BadgerVol

Ok...then I’ll trust you and assume I took it wrong. My apologies @mdn82 I’m deeply discouraged by this hire moreso than I was with Crean. I’m grasping and not in a good place with it. But I’m being honest.

This x1000... I will get behind him, I’m already taking a deep breath and knowing I HAVE to as a fan. But this is the most disappointing hire in all the teams I have followed BY FAR. It could work. It could fail. Time will tell. We’ll see how he retains our current players because as I’ve stated before, one huge question mark for him is recruiting which is well over half what makes you a successful college coach, and our potential recruits are the EASIEST to get back. It’ll be easier than starting from scratch with highly touted players who are beginning the process. If he retains a lot it won’t prove he’s going to be great at recruiting, but if he loses most or all, that is a HUGE red flag already. And here...We...go.

Cut of clothes CAN matter some. Recruiting is first and foremost the relationship with the coach and staff but all the little things add up. But things like candy striped pants you don’t have to change. They’re iconic. Just like the Alabama helmets.

I slept on it last night and I feel slightly better also. At a minimum it’s thinking outside the box. If it works other programs will try to do something similar. I pray all these people have humility to work TOGETHER.

If you couldn’t see the condescending tone in your own post so be it. I’m not dipping my foot into it. If all you did was “ask a question” then just ask it. But whatever. I’ll get behind out coach. I hated Crean a lot more. I eventually closed my eyes, plugged my nose and took the medicine. Eventually bought my “Crimson and Crean” shirt I eventually pitched. I’ll do it again with Woodson. Would be nice to hire a coach FOR ONCE that we aren’t all arguing about why we need to “give the guy a chance”because instead we are all flipping out with excitement.

I agree. SOOO hoping to have a GREAT staff. Not even one guy that fans say “who the heck is this dude and why is he coaching college hoops??”

I was devastated at first and warming up. Like it’s been said if you’re a betting man there’s more reason to bet this won’t work than it will. I like the addition of Thad but here’s the catch. Thad always had the wrap (right or wrong) that he wasn’t a great X’s and O’s Guy he was a hardcore recruiter than over powered teams with talent. Woodson doesn’t know recruiting. Does this mean somehow these two factors come together in this “perfect match” OR in 3-4 years are we all saying “what a CLUSTER this whole thing was from the start.” To me this looks like a group of kids building a tree house from dumpster diving at a construction site. Hope the staff assembled blows me away. Otherwise there’s some skill and aspects from multiple people that if we’re in one could be stellar, but idk any examples of successful programs built with a two headed dragon.

Not gonna go that road with you. I’ll name names “NOT Stevens” and then you’ll just say they wouldn’t come regardless of the money we thru at them. So you. Can take your “win.” Woodson is the best candidate we could have gotten and we should all be thrilled at such a great hire. Kudos.

Exactly where I’m at. Even for guys who wanted “an IU guy” his names wasn’t floating in those circles at all, and no one can try to say he was. He wasn’t on 98% of fans radars before rumors happened FOR A REASON. NOW of course we want to believe he’ll do it. In reality we have no reason BUT to believe he will. I remember as a Wisconsin citizen when Crean was hired and told everyone exactly what we hired and it turned out EXACTLY that way. His career at Marquette would repeat itself. BUT most spun and spun Crean so much even they got ME to start to believe he had found all the fixes he needed at IU to be great. I see A LOT more question marks, unknowns, and points of GRAVE concern with Woodson at the hire than with Crean AND Archie. He could prove me wrong. I hope he does. But as of right now, I’ve never been less excited for any hire of any team I’ve followed my whole life. This is the text book definition of “color me unimpressed.” Here goes nothing.

Thank you sir. Good to be noticed. I’ve been on IU boards for over 20 years now. Lol! Yea this one STUNG. I hope he does well. I HATED the Crean hire. Felt reasonably ok with Archie, and this one I am flat as a pancake. I guess we’ll see. My first litmus test is who comes back as players. This is the group that should be the easiest recruits. They’re already here, have relationships, already committed to the school against other schools, only change is a losing coach to a new brand of basketball. If he meets and doesn’t retain most, I am already GRAVELY concerned for recruiting moving forward. I’m going to hope and try to be open. Sorry but this feels like a “good ole boys” hire who wanted “one of theirs.”

usually post on another site. First time here.. Devastated by this hire but what do you do? Hope it works. It’s pathetic when a message board of a Blue Blood program has countless posts convincing each other this is going to work, instead of everyone freaking out in excitement for what everyone KNOWS is coming. Can this work? Yes. Anything is possible. But I was WAY more excited about both Crean and Archie than this one. And I wasn’t that excited for either. So maybe this will be the key. Unite the fanbase by getting someone barely anyone thought was possible to even seriously consider. Now we all rally around him. I’ve appreciated arguments for why you believe he’ll be a good hire folks. I’m grasping for ANYTHING at this point.