ADVERTISEMENT

Assistant Coaches

MikeHoncho69

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2018
880
1,131
93
Mike Woodson said in his introductory press conference and again on the Dan Dakich show that he has a few names in mind for his assistant coaches. Tom Ostrom will obviously be moving on, but is there any chance Mike Roberts and/or Kenya Hunter are retained?

I'm also curious to know if the obvious former IU guys -- Calbert Cheaney, Mike Lewis and Dane Fife -- are realistic names to join the staff.
 
No inside info, but would guess

Fife or Lewis as associate head coach with a potential CIW tag
Calbert Cheaney
Hot-shot recruiter. This position could be any number of guys. Kenya Hunter could fill that role.
 
No inside info, but would guess

Fife or Lewis as associate head coach with a potential CIW tag
Calbert Cheaney
Hot-shot recruiter. This position could be any number of guys. Kenya Hunter could fill that role.
I have no idea who Woodson will hire. The one thing I know I'd love to see right now is Woodson hire Dane Fife as his associate head coach.
 
I would think Calbert would be on the radar for an assistant coach role. We know he was spoken to via zoom already so there is obvious interest in working together on some level.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 76-1
I would think Calbert would be on the radar for an assistant coach role. We know he was spoken to via zoom already so there is obvious interest in working together on some level.
Say Woodson hires Dane Fife as his associate head coach and does not retain Kenya Hunter or Mike Roberts. That would leave two open spots. I believe you would need two ace recruiters in those spots. That's just my two cents.
 
Outside of Fife being an IU alum, why else would Dane Fife join Woodson's staff?

He's regarded to already be the coach in waiting at MSU under Izzo, and MSU has stability.

What happens if Fife comes here and Woodson fails? Do you really think Fife will then just be handed the keys?

It would be a great risk for Fife to come here with the unknowns of Woodson.

Fife can stick at MSU and if Woodson fails would still be in a great position to have the IU HC job if he wants it, and then worse case is he sticks it out at MSU and takes that HC position in a few years when Izzo hangs it up.

Quite frankly the Fife route only makes sense to come to IU now if the thought process is that Fife cares more about the brand of IU than he does his personal career trajectory.
 
Outside of Fife being an IU alum, why else would Dane Fife join Woodson's staff?

He's regarded to already be the coach in waiting at MSU under Izzo, and MSU has stability.

What happens if Fife comes here and Woodson fails? Do you really think Fife will then just be handed the keys?

It would be a great risk for Fife to come here with the unknowns of Woodson.

Fife can stick at MSU and if Woodson fails would still be in a great position to have the IU HC job if he wants it, and then worse case is he sticks it out at MSU and takes that HC position in a few years when Izzo hangs it up.

Quite frankly the Fife route only makes sense to come to IU now if the thought process is that Fife cares more about the brand of IU than he does his personal career trajectory.
I will always question those who say Dane Fife is the "coach in waiting" at Michigan State. You do realize Dwayne Stephens has been with Tom Izzo for 18 years and holds the associate head coach title, right?
 
I will always question those who say Dane Fife is the "coach in waiting" at Michigan State. You do realize Dwayne Stephens has been with Tom Izzo for 18 years and holds the associate head coach title, right?
Fife isn’t making what would be, at the very best, a lateral move from MSU to IU. And we aren’t tagging anyone as a Coach in Waiting at the start of Woody’s tenure.
 
Fife isn’t making what would be, at the very best, a lateral move from MSU to IU. And we aren’t tagging anyone as a Coach in Waiting at the start of Woody’s tenure.
Agree with you on IU not naming anyone as a "coach in waiting." I've always laughed at folks who clamor for that.

However, I'm not sold on the idea of Fife not being open to a move to IU, particularly if he earns both a promotion to associate head coach and a corresponding pay bump.
 
I will always question those who say Dane Fife is the "coach in waiting" at Michigan State. You do realize Dwayne Stephens has been with Tom Izzo for 18 years and holds the associate head coach title, right?

You're right, however Fife also holds the associate head coach title. You know that too, right?

I guess I just see Fife moving to IU as no better than a lateral move with much more inherent risk. The IU HC job will be there when Woodson leaves regardless whether Fife is on staff or not.

The risk is if Woodson flames out and Fife is on staff -- Fife would be collateral damage in that scenario. Waiting to come removes that risk.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: St_Henry_Buckeye
Outside of Fife being an IU alum, why else would Dane Fife join Woodson's staff?

He's regarded to already be the coach in waiting at MSU under Izzo, and MSU has stability.

What happens if Fife comes here and Woodson fails? Do you really think Fife will then just be handed the keys?

It would be a great risk for Fife to come here with the unknowns of Woodson.

Fife can stick at MSU and if Woodson fails would still be in a great position to have the IU HC job if he wants it, and then worse case is he sticks it out at MSU and takes that HC position in a few years when Izzo hangs it up.

Quite frankly the Fife route only makes sense to come to IU now if the thought process is that Fife cares more about the brand of IU than he does his personal career trajectory.
i remember Fife being a tough-as-nails defender who would dog his assigned opponent all the way into the ladies room if that's where the opponent went.

And, Fife made himself into a 47% three-point shooter by his senior year, so maybe he knows how to teach shooting. See the stats sheets in this:

https://indianahq.com/dane-fife/#:~:text=Dane%20Fife’s%20Statistics%20as%20an%20Indiana%20Hoosier%20,%20%20569%20%201%20more%20rows%20
 
Outside of Fife being an IU alum, why else would Dane Fife join Woodson's staff?

He's regarded to already be the coach in waiting at MSU under Izzo, and MSU has stability.

What happens if Fife comes here and Woodson fails? Do you really think Fife will then just be handed the keys?

It would be a great risk for Fife to come here with the unknowns of Woodson.

Fife can stick at MSU and if Woodson fails would still be in a great position to have the IU HC job if he wants it, and then worse case is he sticks it out at MSU and takes that HC position in a few years when Izzo hangs it up.

Quite frankly the Fife route only makes sense to come to IU now if the thought process is that Fife cares more about the brand of IU than he does his personal career trajectory.

This aged well...
 
Outside of Fife being an IU alum, why else would Dane Fife join Woodson's staff?

He's regarded to already be the coach in waiting at MSU under Izzo, and MSU has stability.

What happens if Fife comes here and Woodson fails? Do you really think Fife will then just be handed the keys?

It would be a great risk for Fife to come here with the unknowns of Woodson.

Fife can stick at MSU and if Woodson fails would still be in a great position to have the IU HC job if he wants it, and then worse case is he sticks it out at MSU and takes that HC position in a few years when Izzo hangs it up.

Quite frankly the Fife route only makes sense to come to IU now if the thought process is that Fife cares more about the brand of IU than he does his personal career trajectory.
DOH!
 
My favorite IU player . He was an all round player . Scored when needed , played tuff D , rebounded . He was willing to do what ever the team needed him to do to win the game . I saw him coach at IPFW , and how he really was a huge part of them becoming a D-1 program .
 
My favorite IU player . He was an all round player . Scored when needed , played tuff D , rebounded . He was willing to do what ever the team needed him to do to win the game . I saw him coach at IPFW , and how he really was a huge part of them becoming a D-1 program .
Fife is as tough as Chong Li. He'll be good to teach the importance of defense.

chong-li-photo-u1



Dane-Fife-Net-Worth.jpg


I don't specifically remember (🤞) whether Fife actually bit an opponent.
 
Here’s a good article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-03-30-0203300139-story,amp.htmThe story mentions Moye, who was no slouch either.

The article mentions A.J. Moye, one of IU's most loved players.

.One of my favorite IU moments ever was when little A.J. Moye, with a disabled shoulder, blocked big, bad Boozer with his only remaining good arm to help IU beat Duke in the NCAA tourney.

cf4c2d07ba0f023bbd8b80a4b1c72224.jpg


As you can see, now-Coach Fife was standing by in the foreground, ready to trip, undercut or bite Boozer, in case Moye needed help. Bill Laimbeer was not the only player in this genre.
 
The article mentions A.J. Moye, one of IU's most loved players.

.One of my favorite IU moments ever was when little A.J. Moye, with a disabled shoulder, blocked big, bad Boozer with his only remaining good arm to help IU beat Duke in the NCAA tourney.

cf4c2d07ba0f023bbd8b80a4b1c72224.jpg


As you can see, now-Coach Fife was standing by in the foreground, ready to trip, undercut or bite Boozer, in case Moye needed help. Bill Laimbeer was not the only player in this genre.
Yeah. Always liked watching Moye. Dude was just a bulldog. He looked like he was 5’11” because he was so stocky. But man, he really got up for that block. Instant classic. Will never forget that stuff. And I hated Duke, making it all the better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: travlinhoosier
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT