Sometimes it’s hard to accept reality, especially when something is so near and dear to one’s heart.
Loyalty and a way of life combine to be what can only be described as an obsession, and it’s easy to see what occurred ages ago as still being relevant today despite the fact that the product has changed.
Knowing all that and then some,
I’ve decided to converse with those of you within the I.U. Nation that still think the candy stripped warm-ups are fashionable and that the hoops coaching carousel in Bloomington is about to stop with a new hire.
With the impending resignation of Mike Woodson, the Hoosiers are once again in the midst of yet another search for someone who they think can bring the program back to prominence and do it fast.
The tricky part is how that is all done, with the next coach wading through the muck of recruiting players in the traditional sense and also within the transfer portal.
While you’re at it, make sure your Name, Image and Likeness dollars are in order with the big donors, and be prepared for a fan base that’s arguably one the most unrealistic in terms of expectations in the U.S.
If you think it sounds like this job opening will have trouble attracting a quality candidate, you’re right, as the landscape in Assembly Hall isn’t hilly. It’s downright treacherous.
Simply put, the I.U. Men’s coaching position is no longer an upper-echelon job and hasn’t been for some time. It’s now a destination for some up-and-comer, flavor-of-the-month type candidate who’ll look at it and say, what the heck, this is a promotion for me, and I’m getting a raise because they think l can get them off Lethargic Lane before the next property tax bill hits.
The days of Bob Knight and Tom Crean are in the rearview mirror, and the program no longer has any luster and also lacks the financial commitment to influence an established, winning coach to break his contract and look for real estate in Monroe County. They also have little standing with blue chip players and no real intention of making a 20-year-old phenom a multi-millionaire through the N.I.L monies that so many “experts” claim they have available at their fingertips.
At best, it’s simply another program that the aforementioned types of players really don’t need in terms of reaching the NBA where the real riches they desire await them.
With an inexperienced athletic director and a widely unpopular President who both know nothing about the business of sports, the best these two can do is retain a search firm that conducts the very meetings that they themselves should be doing as part of their respective job descriptions.
The inordinate amount of cash that University President Pamela Whitten and A.D. Scott Dolson are being paid would make one think they could offer something to this process, but they’re waiting for someone else to tell them who to hire. Either way, it’s another disaster waiting to occur. They desperately need to nail this process, but if history tells us anything, a once-elite program is more than likely to remain mired in mediocrity, which in itself is no big surprise to anyone.
One thing is for certain: they’ll probably hire some they’ll be buying out before their contract expires and it won’t take long before those administrators who were hired to right the ship find their seats getting a bit warmer as well.
Stay tuned. It’s about to get both entertaining and embarrassing.
Danny Bridges, who would make Rick Pitino turn down the job, can be reached at 317-370-8447 or bridgeshd@aol.com.
