Chris Mack, Chris Holtmann, and Steve Alford (and maybe even Scott Drew) are candidates for the IU job and are coaching their teams in the Sweet 16 this week. How much will the results of their teams impact the coaching search?
Alford has never made it past the Sweet 16 and probably has the most to prove. He should have been given the job to replace Knight back when he was a young up and comer having just lead SW Missouri State to the Sweet 16 and had Iowa headed in the right direction. Since then he has failed to have any more success than Crean, and if he loses to Kentucky I would consider this season another failure.
Mack is a good coach in my opinion, but he has similarly not been able to get past the Sweet 16. He also has been at Xavier for ~20 years as a player, assistant, and head coach, so I'm not sure how interested he would be in the job.
In my opinion, if Butler beats UNC, Holtmann should be at the top of our list. The guy is young, has connections to Indiana, and flat out knows basketball. People forget just how bare Stevens left that program when he left. He turned the program back around after Brandon Miller struggled to even keep them competitive. He doesn't have Gordon Hayward or Shelvin Mack, he has a bunch of role players and a win over #1 seed UNC would be nothing short of a coaching masterpiece. He has always been my top choice, but if he beats UNC I don't think anyone will be able to doubt he's the right choice.
Alford has never made it past the Sweet 16 and probably has the most to prove. He should have been given the job to replace Knight back when he was a young up and comer having just lead SW Missouri State to the Sweet 16 and had Iowa headed in the right direction. Since then he has failed to have any more success than Crean, and if he loses to Kentucky I would consider this season another failure.
Mack is a good coach in my opinion, but he has similarly not been able to get past the Sweet 16. He also has been at Xavier for ~20 years as a player, assistant, and head coach, so I'm not sure how interested he would be in the job.
In my opinion, if Butler beats UNC, Holtmann should be at the top of our list. The guy is young, has connections to Indiana, and flat out knows basketball. People forget just how bare Stevens left that program when he left. He turned the program back around after Brandon Miller struggled to even keep them competitive. He doesn't have Gordon Hayward or Shelvin Mack, he has a bunch of role players and a win over #1 seed UNC would be nothing short of a coaching masterpiece. He has always been my top choice, but if he beats UNC I don't think anyone will be able to doubt he's the right choice.
