Bottom line is guys who played with him demanded him and got him. But most seem silent now. Thad never recruited at all that was a lie risley was sold i guess. Thad had nothing to do with recruiting at all. The problem is kitchel thinks woodson is still the guy he played with and he is not. Woodson resembles nothing at all like bob knight or that system.
I get it they thought their buddy could restore 1980 glory but they just live in the past cause he coaches nothing like that at all.
“Thad knows the college game and he’s got Indiana ties,” Risley said. “I think between the two of them, they can recruit like hell. Mike is a revered former player and Thad knows how to go out and get the recruiting job done. And Mike is going to have all the help he wants from all of us.”
That is a leg up Woodson has on every other coach that Indiana has hired. The player alumni base has never been as united in the past 20 years as it will be for him.
“There’s nobody not thrilled about this in the IU family,” Risley said. “I think we’re all thrilled to get a Mike in there as a former player, a former member of the team, a member of the family. In 20 years, it’s ridiculous it took this long to do it.”
They think Woodson, out of all the options even among former IU players, is the best fit to turn it around for a number of reasons. For one, he was one of the most intellectual players his teammates played with and one of the best shooters, even at a time when there was no 3-point line. And he knew how to relate to teammates then as they believe he can relate to players now.
“He was a great leader,” Kitchel said. “He was obviously a great player. He was the best player in the country before he got hurt in 1980. He demanded a lot from himself. He demanded a lot from his teammates, that everybody does their job. He’s very role oriented. He believes that everybody has a role and everybody’s role is just as important. The guy who sets the screens is just as important as the guy scoring 20 points per game.”