Papacap

So, in a small sample size of the 10 IU fans that live around me, I made the comment that if Woodson doesn’t get the players to compete for a Big10 title next year (not win, be in the hunt I said), he better be gone. That was met with a bunch of them telling me my expectations were too high. That is what we are dealing with now. Too many fans who have had the bar lowered so much that simply making the tourney is good enough. This isn’t the 80s anymore, I’m told. Apathy, not anger, is the worst thing that can happen to a program. And that’s where too many fans are.

I know none of these people personally. But there are times I feel like Dolson is the engineer on the space shuttle challenger team saying, we should not launch when it’s this cold because it’s not rated for this temperature. And everyone pats him on the head and says, thanks for your little insight. Now let the big boys make these decisions. And we saw how that turned out I may be all wrong on that. Just the vibe I get from forums.

Is it a lack of seriousness or incompetence? I’m guessing both. And I’m not trolling here. There is clear evidence that IU has no ability to run a good football or basketball program. With the Cig hire, there is some hope on that front. Of course, given that IU football is a doormat program. Coaching hires are limited, so I’m looking forward to Cig But we have an average to poor basketball program. And have for over a decade now. I’m not saying we can snap our fingers and get any coach. But are choices shouldn’t lead to what we have seen. Until IU decides that it is serious about basketball success AND has the ability to do something about it, we will continue to be an also-ran basketball program. And I’m not saying the powers that be aren’t well meaning. I’m saying they are failing at running a high level Basketball program.

Declining an NIT bid makes sense given we need to smash the portal. It also avoids an embarrassing home loss to some team that wants to win the NIT. Not to mention if some players bail on the NIT to enter the portal. I see no upside to the NIT for IU. And I blame Woodson for that. And maybe I’m just bitter but his bush league ejection to avoid having to sit there at the end of the game makes me madder than it should. What a freakin coward.

So, if I’m understanding your point, IU fans are why we can’t recruit? Not the shitty basketball we play? And your logic is, IU has been terrible at picking coaches, so instead of finally going after a proven, winning coach, we keep Woodson because they might mess up again? Fans of elite programs laugh at IU fans for accepting bad results. It’s why IU is a bottom tier sports program.

Agree. Expecting to make the tourney in Woodson’s 3rd year is proof some IU fans are toxic and not true fans.

We have fallen so low that yes, making the ncaa is cause for celebration. And as delusional as I am for thinking that IU would make a change (when we have always let coaches hang on too long so why stop now?,), some IU fans are delusional that the program is fine and just a player or two away from competing for a title. Heck, I know some IU fans who think if IU plays this Saturday, IU will make the tourney this year. I have lost hope that a change will be made this year. Too many people have lost sight of what good performance is.

I agree we’ve underperformed but I’m shocked at how many of my friends say, we did great his first two years so let’s see what happens. And people call me not a “true fan” because I say barely making the tournament the first year and winning one NCAA game the second year with two NBA draft picks on it isn’t good. And it’s not just the record. It’s the entire direction of the program. Maybe IU will offer an online course “Sit back and take it: How to be a true IU fan”

I truly don’t get why Woodson said what he did about fans. Zero upside to it. If the dude was a teenager, I get lashing out at people. No discipline. But he thought about that speech and still said that. Not some off the cuff remark in the heat of the moment. Dude talks a good game. Has not delivered anything someone making his money should deliver.

We get what we tolerate. I can’t see how they can get rid of him now. Just too many instances of tolerating poor performance. It’s in the administration’s blood. The next few years of IU basketball is going to depend on the freakin portal.

What I want to know is, if donors have that much influence, why are IU’s big donors so clueless? 20 years of crap and here we are. Next year. That’s when the magic happens.

MSU is not a good team. Very soft for an Izzo team.

1) pinky promise to make the tournament next year. Any tournament. BTT works. 2) learn the names of recruits. Or just create cool nicknames for them like big dog or set shot. 3) hire an astrologer and rename the team Pisces.

Going with IU plus 3.5 today. Galloway may be playing his last game at AH, so let’s do this.

Haha, exactly. It’s funny to me. I see (not a lot here but on other social media) that IU is going to have a ton of PT and NIL money to get the players, so next year, Woodson is going to rock. The problem with that is, players need to want to, you know, play for Woodson. If we have a bunch of players leave, for whatever reason, along with zero incoming freshman, you don’t think that raises red flags? You know what players like to do? Win. Could Woodson recruit a group of players and compete for a Big 10 title next year? Sure. But it’s wishful thinking to count on that yet we are.

What? Not sure how you are defining modern times, but no school with an elite program, whether it’s basketball or football, would put up with what’s gone on at IU. I live in Georgia and if UGA had two years of 7-5, that coach is gone. And no one would blame the fans. IU fans have actually put up with too much mediocrity. If anything IU fans don’t have high enough expectations.

This. Some of my “on the fence about Woodson” friends talk about last year like IU won the Big 10 or made some deep run in the tourney. It was an OK year. But we also had two NBA draft picks after all. IU fans are so used to bad performance that anything that doesn’t suck is celebrated.

Assuming Woodson is the coach next year, do I A) Hope we nail the portal and make the tourney next year? B) Hope we flop and don’t even make the BTT next year? B seems better long term. But damn it would be hard to do.

What’s amazing about this is, sometimes I hear the argument for not wanting to change coaches is because of how it might affect our current players and incoming recruits. Well, there will never be a time that making a change would have this little potential for player disruption. The first time I became a manager at my company, I had a poor performing employee. I asked my boss for guidance. He said, in all his career, he never fired someone too soon. It’s always later than he should have. After 35 year with that company, it was 100% true. And these folks weren’t making $4.5 million a year to not perform. I didn’t like firing people. But it was my job to ensure good performance.

And he is so glad he made the right decision.

What honestly sucks is, some people were afraid that a new coach would set us back so let’s give Woodson next year and see. And now with McNeeley gone, If Woodson doesn’t get good portal players, and current players like MR, JG, and MM hit the portal, we really may be worse than Crean’s first year. And we still have Woodson! I asked a couple of days ago, what is the objective performance basis for keeping Woodson. Haven’t seen it. This is straight dereliction of duty by IU.

See, that’s where Woodson is playing 4D chess. While other programs are getting HS players and developing them, Woodson is cleaning house to get portal guys who are grown @$$ men. I’ll bet Woodson called McNeeley and said, son, decommit cuz you ain’t getting PT here next year.

What sucks is, after the announcement yesterday, I was gonna smash the under in wins for next year as soon as futures came out. Now, that number is gonna drop. But regardless, still going under. Unless there is a coaching change. Which there won’t be because IU’s brain trust doesn’t realize IU is a bottom 10% P5 athletic department.

Man. One of the things I saw people who say to keep Woodson was, he has McNeeley coming in so add in a couple of guards and we can compete for a Big 10 title. I thought that was delusional but not impossible. But hey, we beat 3 shitty teams in a row, so it’s all good, amirite?