24-4. Fans were even more irate than normal, and with the season all but dead, it looks like a decision has been made on Woodson’s future.
BREAKING: Indiana head coach Mike Woodson is contemplating stepping down and retiring, sources told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 6, 2025
The Hoosiers have lost 6 of their last 7, Woodson has lost the support of high-level boosters and there have been ongoing discussions today about his future,…
Lasting just four years and with two trips to the Big Dance seems harsh but in the transfer portal and NIL era, there just aren’t many excuses left for teams not to succeed, especially when you have the resources that the Hoosiers reportedly do.
Mike Woodson contemplating retirement right before Dusty May comes to town… I’m noticing.
— Jacob Karabatsos (@jacobkarabatsos) February 6, 2025
The reactions online appear to be more relief and relaxation than surprise from Indiana fans, who the majority have wanted to move past the Woodson era. They’re the latest team to move on from its head coach, joining Miami, Florida State, and Virginia among the power conferences.
There was a lot of smoke going around the Indiana message boards in the last 12 or so hours and now we get some national confirmation.
— Brandon Ramsey (@BRamseyKSR) February 6, 2025
The end is near for Coach Mike Woodson at Indiana. https://t.co/K0sfC8UazJ
There are going to be a number of candidates looking to get in the mix, with a few already being mentioned. It’s going to be interesting to see how the carousel breaks down in the next couple of months now that one of the biggest jobs is available.