General Coach Candidate News

[Kentuckysucks 4,332]

26 minutes ago, Hoosierfan1901 said:

https://x.com/bball_war3/status/1893441515315167337?s=46&t=0mbJ_TT4MQ8KZKv29ZqhSg

He’s not an insider.  Pretty sure he just reads this board and whenever Chris or Yeagley put out something positive towards Brad he posts a cryptic tweet.

[Old Friend 8,667]

20 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

I’m going to quote myself: “Putting McCollum in charge of an enterprise the size of IUBB would be like naming a successful McDonald’s regional manager as CEO. It might work, but no one in their right mind would take that risk.”

RMK’s incredible success was the exception, not the rule. And RMK already had six full seasons as a D1 coach after playing on a National Champion that was also an B1G school.

And moreover, that was 1971. The business enterprise that is now IU Basketball did not exist. In 1971 RMK was a basketball practice and floor coach; an extraordinary one, and not much more. 

Here's the thing.  The guy is a great basketball coach and has proven it over time by succeeding at the highest level of wherever he was.  Your analogy makes it sound like he's a huge gamble and he's just not.  Why?  Because he won't have to do all of this himself.  Good assistant coaches, the support of an athletic department, and the hiring of a GM can and would help him.  

I'd FAR rather take a shot on a great coach (which he is, that part isn't arguable) and believe we have the next great high level coach rather than settle for a guy with experience who's never won anything.  The example isn't Bob Knight.  The example is Curt Cignetti.  In 2023, James Madison generated $13.4 million in revenue.  Same year?  Indiana generated $31.4 million with pathetic crowds and a horrible team. SOLELY because of football, Indiana's athletics budget grew from $141 million in 2023 to $173.5 million in 2024.  Granted, Cignetti had 5 seasons at James Madison to McCollum's one season at Drake, but McCollum won 4 national titles at D2.  That matters a lot.

Say we hire a retread like Mick Cronin.  In 4 years when McCollum is winning somewhere else, for the THIRD time, I think we'd be saying we f*cked up the timing.  Could have had Stevens in 2012....stayed w Crean.  Could have had Dusty May last year...stuck with Woodson.  Are we willing to play it safe AGAIN and miss out on a guy who has proven he wins?  The business enterprise isn't just the head coach's responsibility and I promise McCollum could handle it FAR better than Woodson has, and he's a far better coach.  I have zero interest in a more mediocre coach because whoever that is has more experience.  The current environment is still < 2 years old.  NOBODY has THAT much more experience and Scott Dolson has a history of setting coaches up for success.

I don't always mean to be your counterpoint but I love the idea of getting "the next big thing" while he's coaching at Indiana far more than I want to hire a retread who isn't as good and wishing we'd hit the timing right for a change.

In 1992, Ross Perot compared Bill Clinton the same way, saying it's like asking a McDonald's franchisee (governor of Arkansas) to become the CEO of Wal Mart.  I don't care one bit for Bill Clinton personally, but he wasn't a bad president.  McCollum has a GREAT chance to succeed at IU and I think he has a FAR better chance to succeed here long term than guys like Buzz Williams, Cronin, etc.  Same with Schertz.   

[Old Friend 8,667]

13 minutes ago, str8baller said:

Sounds good, but I doubt that’s really true. It’s actually just copium for Woodson fans that has bled over to the normal fan base.

 

From what I can tell most of the best players are recruited to high majors and stay there. Karajan, Clinton, castle, etc.., all recruited to UConn. Eden, smith… same. The other top guys are mid major risers. Theres a reason p5  host schools let guys like rice, Ballo, and Carlyle go. 
 

I think IU, its next coach, and its fans are absolutely delusional if they’re going to win big by abandoning HS recruiting. 

No program will win consistently doing this.

[IUHoosierJoe 2,151]

2 minutes ago, Kentuckysucks said:

He’s not an insider.  Pretty sure he just reads this board and whenever Chris or Yeagley put out something positive towards Brad he posts a cryptic tweet.

Who is it?

[str8baller 7,445]

9 minutes ago, Josh said:

I respect you a lot as a poster.  A ton.

But this take is why we suck as a program.  Indiana has great recruits and coaches.  But not more than many other places in America.  Lately even, globally.  Thinking that we have some sort of superiority over other areas is why we hired Woodson and worship our high school system.  How's that worked for us?

The unearned arrogance is a problem, that I agree with you there. Mostly with our decision makers. 
 

But, if you look at the per capita numbers Indiana puts out a ton of pro level players. I think we’re like 2nd in the country. That’s a solid proxy for talent. You have to get players somewhere. The backyard is the starting point. 
 

Again, this job is hard. The HS coaches, as an institution, can be a giant PIA. They can also deliver National Championship talent. Ditto the AAU coaches. Same with our alumni…they all think they’re basketball geniuses (the irony of my dumasz typing this is not lost on me…lol) where the big dogs need to be placated often. But they can also deliver national leading NIL funds. Lots of upside but a hard  job. I think watching a local kid win a title at UConn or god forbid Purdue while we pay tons for a pac 2 transplant loses you a ton of political capital.

[RoadRage 3,012]

4 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

Here's the thing.  The guy is a great basketball coach and has proven it over time by succeeding at the highest level of wherever he was.  Your analogy makes it sound like he's a huge gamble and he's just not.  Why?  Because he won't have to do all of this himself.  Good assistant coaches, the support of an athletic department, and the hiring of a GM can and would help him.  

I'd FAR rather take a shot on a great coach (which he is, that part isn't arguable) and believe we have the next great high level coach rather than settle for a guy with experience who's never won anything.  The example isn't Bob Knight.  The example is Curt Cignetti.  In 2023, James Madison generated $13.4 million in revenue.  Same year?  Indiana generated $31.4 million with pathetic crowds and a horrible team. SOLELY because of football, Indiana's athletics budget grew from $141 million in 2023 to $173.5 million in 2024.  Granted, Cignetti had 5 seasons at James Madison to McCollum's one season at Drake, but McCollum won 4 national titles at D2.  That matters a lot.

Say we hire a retread like Mick Cronin.  In 4 years when McCollum is winning somewhere else, for the THIRD time, I think we'd be saying we f*cked up the timing.  Could have had Stevens in 2012....stayed w Crean.  Could have had Dusty May last year...stuck with Woodson.  Are we willing to play it safe AGAIN and miss out on a guy who has proven he wins?  The business enterprise isn't just the head coach's responsibility and I promise McCollum could handle it FAR better than Woodson has, and he's a far better coach.  I have zero interest in a more mediocre coach because whoever that is has more experience.  The current environment is still < 2 years old.  NOBODY has THAT much more experience and Scott Dolson has a history of setting coaches up for success.

I don't always mean to be your counterpoint but I love the idea of getting "the next big thing" while he's coaching at Indiana far more than I want to hire a retread who isn't as good and wishing we'd hit the timing right for a change.

I wish I would have said this, Cignetti is a much better example, I was just pointing out that Knight was hardly a sure thing, he was also a big risk. If you are willing to settle for Cronin or even Brownell, McCollum is the better choice because of his potential upside!

[Pagoda 4,440]

15 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

Indiana generated $31.4 million with pathetic crowds and a horrible team. SOLELY because of football, Indiana's athletics budget grew from $141 million in 2023 to $173.5 million in 2024. 

As an FYI, IU AD is fiscal year end June, so FY24 is before this past football season happened.  The FY24 revenue increase is mostly from what is basically a loan from IU to the athletic dept for Tom's buyout, hiring Cig/staff, etc. 

I expect a nice increase in revenue from football, so your point stands, just noting we don't know what exactly the impact is yet.  Sorry to be pedantic, just noting for folks who follow the AD's financial results...

[Hoosierfan2017 24,849]

36 minutes ago, RoadRage said:

Bobby Knight had not even made the NCAA tournament once when he came to Indiana in 1971….I know it was tougher to make the tournament just saying he was not much better prepared than McCollum. His last year at Army he was 11-13……..

1965-1971 college basketball isn’t remotely comparable to the current atmosphere. And Knight made the NIT four times in six years when the NIT actually meant something, making the semifinals 3 times. 

[Stuhoo 89,308]

15 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

Here's the thing.  The guy is a great basketball coach and has proven it over time by succeeding at the highest level of wherever he was.  Your analogy makes it sound like he's a huge gamble and he's just not.  Why?  Because he won't have to do all of this himself.  Good assistant coaches, the support of an athletic department, and the hiring of a GM can and would help him.  

I'd FAR rather take a shot on a great coach (which he is, that part isn't arguable) and believe we have the next great high level coach rather than settle for a guy with experience who's never won anything.  The example isn't Bob Knight.  The example is Curt Cignetti.  In 2023, James Madison generated $13.4 million in revenue.  Same year?  Indiana generated $31.4 million with pathetic crowds and a horrible team. SOLELY because of football, Indiana's athletics budget grew from $141 million in 2023 to $173.5 million in 2024.  Granted, Cignetti had 5 seasons at James Madison to McCollum's one season at Drake, but McCollum won 4 national titles at D2.  That matters a lot.

Say we hire a retread like Mick Cronin.  In 4 years when McCollum is winning somewhere else, for the THIRD time, I think we'd be saying we f*cked up the timing.  Could have had Stevens in 2012....stayed w Crean.  Could have had Dusty May last year...stuck with Woodson.  Are we willing to play it safe AGAIN and miss out on a guy who has proven he wins?  The business enterprise isn't just the head coach's responsibility and I promise McCollum could handle it FAR better than Woodson has, and he's a far better coach.  I have zero interest in a more mediocre coach because whoever that is has more experience.  The current environment is still < 2 years old.  NOBODY has THAT much more experience and Scott Dolson has a history of setting coaches up for success.

I don't always mean to be your counterpoint but I love the idea of getting "the next big thing" while he's coaching at Indiana far more than I want to hire a retread who isn't as good and wishing we'd hit the timing right for a change.

All good with the counterpoints! And  I am all for getting the next big thing.

But Cignetti is a terrible comparison. He was an FBS assistant for 24 years including under Saban at Bama, and had JMU ranked. So he was in the locker rooms of the biggest of big programs watching how they were run. McCollum has never played against a ranked team. Not as a player, grad assistant, assistant, or head coach.

There are many other next big things that have a resume of success. Why is McCollum better than Ray Harper, Crutchfield, or Greg Tonagel? The answer; he may be and he may not be.

McCollum is having a really good first year at Drake, but if he doesn’t win at UNI this week then UNI will be the #1 seed in their conference going into their conference tourney. And then Drake will need to win that tourney to make the NCAAs.

Another point I heard made about McCollum; he has a team of players that are completely ingrained whose system this year; that’s why they look so connected. And in a mid major there’s enough athletic similarities to top D2 that he can succeed, especially early. 

 

[Truthhurts 367]

25 minutes ago, str8baller said:

Sounds good, but I doubt that’s really true. It’s actually just copium for Woodson fans that has bled over to the normal fan base.

 

From what I can tell most of the best players are recruited to high majors and stay there. Karajan, Clinton, castle, etc.., all recruited to UConn. Eden, smith… same. The other top guys are mid major risers. Theres a reason p5  host schools let guys like rice, Ballo, and Carlyle go. 
 

I think IU, its next coach, and its fans are absolutely delusional if they’re going to win big by abandoning HS recruiting. 

Multiple high major coaches just in the last week have said things to the effect of “high school recruiting is worthless now,” including pitino. 

[Truthhurts 367]

1 hour ago, Chris007 said:

So the president of the organization went instead of sending any scouts or the GM. OK

He’s done this regularly. 

Edited February 23 by Truthhurts

[OKHOOSIER 5,890]

46 minutes ago, BehindTheBench said:

That first Hoosier Hysteria, my god, I can’t imagine. Move it to Memorial. Keep the faith gents 

You’re either going to be the goat, or you’re going to be a goat. Either way, I appreciate commitment to a good bit, especially with one that drives up ad revenue for the mods. 

[IUHoosierJoe 2,151]

2 minutes ago, Truthhurts said:

Multiple high major coaches just in the last week have said things to the effect of “high school recruiting is worthless now,” including pitino. 

Hmmm…you’d think we could get more than one guy a year if none of the other coaches care about it.

[Chris007 62,388]

2 minutes ago, Truthhurts said:

He’s done this regularly. 

Appreciate the info. I didn’t know that but makes sense.

[IUwins0708 3,108]

46 minutes ago, Hoosierfan1901 said:

https://x.com/bball_war3/status/1893441515315167337?s=46&t=0mbJ_TT4MQ8KZKv29ZqhSg

He’s from the east coast.  Usually has some connections.  Could very well be reading this board but talk is definitely picking up. Still not sure I believe it but stuff is getting put out there.

[Motley's 644]

1 hour ago, tyappleg said:

And Brownell has been mediocre for the majority of those 30 years.  He is a flavor of the month hire who hasnt been able to make the tournament in a mostly mediocre ACC conference.  

Nothing will sell me on him.  We will be right back here in 4 years if he is the hire.  

I can be sold on most of the candidates mentioned here; he is not one of them. 

No top program would look at Brownell. He’d never be connected to the IU job if he wasn’t from Indiana. 

[Hoosierfan2017 24,849]

13 minutes ago, RoadRage said:

I wish I would have said this, Cignetti is a much better example, I was just pointing out that Knight was hardly a sure thing, he was also a big risk. If you are willing to settle for Cronin or even Brownell, McCollum is the better choice because of his potential upside!

Curt Cignetti was a quarterback at West Virginia, a graduate assistant there, a D1 assistant for 25 years, and a P5 assistant for nearly 20 years before his head coaching tenure. His P5 assistant experience included four years at an obscure school named the University of Alabama for some guy they call Nick Saban. 

Their backgrounds are vastly different. Cignetti had 2+ decades seeing the FBS apparatus and recruited some of the best players in the country during his time at Alabama. He coached Philip Rivers. He recruited Russell Wilson to NC State. And that’s before you get into the huge differences between IU basketball and IU football as programs. 

[Truthhurts 367]

3 minutes ago, IUHoosierJoe said:

Hmmm…you’d think we could get more than one guy a year if none of the other coaches care about it.

Not when the coach literally doesn’t even try to recruit.
 

In any event, the portal is the future, and with IU’s budget, they just need a mildly competent recruiter to crush the portal every year. Get a guy with great Xs and Os who’s just decently likable, and they’re set. Why McCollum is such a no brainer pick in my view. 

[Motley's 644]

1 hour ago, tyappleg said:

If he has signed something; It would have already have been leaked.  Nothings getting announced regardless until our season is over. 

Right. Brad hasn’t signed anything. There’s nothing to sign. 

[RoadRage 3,012]

8 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

1965-1971 college basketball isn’t remotely comparable to the current atmosphere. And Knight made the NIT four times in six years when the NIT actually meant something, making the semifinals 3 times. 

And McCollum has won 4 D2 National titles and has won an incredible 80% of his games. I think McCollum is even less of a risk than RMK was at the time!