What does that have to do with his coaching? If it’s based off points then Calbert should lead the program. And he has a FF which the great Woodson does not have.
Blue Blood Program
- Thread starter Kyser123
- Start date
Only a blind man could see Assembly Hall and not come away impressed for the architectural wonder that it is. I’m proud of AH and disappointed the younger spoiled generation can never have anything good enough.
This “big money” you speak of hasn’t been working to our advantage here at IU. Lots of schools have big money. It’s something else lacking.
Has nothing to do with ND. I’m just saying it isn’t sustainable. Hitting the portal and having so many of his ex players went a long way last year. I could be totally wrong but just don’t see IU turning into a football school. Thenin coming recruiting class is ranked 16th out of 18 in the BIG.
"It's something else lacking". That is the million dollar question. There isn't even a consensus on what it is that is lacking......and there should be. If you look at the coaches that IU has hired since RMK.....none of them were "successful" after they failed at IU. What does that mean, in terms of how IU has chosen its basketball coach?
Have you been to AH recently? There is a lot to be desired. These kids coming to campus today haven’t witness Indiana win anything in that building. It’s got history, but no one except our fan and alumni bases care about that.
The balconies are horrible and are empty most nights because of it. We shouldn’t need to put a top 5 team on the floor or play Purdue to fill AH.
I think that is a very real question. The guy was fired by Texas....and his career was in dire straits. He was very fortunate to land a P5 job, and went through the media fire to get it. Why go through and even bigger fire at this point in his career? IU is a shorter leash....and I am not so sure Beard wants a shorter one after what he's put himself through. Would "passing on" IU really be a mistake? If thats true....alot of really good coaches have made the same mistake.
Agree, as cool as AH looks, there are way too many bad seats with horrible sight lines. If we get a coach who can revive the program and have success, it should be in the plans to replace it, sooner rather than later. A good architect can incorporate the vertical feel, banners, and cool features of AH but provide better seats and viewing for most fans.
The “something else lacking” is the right head coach. That is literally the only thing lacking, IMO.
What site has it ranked 16th out of 18th? At any rate, it was Cignetti’s first class before he had a track record of winning at this level. He clearly can find good talent as evidenced by the success of his JMU transfers.
I was in AH as recently as the 2025 Purdue game, as I was in 1971 as a Jr attending IU. People have been barking about the balconies since its inception. I choose to overlook the balconies for all the other things right with the facility. There is no more impressive look to a college basketball arena than what we see in AH, despite its balconies.
Spend the money it would take to build a new facility on building a new team with new coaches, year after year.
Well, there is that one sneaky phone caller at Houston now who we exposed so the NCAA could boot him away for us. We’re all jealous of his success today and wish we still had him, for all the banners he would have hung by now. Yeah, but other than him with his short little stint in Bloomington, I see your point.
Empty because of the product on the court, not the building. Sat in the balcony many times to watch the team compete. Wouldn't sit courtside for free to watch any of this, in any building
Nope. We have ultra cupcakes for the first three games but Purdue, and maybe Maryland, MI State are only probable wins. Iowa, PSU, UCLA, IL, WI won't be a cakewalk.
The trouble with that one is a lot of schools think they have the right head coach, up until the time they think they don’t. (see Wiki page for Bob Knight) It’s a competitive field in the land of college basketball with “right” coaching seeds planted everywhere. Our seeds have been untested before planting, old seed no longer vigorous, or seed not properly nurtured when we had proven, younger seed of genetic vigor.
“In the field of opportunity it’s planting time again.” (With apologies to Neil Young)
Only other Big10 arena I have been in is Champaign and thought it was a better place to watch a game but never sat in high seats behind the basket and those might be marginal.
That's about where I am in my thinking. They could have more losses this Year and be a better team. If The Defense can carry Them in some close games in the first half of the season, They may be better than 8 wins.
I think We need to back away from the "Blue Blood" designation. We are an historically significant program because We have won 5 NCAA Championships. But We haven't won one in 38 years. And if You look at the program over Knight's last 15 years it wasn't meeting that standard. He had that excellent team in the early 90's that was capable of winning a Championship but missed. The 2002 Team that Mike Davis inherited reached the Championship Game and lost to Maryland. The 2013 Team was very good. other than that We have been about average over that time.
So Where does that leave Us? For the most part anyone Who has a significant memory of the 1987 Championship Team is over age 50. Players We are recruiting today weren't born the last time We played in the Championship Game. And many of the Coaching Candidates We are considering are under age 50, and don't have memories of the last Championship Season. If anything They have learned about Indiana only through their interest in the history of College Basketball.
Is the Indiana job desirable? Yes, it is a program in a major Conference with good facilities and good fan support, good TV exposure, and centrally located for travel and recruiting. But it may not be the slam dunk job decision that it was 25 years ago.
When I arrived on Campus in 1974, one of the stories I heard was that in order to save design fees as They moved toward building Assembly Hall, they used the base blueprints from Memorial Stadium that was built in the late 60's and modified Them. that is why You have such steep angles. I still get a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach thinking about standing up when I had a balcony seat and feeling that sensation of being pitched forward when I stood up.
The Army Corp of Engineers designed and built a bridge and finished it out to look like a bball arena.
Unique for sure. But a horrible fan friendly arena. Our teams made it historical and sentimental.
IU hasn’t been a “blue blood program” for a long time.
And, sadly, I’ve come to the belief that it never will be again.
Those games won’t be cakewalks but several of them are winnable. Only Penn State and Oregon look like probable losses.
I still think 9-3 is likely attainable, with 10-2 not out the question. Losses at PSU and Oregon and perhaps a split with Iowa/Illinois. Cig goes 11-1 or 12-0, then he’s definitely a coaching genius.
Whether or not Indiana is a blueblood or not is irrelevant. Look at who UK hired. Look at who UNC kept. Indiana will never be a win at all costs program. If Dolson isn't satisfied with the real circumstances surrounding Wade or Beard then they don't offer. If they don't think Bennet or Wright would sign a lucrative contract with a GM to take care of the NIL stuff, then Dolson goes the mid major or lower P4 route. If he values an experienced P4 coach then he goes with Brownell. Maybe BB changed something in the last 3 years. I wouldn't be excited with a BB hire but I could see the draw. With more resources, he could do better than his record indicates, but I'd prefer someone that's doing more with less.
And was IU a “blue blood” when they hired RMK? If so, RMK didn’t exactly have a stellar record at Army. Nor did Coach K when Duke hired him. K’s first three seasons at Duke were mediocre at best. Although I don’t think Duke became a “blue blood” until Coach K. Kansas was Roy Williams’ first head coaching job. Pretty sure they were already a “blue blood”. I don’t get this argument from people. And when the hell, since Calhoun, has UConn went out and hired the “big name” coach? And after Roy left Kansas, they went and hired the guy who had been at Illinois for three years after being at Tulsa. In all fairness, Self tore it up at Tulsa and then in three years at Illinois he finished 1st, 1st & 2nd in the conference.
When UK hired Calipari and when UNC got Roy to leave Kansas are the only times in recent memory I can recall a “blue blood” going after and landing a “big name” coach.
Totally agree. My point was IU likes to. E called a blue blood , but don’t necessarily act like it. Hopefully, changes , but not real optimistic.
Heard the same thing. And if you remember Memorial Stadium before the end zone additions and AH before Simon Skojdt renovations, the main "bowls" of the seating area are very similar, proportionally. And yes the angle of the balconies is ridiculous.
It didn't help there was a demonstrative student uprising about the way AH was to be funded, through a significant portion earmarked from student tuition. This protest ultimately set the startup plan back 10 years and initiated other cost-cutting measures, perhaps in design, as its been said the building was outdated by the time it was ready for play in 1971.
