Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
After reading about several possible candidates suggested on here, it appears Indiana should choose the new coach from the following list:
Brad Stevens
Mark Few
Billy Donovan
Chris Beard
Rick Pitino
Steve Alford
Rick Barnes
All excellent choices IMO (Pitino is a bit sketchy though but who really cares) and all would likely jump at the chance to come to Btown. It's like what @Courtsensetwo always says: who in their right mind wouldn't jump at the chance to come to the most picturesque campus in the country? A place where big dreams come to fruition and magic fills the air.
Personally, I think we should sign Mark Few or Beard...hell maybe even Phil Jackson. As my man Hoss @Cavanagh said, "time to start a new streak!"
Keep the faith people
-The Buford
Thad Matta is healthy again.
Although Steve Alford isn’t an exceptional coach, he’s still better than Miller.
I would not rule out Brad Stevens having interest
He should be #1
Beard #2
Fife #3
Bruce and Dr. Tom go way back.
George Raveling!
I doubt a coaching move is imminent but, when the time comes, Dolson is going to need lots and lots of help. Search Committees are great, but he’ll need basketball expertise from others. Alone, he’s way over his head.In terms of a potential replacement for Archie Miller, here's my two cents on how Scott Dolson should handle it:
First and foremost, regardless of how unrealistic these candidates may seem, Dolson needs to at least pick up the phone and make the call to their agents:
- Brad Stevens
- Billy Donovan
Would those two likely pass? Probably. Either way, it would be a disservice to the program not to at least make the calls.
From there, Dolson would need to move on to the following candidates:
- Chris Beard
- Dane Fife
If IU expressed legitimate interest in Beard, it would prove the administration's willingness to compete at the top level of college basketball, as Beard is the third highest-paid coach in the country at $4.575 million annually. The only two coaches in the country making more are Calipari and Krzyzewski.
Beard would be my number one target based on his accomplishments at a school that has a football-first mentality, as it is the state of Texas after all. Secondly, his teams at Texas Tech have been disciplined, physically and mentally tough, and incredibly efficient.
Tech's adjusted offense/defense efficiency ratings from Kenpom since he took over in Lubbock are as follows:
2016-17: 44/56
2017-18: 50/4
2018-19: 25/1
2019-20: 47/9
2020-21: 27/5
The numbers bear out Beard's coaching chops. There's absolutely no argument there.
Dane Fife is a bit of unknown commodity so to speak. As an assistant at Michigan State, he doesn't have a national profile. However, he's been the lead assistant and right hand man to Tom Izzo in East Lansing for the last 10 years. Some seem to think he's a lock to be Izzo's replacement when Izzo retires, but who knows when that will be. Izzo has been at Michigan State for 25 years and is 65 years old. I would say he has another five seasons in him.
As a former IU player and assistant, he's an "IU guy." I don't view that as any sort of prerequisite for the job, and I've felt IU needs to get away from that mentality. However, it certainly won't hurt.
Would Fife be up for the task of running a program such as IU with his only head coaching experience being at IPFW from 2005 - 2011? I'm not sure, but at this point, I do view him as a guy who will wind up being in the top tier of head coaches when he gets his opportunity.
In terms of a potential replacement for Archie Miller, here's my two cents on how Scott Dolson should handle it:
First and foremost, regardless of how unrealistic these candidates may seem, Dolson needs to at least pick up the phone and make the call to their agents:
- Brad Stevens
- Billy Donovan
Would those two likely pass? Probably. Either way, it would be a disservice to the program not to at least make the calls.
From there, Dolson would need to move on to the following candidates:
- Chris Beard
- Dane Fife
If IU expressed legitimate interest in Beard, it would prove the administration's willingness to compete at the top level of college basketball, as Beard is the third highest-paid coach in the country at $4.575 million annually. The only two coaches in the country making more are Calipari and Krzyzewski.
Beard would be my number one target based on his accomplishments at a school that has a football-first mentality, as it is the state of Texas after all. Secondly, his teams at Texas Tech have been disciplined, physically and mentally tough, and incredibly efficient.
Tech's adjusted offense/defense efficiency ratings from Kenpom since he took over in Lubbock are as follows:
2016-17: 44/56
2017-18: 50/4
2018-19: 25/1
2019-20: 47/9
2020-21: 27/5
The numbers bear out Beard's coaching chops. There's absolutely no argument there.
Dane Fife is a bit of unknown commodity so to speak. As an assistant at Michigan State, he doesn't have a national profile. However, he's been the lead assistant and right hand man to Tom Izzo in East Lansing for the last 10 years. Some seem to think he's a lock to be Izzo's replacement when Izzo retires, but who knows when that will be. Izzo has been at Michigan State for 25 years and is 65 years old. I would say he has another five seasons in him.
As a former IU player and assistant, he's an "IU guy." I don't view that as any sort of prerequisite for the job, and I've felt IU needs to get away from that mentality. However, it certainly won't hurt.
Would Fife be up for the task of running a program such as IU with his only head coaching experience being at IPFW from 2005 - 2011? I'm not sure, but at this point, I do view him as a guy who will wind up being in the top tier of head coaches when he gets his opportunity.
I completely agree.I doubt a coaching move is imminent but, when the time comes, Dolson is going to need lots and lots of help. Search Committees are great, but he’ll need basketball expertise from others. Alone, he’s way over his head.
I'm in agreement with you. I highly doubt Stevens or Donovan would have even a shred of interest in the job. I simply believe making the calls is necessary. You may believe there's not a snowball's chance in hell that the hottest chick would agree to grab a drink, but the answer is always "no" until you ask.I seriously doubt that Stevens, Donovan, and Beard are happening. Fine, make the calls to their agents. But don't expect them to go anywhere.
As for Fife, it would be interesting to see if he'd have interest. Yes, he's an IU guy. But he's also the heir apparent for Izzo. He's what Greg Gard was to Bo Ryan. And, if he waits a few more years, he'd be the odds-on favorite to inherit a much healthier program than he would at his alma mater.
In terms of a potential replacement for Archie Miller, here's my two cents on how Scott Dolson should handle it:
First and foremost, regardless of how unrealistic these candidates may seem, Dolson needs to at least pick up the phone and make the call to their agents:
- Brad Stevens
- Billy Donovan
Would those two likely pass? Probably. Either way, it would be a disservice to the program not to at least make the calls.
From there, Dolson would need to move on to the following candidates:
- Chris Beard
- Dane Fife
If IU expressed legitimate interest in Beard, it would prove the administration's willingness to compete at the top level of college basketball, as Beard is the third highest-paid coach in the country at $4.575 million annually. The only two coaches in the country making more are Calipari and Krzyzewski.
Beard would be my number one target based on his accomplishments at a school that has a football-first mentality, as it is the state of Texas after all. Secondly, his teams at Texas Tech have been disciplined, physically and mentally tough, and incredibly efficient.
Tech's adjusted offense/defense efficiency ratings from Kenpom since he took over in Lubbock are as follows:
2016-17: 44/56
2017-18: 50/4
2018-19: 25/1
2019-20: 47/9
2020-21: 27/5
The numbers bear out Beard's coaching chops. There's absolutely no argument there.
Dane Fife is a bit of unknown commodity so to speak. As an assistant at Michigan State, he doesn't have a national profile. However, he's been the lead assistant and right hand man to Tom Izzo in East Lansing for the last 10 years. Some seem to think he's a lock to be Izzo's replacement when Izzo retires, but who knows when that will be. Izzo has been at Michigan State for 25 years and is 65 years old. I would say he has another five seasons in him.
As a former IU player and assistant, he's an "IU guy." I don't view that as any sort of prerequisite for the job, and I've felt IU needs to get away from that mentality. However, it certainly won't hurt.
Would Fife be up for the task of running a program such as IU with his only head coaching experience being at IPFW from 2005 - 2011? I'm not sure, but at this point, I do view him as a guy who will wind up being in the top tier of head coaches when he gets his opportunity.
I believe Beard would certainly be a reach at this point, but I don't think he's out of IU's league as Stevens and Donovan seem to be.
Yes, I agree IU is highly unlikely to lure Stevens, Donovan or Beard at this point, but you have to start somewhere. I'd rather see Scott Dolson begin the process by making an attempt to punch above his weight class. Make them say no and move on from there.It's hard to continue to support Archie after last night's pitiful performance and I do too believe a new coaching search will be on the horizon sooner than later. However, I think people are going to be disappointed. Call Billy Donovan and Brad Steven's all you want, it's not happening. Chris Beard isn't leaving West Texas any time soon. John Beilein isn't coming out of retirement to deal with this circus fan base either.
As it stands, Thad Matta is likely the one big name candidate IU has any realistic shot of landing. Currently unemployed living an hour north of Indy isn't a tough sell. How much desire Matta has to coach at a program like IU is another thing.
After Matta, I think there's two primary candidates IU should entertain. One is Scott Drew down at Baylor, the other is Greg McDermott at Creighton. Both of those would be outstanding hires in my opinion. Nate Oats down at Alabama has caught my eye as well, but tough to tell how good Alabama really is considering how bad the SEC is this year.
Don't get anyone in that group then yes I think you need to look at Dane Fife (who likely is the heir apparent to Izzo), someone like Travis Steele at Xavier who is an Indy native, or the next hot shot up and comer from a strong mid-major.
My belief on Fife is that if the rumors of him being next in line at Michigan State are true, then he's legitimately prepared and ready to lead a high-major program such as IU. And going off what you said about him being a member of the IU family, I truly feel that would go a long way in developing a culture that is so badly needed at this point.I can agree with that. I still think Beard is unlikely -- especially considering his contract. But I do think he's more realistic than Donovan or Stevens.
That said, Fife probably wouldn't be my next choice. Yeah, he's young, tough, competitive, studied at the hands of a master in Izzo, etc. And he's one of us -- which may be a good thing. Maybe it would actually take a member of the family to change the culture that so many resist changing.
I'm intrigued by the mention of Thad Matta. I always thought he was a fantastic coach -- from Butler to Xavier to OSU. Assuming his health is in order, he's still not very old (53, I looked it up). If he's interested in getting back into it, and has the health and energy to do it, I think he'd be a knockout hire....especially considering we wouldn't have to worry about any existing contracts.
Yes, I agree IU is highly unlikely to lure Stevens, Donovan or Beard at this point, but you have to start somewhere. I'd rather see Scott Dolson begin the process by making an attempt to punch above his weight class. Make them say no and move on from there.
Scott Drew is a interesting candidate. He's been at Baylor 18 years and had tremendous levels of success as of late. With Baylor being a football-first school in Texas, that type of success is nothing short of remarkable. I'd like to see what he could do at a basketball-first school such as IU.
Greg McDermott is obviously known as a coach that has developed a program based on high-octane offense and tremendous shooting. However, as good as his offenses are, his team defense makes me a bit nervous. Here are his Kenpom defensive efficiency ratings for the last five years:
2019-20: 78
2018-19: 83
2017-18: 58
2016-17: 46
2015-16: 49
With those numbers in mind, would we be looking at another Tom Crean? I'm not sure if that's a fair comparison to make, but I remember how incensed the IU fan base and I were with Crean teams not being strong defensively.
Yes, I agree IU is highly unlikely to lure Stevens, Donovan or Beard at this point, but you have to start somewhere. I'd rather see Scott Dolson begin the process by making an attempt to punch above his weight class. Make them say no and move on from there.
Scott Drew is a interesting candidate. He's been at Baylor 18 years and had tremendous levels of success as of late. With Baylor being a football-first school in Texas, that type of success is nothing short of remarkable. I'd like to see what he could do at a basketball-first school such as IU.
Greg McDermott is obviously known as a coach that has developed a program based on high-octane offense and tremendous shooting. However, as good as his offenses are, his team defense makes me a bit nervous. Here are his Kenpom defensive efficiency ratings for the last five years:
2019-20: 78
2018-19: 83
2017-18: 58
2016-17: 46
2015-16: 49
With those numbers in mind, would we be looking at another Tom Crean? I'm not sure if that's a fair comparison to make, but I remember how incensed the IU fan base and I were with Crean teams not being strong defensively.
I think Beard, Alford, Barnes are approachable, probably listen. Matta and Belein are very available and don't cost anything to remove. Hell, Matta might need weekly back rubs (shit I could use it too), but that's all that's wrong with him. There's plenty of alternatives out there. I think it's more important to regain status than to plan for a long term hire. We still can, but I think we all aren't excited about AM's 20 rebuild that didn't need to beAfter reading about several possible candidates suggested on here, it appears Indiana should choose the new coach from the following list:
Brad Stevens
Mark Few
Billy Donovan
Chris Beard
Rick Pitino
Steve Alford
Rick Barnes
All excellent choices IMO (Pitino is a bit sketchy though but who really cares) and all would likely jump at the chance to come to Btown. It's like what @Courtsensetwo always says: who in their right mind wouldn't jump at the chance to come to the most picturesque campus in the country? A place where big dreams come to fruition and magic fills the air.
Personally, I think we should sign Mark Few or Beard...hell maybe even Phil Jackson. As my man Hoss @Cavanagh said, "time to start a new streak!"
Keep the faith people
-The Buford
The only reason I haven't listed Bruce Pearl is because I believe the IU administration is scared to death of anyone with that type of baggage. If the PTB are still hung up on the graduation success rate, team GPA, etc., Pearl will not even get a sniff.Put me in for Scott Drew, too. But I still think a phone call to Thad Matta is worth making. Is there any indication that he's wanting to get back into college coaching? If so, I'm all in. Heck, why not reach out to him today? He's not coaching anywhere.
And, I'm sorry, but I'm still going to keep mentioning Pearl. I get the opposition -- and, yeah, maybe the PTBs at IU would never consider somebody with that baggage. But just hire him with a leash -- and I'm pretty confident we'll be winning sooner than later.
I think Beard, Alford, Barnes are approachable, probably listen. Matta and Belein are very available and don't cost anything to remove. Hell, Matta might need weekly back rubs (shit I could use it too), but that's all that's wrong with him. There's plenty of alternatives out there. I think it's more important to regain status than to plan for a long term hire. We still can, but I think we all aren't excited about AM's 20 rebuild that didn't need to be
The only reason I haven't listed Bruce Pearl is because I believe the IU administration is scared to death of anyone with that type of baggage. If the PTB are still hung up on the graduation success rate, team GPA, etc., Pearl will not even get a sniff.
I really like John Beilein. He ran a great program at Michigan, which was pretty remarkable considering their years in the wilderness with Ellerbe and Amaker. But he's 67 years old. At that point in his career, is he really looking for another rebuilding project? Granted, Coach K is 73 -- but nobody's asking him to resurrect a once-great basketball program.
Anyway, I certainly wouldn't object to hiring Beilein if he was interested. But I just have to wonder if there's enough fire left in there to go through the pains of another rebuild.
I'd give him a chance. Very nice guy, very humble, I used to ride into campus with him on the stadium bus everyday and not like we were best buddies, but I'd ask him about upcoming games sometimes and going undefeated in conference that year. Iowa 92/93 that year (Jess Settles permanency era) resonates, he'd shrug it off, gonna get that and MU, which he didI'm second to nobody in my admiration and adoration of Calbert Cheaney. He is a true gentleman, and a silent assassin. Underneath that genteel demeanor is a ferocious competitor. And, ohhhhh, that first step towards the hole as the defense collapses to respect his jumper. It was a beautiful thing.
But, well, I just don't see it -- particularly considering that I think our program needs, more than anything else, a culture change. Could Calbert be the agent of the kind of change we so desperately need? I'm not so sure.
That's spot-on analysis. I am interested to see how IU Athletics' big-time donors are reacting to the current state of the program. I would imagine they are as incensed as we are, which leads me to believe they will make threats of donations drying up if a coaching change is not made.And you may well be right. Personally, I think that's part of our problem.
Notre Dame football fans are always eager to cite this as the reason they can't seem to compete with the Alabamas of the world. I get it. But, let's face it, Notre Dame (with reason) sees themselves alongside the likes of Stanford, Vanderbilt, Duke, Northwestern, etc. That is, they aren't exactly aiming to be an Ivy League school when it comes to athletics. But they aren't going to mortgage their academic brand in order to do it.
IU holds fast to that kind of ideal because it was operative during the Knight years. And, don't get me wrong, I loved that aspect of Indiana basketball's image as much as anybody. But it's a self-imposed barrier to success on the floor. If that's really what we want, then let's at least be honest with ourselves that, as regards athletics, we value our academic image more than championships.
For every coach on your list, except Alford, that ship has sailed in being able to lure them here. The hire after Mike Davis was the time when the window was closing and IU fk'd it up by hiring Sampson. I think the only recourse is to hire another up and coming guy and cross your fingers that he can coach at this level. There's a fair amount of luck that needs to happen now.After reading about several possible candidates suggested on here, it appears Indiana should choose the new coach from the following list:
Brad Stevens
Mark Few
Billy Donovan
Chris Beard
Rick Pitino
Steve Alford
Rick Barnes
All excellent choices IMO (Pitino is a bit sketchy though but who really cares) and all would likely jump at the chance to come to Btown. It's like what @Courtsensetwo always says: who in their right mind wouldn't jump at the chance to come to the most picturesque campus in the country? A place where big dreams come to fruition and magic fills the air.
Personally, I think we should sign Mark Few or Beard...hell maybe even Phil Jackson. As my man Hoss @Cavanagh said, "time to start a new streak!"
Keep the faith people
-The Buford
In the long run, I don't believe the university administration will hitch its wagons to an idealistic pursuit of being a so-called "public Ivy." Look at the investment in Memorial Stadium and the football program -- that shows me the administration and IU Athletics are committed to a certain level of success.
I don't believe the current state of the basketball program is acceptable even in the eyes of the administration. Let's hope I'm right.
It's hard to continue to support Archie after last night's pitiful performance and I do too believe a new coaching search will be on the horizon sooner than later. However, I think people are going to be disappointed. Call Billy Donovan and Brad Steven's all you want, it's not happening. Chris Beard isn't leaving West Texas any time soon. John Beilein isn't coming out of retirement to deal with this circus fan base either.
As it stands, Thad Matta is likely the one big name candidate IU has any realistic shot of landing. Currently unemployed living an hour north in Indy isn't a tough sell. How much desire Matta has to coach at a program like IU is another thing.
After Matta, I think there's two primary candidates IU should entertain. One is Scott Drew down at Baylor, the other is Greg McDermott at Creighton. Both of those would be outstanding hires in my opinion. Nate Oats down at Alabama has caught my eye as well, but tough to tell how good Alabama really is considering how bad the SEC is this year.
Don't get anyone in that group then yes I think you need to look at Dane Fife (who likely is the heir apparent to Izzo), someone like Travis Steele at Xavier who is an Indy native, or the next hot shot up and comer from a strong mid-major.
I didn't include Pearl, Pitino, Sampson, whatever other outlandish candidates have been mentioned that are and have been under the NCAA microscope for years because its NEVER going to happen.
Matta, IF truly healthy, would be great....big IF there.
I haven't even heard Nate Oats speak, but he has an impressive resume, and those who want a 'culture' coach should look at him.
How could you, or anyone? It's lack of talent, you can't coach MAC level players in the B10. You cannot have recruiting classes with worthless garbage minute role players that you expect to go up with MSU year end and out. It's his recruiting! One one and done talent gets us nowhere, as does 5 players not B10 level that he tries to make acceptable because they're in-state ... go to Chicago dipshit! We have MAC level talent and trying to play against big boys, not gonna work in a P5 conferenceI am not sure this is the best place to be posting this, but it will have to do.
I got the Trey Kaufman decision wrong. The person who I received information from was wrong on this as well, and I have agreed to no longer share what I hear on this board or anywhere else. As a proud IU alum, I care far too much about the well being of the program to add bad information to the rumor mill.
In terms of the current state of the program, I am full steam ahead on replacing Archie Miller. It could not be more clear that after four seasons, Miller simply is not a coach that will develop IU into a program that will consistently compete in the upper tier of the Big Ten and advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Lots of them, you have history you can sell, we pay a lot, and seem to have zero expectations of accountability. Easy peasy, but we're all interested in NOT doing that againWhat good coach would want to come to IU? Since Knight our administration has screwed up the program with terrible picks. We have dug ourselves an enormous hole which we won’t dig ourselves out of for a long long long time, if ever. Look what happened to UCLA after Wooden was gone. We are the new bottom feeders of the Big Ten. Next year will even be worse.
We have dug ourselves an enormous hole which we won’t dig ourselves out of for a long long long time, if ever.