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New Coach Choices

I 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.
 
Thad Matta is healthy again.

Although Steve Alford isn’t an exceptional coach, he’s still better than Miller.
 
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

George Raveling!
 
Thad Matta is healthy again.

If so and he's up to the rigors, then I'm game. Thad's only in his early 50s. Great coach!

Although Steve Alford isn’t an exceptional coach, he’s still better than Miller.

I've been one of the more vocal opponents of hiring Alford ever since the Iowa debacle. And his run at UCLA -- fired mid-season -- only further underscored why. But, yeah, he'd still be an improvement over what we have now. Even Crean would be an improvement. Maybe even Mike Davis, for chrissakes.
 
I would not rule out Brad Stevens having interest
He should be #1
Beard #2
Fife #3

Brad Stevens leaving the Celtics to come coach this circus? Thanks for the laugh, I needed one after last night.

Brad is a stand up guy and has likely already told the administration to save the jet fuel money.
 
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Bruce and Dr. Tom go way back.

Yeah, go watch the 30 for 30 on the Boston College point-shaving scandal. FTR, neither Davis nor Pearl were at all aware of what the paid-off players were up to. But that happened way back in 1978 and Pearl was a student manager for Tom Davis on that team...and, of course, Pearl was also on Davis' staff at Iowa -- the whole Deon Thomas thing.

Pearl never should've done what he did in making that call, much less recording it. It's indefensible. But, that said, it does go to show just how competitive he is and how much he hates to lose.
 
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 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.

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.
 
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 completely agree.

What is missing the most with IU at the moment is the lack of a culture and an identity. Ken Bikoff touched on this on Twitter last night. Is IU known as a defensive team? A team that gets up and down with lots of possessions? A team that turns games into half-court grinds? We honestly can't say there is one specific thing this program does well.

Whoever the next coach may be, it needs to be an individual who understands the value of a program culture and recruiting to that culture. Take Purdue for example. They may not have blue-chip recruits such as Trayce Jackson-Davis, Romeo Langford, etc., but they recruit smart, tough players who are willing to play TEAM basketball. Painter demands that type of culture and doesn't make sacrifices against it.

As you said, Dolson will need basketball minds to assist him in the process.
 
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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.
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 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.
 
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.

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.
 
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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.

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.
 
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.
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 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.
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.

Thad Matta is very, very interesting. Let's assume he's now fully healthy and has the energy/stamina to coach at a place like IU. Does he have what it takes to recapture the magic he had at Ohio State from 2009 - 2013 when the Buckeyes had a combined record of 123-27 to go along with three Big Ten regular season titles, two Big Ten Tournament titles and a Final Four appearance? I suppose that would be the biggest mystery.
 
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.

That's my initial fear with McDermott, Crean-like without much tournament success but he's significantly upgraded Creighton's basketball program of all places to a very high level. I think his offensive style would resonate fairly well with Indiana's best prospects as well as elite level recruits.
 
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.

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.
 
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
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
 
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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.
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 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

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.
 
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.

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.
 
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 don't see it. With his noted health problems and disdain for recruiting it doesn't make sense for him to jump into this job. Archie's roster is a complete 180 from the type of roster Beilein needs for his system to succeed.
 
I told myself at halftime last night, I bet by noon tomorrow, the "Hire Brad" chants will begin again. It's inevitable, like the sun rising in the east.

We've covered this ad nauseam. Ship sailed yrs ago. That horse is dead. Inject whatever cliche you want. We might have had a shot....7-10 yrs ago. Not now. And not ever again.
 
I'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.
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 did
 
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.
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.

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.
 
Id be on the Brad Stevens bandwagon! He could show IU the Butler way! Hek, even Lavall Jordan maybe! Butler is having a down year, not as bad as IU even though IU beat them, Butler still remains competitive in every game! Given his coaching style, he’d atleast have this team ready to play alot more than CAM has! Its too bad he went to Bahston before we could get rid of Crean
 
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
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.
 
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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.

Agreed. IU has a fine overall academic reputation. But, so far as "public Ivys" go, IU is not Michigan, UNC, Cal, or UVa.

For one thing, that's OK. Nobody said you have to be included on such a list to have a worthy academic brand.

For another, this particular topic really has more to do with the reputation of academic standards within our basketball program. And those trace their way back to RMK. His program was plain vanilla. No glitz or glamor. No long list of budding NBA stars. Unwavering academic demands. Ironically, in some ways the antithesis of programs at actual Public Ivys like UNC and UCLA.

I don't necessarily think we have to ditch this ideal in order to have the success we want to have in basketball. I mean, Tony Bennett is doing great at UVa. Juwan Howard is off to a strong start at Michigan. And those schools' academic reputations are intact.

But I would say that we should at least recognize the tradeoff and self-imposed limitation if we're unwilling to even consider a coach like Bruce Pearl.
 
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.
 
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What 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.
 
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.

I don't think Matta's health is as big a deal as it once was. I think its just a matter of does he really want to take an enormous high pressure job and get his feet wet in recruiting, and all that jazz. As good as he was at Ohio State, he was playing with house money. Enjoyed all the luxury of being a football first school that had endless amounts of resources funnelled to the basketball program.

As far as Nate Oats goes, he was high school coach in Michigan not that long ago. New age coach who highly values analytics. Teams will take 40 3 pointers a game. They're defense was pretty bad last year but surprisingly decent this year. His system is attractive to those who NBA aspirations but question the desire to play two-way basketball. His approach to the game is entirely different than Archie's which on-site at the present moment is a breath of fresh air.
 
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I 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.
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 conference
 
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What 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.
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 again
 
We have dug ourselves an enormous hole which we won’t dig ourselves out of for a long long long time, if ever.

Yeah, I don't agree with that -- and I've been as critical of Archie as anybody. We're only stuck in this hole if we choose to remain there.

Now, I realize that nobody would intentionally choose to remain in a hole. You won't find anybody among our administration, alums, faculty, boosters, fans, players, coaches, trainers, managers, or cheerleaders who would cop to wanting to stay dug in a hole.

But we unintentionally choose to stay dug in it by refusing to even consider the possibility that we hamper our chances at climbing out by remaining tethered to the culture we have.

We. Have. A. Cultural. Problem.

That's why we've limped along as we have, over 4 successive coaches, since Knight's firing. And, personally, I think we'll continue limping along -- even with a new coach -- if we don't allow (or, better yet, demand) fundamental changes to our program's culture.

Ask yourselves this question: we've all seen the success that John Calipari has had at in roughly a decade at Kentucky (this season notwithstanding). Knowing that, if we could rewind the clock to when UK hired him and instead hire him here, would you want that or not?

If not, why not?
 
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