Standards to be Hired as Head Coach at Indiana

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

I saw people getting on the HoosierPT guy for comparing Indiana to Notre Dame regarding our coaching situation and disappointing seasons. They told him not to compare us to Notre Dame, because we're a blue blood. Now, I see people complaining about the firing of Barnes at Texas and eminent firing of Ford at Ok State asking why they "get it" and we don't. They are trying to compare these situations as further proof that Indiana needs to fire Crean.

Well, stop comparing us to Big 12 schools. Unless I'm mistaken, only Ok State has won a championship, and they won it twice, back in the '50's. Look at who Texas is targeting, Gregg Marshall and Shaka Smart. Alabama thinks they can land Marshall by just throwing him the checkbook.

If we're Indiana, and we're a blue blood, why should we have to compete with programs like those for the same coach and throw top dollar at them when we could land Brad Stevens or another coach who has proven himself at the highest level? Many of you have said this before, Indiana should not have to settle when it comes to our next head coach. If we're going to constantly talk about how our standards should be sky high for this program, then let's keep those standards consistent on all fronts. If we aren't getting our number one choice for head coach, we're lowering our standards again.

That said, what are your standards for the next head coach at Indiana, regardless of when a new hire actually occurs?

[djsalway 4,161]

I saw people getting on the HoosierPT guy for comparing Indiana to Notre Dame regarding our coaching situation and disappointing seasons. They told him not to compare us to Notre Dame, because we're a blue blood. Now, I see people complaining about the firing of Barnes at Texas and eminent firing of Ford at Ok State asking why they "get it" and we don't. They are trying to compare these situations as further proof that Indiana needs to fire Crean.

Well, stop comparing us to Big 12 schools. Unless I'm mistaken, only Ok State has won a championship, and they won it twice, back in the '50's. Look at who Texas is targeting, Gregg Marshall and Shaka Smart. Alabama thinks they can land Marshall by just throwing him the checkbook.

If we're Indiana, and we're a blue blood, why should we have to compete with programs like those for the same coach and throw top dollar at them when we could land Brad Stevens or another coach who has proven himself at the highest level? Many of you have said this before, Indiana should not have to settle when it comes to our next head coach. If we're going to constantly talk about how our standards should be sky high for this program, then let's keep those standards consistent on all fronts. If we aren't getting our number one choice for head coach, we're lowering our standards again.

That said, what are your standards for the next head coach at Indiana, regardless of when a new hire actually occurs?

 

My biggest standard is that he has succeeded at the highest level, meaning both in the tournament and preferably in a power 5 conference.

 

Sure, Stevens has not coached at a Power 5 school, but his team advanced to the national championship game two years out of six years he was there and he has now proven himself as a solid coach at the NBA level.

 

This is also why Billy Donovan is #2 on my list, because he has been pretty consistent at the highest level of CBB and has hung banners.

[Old Friend 8,389]

1)   Prioritize recruiting locally and make sure every kid who commits understands what's expected here.   I have zero interest in coaches who have "strong east coast recruiting ties."   You can certainly recruit nationally, but at Indiana, a state with abundant D1 basketball talent, you HAVE to remember and embrace the roots first.

 

2)   Hold yourself accountable and take responsibility.   This is your program.  Be a leader.  High expectations are a good thing.  If people don't have high expectations for you, what the h*ll are you doing in this position?    Accept them.  Embrace them.  Take pride in achieving them.

 

3)   Guard people.

 

4)   Move on offense and take good shots.   No more acceptance of turnovers as "part of the game."

 

5)   Show you can adjust when another coach thwarts your original game plan

 

6)   The first 4 minutes of the second half are indeed the most critical of the game if it's tight.   Be great at coming out in the second half and extending leads or changing the tone/flow of the game.

 

7)   Be "the best" at something.  Doesn't matter what it is...the coach at Indiana needs to be known for his genius at something.  

 

8)   Build rosters.  Not teams.  Band Aids are not okay and we expect to be competitive nationally every year, not once in a while.   We expect (and there is no reason this can't happen) to compete for Big Ten titles consistently.    You won't always win them, but why can't you - with our facilities, our recruiting base, and our school - compete for them?   Wisconsin does.  Michigan State does.  What do they have that we don't?   Excepting a coach who can get it done.

 

9)   For the love of God, on the offensive end, teach the kids to do something besides dribble.

 

10) Eliminate the off-season and off-court garbage as much as you can.  Again, kids need to understand where they are and they need to be taught that Indiana is a special place where arrests are not okay.   Everybody knows kids will be kids; but to whom much is given, much is expected.

 

Bonus :  be named "Brad Stevens"

[TomPritchard25 526]

Coaching standards for me, have a name start with a B

[HoosierTrav 7,886]

1. Be Awesome

2. Be Brad Stevens

[biteoftheapple 4,115]

Run a program clean.
Expect the players to be students.
Have a reputation as a top recruiter.
Your expectations should be to compete for a conference title, and make deep runs in the NCAA.
Hold the players to a standard if being good citizens.

[BGleas 7,903]

Agree with your list, though I'd reverse the order :)

1. Be Awesome
2. Be Brad Stevens

[fwgreenway 497]

1) Prioritize recruiting locally and make sure every kid who commits understands what's expected here. I have zero interest in coaches who have "strong east coast recruiting ties." You can certainly recruit nationally, but at Indiana, a state with abundant D1 basketball talent, you HAVE to remember and embrace the roots first.

2) Hold yourself accountable and take responsibility. This is your program. Be a leader. High expectations are a good thing. If people don't have high expectations for you, what the h*ll are you doing in this position? Accept them. Embrace them. Take pride in achieving them.

3) Guard people.

4) Move on offense and take good shots. No more acceptance of turnovers as "part of the game."

5) Show you can adjust when another coach thwarts your original game plan

6) The first 4 minutes of the second half are indeed the most critical of the game if it's tight. Be great at coming out in the second half and extending leads or changing the tone/flow of the game.

7) Be "the best" at something. Doesn't matter what it is...the coach at Indiana needs to be known for his genius at something.

8) Build rosters. Not teams. Band Aids are not okay and we expect to be competitive nationally every year, not once in a while. We expect (and there is no reason this can't happen) to compete for Big Ten titles consistently. You won't always win them, but why can't you - with our facilities, our recruiting base, and our school - compete for them? Wisconsin does. Michigan State does. What do they have that we don't? Excepting a coach who can get it done.

9) For the love of God, on the offensive end, teach the kids to do something besides dribble.

10) Eliminate the off-season and off-court garbage as much as you can. Again, kids need to understand where they are and they need to be taught that Indiana is a special place where arrests are not okay. Everybody knows kids will be kids; but to whom much is given, much is expected.

Bonus : be named "Brad Stevens"

[fwgreenway 497]

Nice to see you on btb. Continue on.

[ou812dude 3,326]

just compete...

no excuses...regardless of roster deficiencies...regardless of schedule.

 

compete. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,743]

Old Friend did a fantastic job with that post and obviously gave it considerable thought.  From my perspective, I think I'd look really hard at the next coach's roster turnover and how many players left the program early excluding for the NBA, i.e, does he show roster continuity or were his teams "always young".  I'd also look long and hard at how the team progressed throughout the season.  Did his teams tend to improve their overall play or did they routinely exhibit late season collapses.   Over time, how did his teams rank both offensively and defensively, i.e, were they relatively stable or extremely erratic from year to year.  And when it's time for the next search, screw hiring a search firm or putting together a committee of professors and non-basketball alumni.   Put together 5 former players and let them find the best candidates and do the required due diligence.  Who better knows what we need to return to prominence than the people that actually wore the candystripes? 

[Bryan Medema 1,488]

One add: Academic excellence, continue to fully embrace the STUDENT-athlete

[Class of '66 Old Fart 84,743]

One add: Academic excellence, continue to fully embrace the STUDENT-athlete

Blame it on a senior moment that I missed including this very important aspect.

[mdn82 25,510]

1) Prioritize recruiting locally and make sure every kid who commits understands what's expected here. I have zero interest in coaches who have "strong east coast recruiting ties." You can certainly recruit nationally, but at Indiana, a state with abundant D1 basketball talent, you HAVE to remember and embrace the roots first.

2) Hold yourself accountable and take responsibility. This is your program. Be a leader. High expectations are a good thing. If people don't have high expectations for you, what the h*ll are you doing in this position? Accept them. Embrace them. Take pride in achieving them.

3) Guard people.

4) Move on offense and take good shots. No more acceptance of turnovers as "part of the game."

5) Show you can adjust when another coach thwarts your original game plan

6) The first 4 minutes of the second half are indeed the most critical of the game if it's tight. Be great at coming out in the second half and extending leads or changing the tone/flow of the game.

7) Be "the best" at something. Doesn't matter what it is...the coach at Indiana needs to be known for his genius at something.

8) Build rosters. Not teams. Band Aids are not okay and we expect to be competitive nationally every year, not once in a while. We expect (and there is no reason this can't happen) to compete for Big Ten titles consistently. You won't always win them, but why can't you - with our facilities, our recruiting base, and our school - compete for them? Wisconsin does. Michigan State does. What do they have that we don't? Excepting a coach who can get it done.

9) For the love of God, on the offensive end, teach the kids to do something besides dribble.

10) Eliminate the off-season and off-court garbage as much as you can. Again, kids need to understand where they are and they need to be taught that Indiana is a special place where arrests are not okay. Everybody knows kids will be kids; but to whom much is given, much is expected.

Bonus : be named "Brad Stevens"

Are you Go Colts at another board???

[Bryan Medema 1,488]

Blame it on a senior moment that I missed including this very important aspect.

Easily forgiven. Vic and Cody proved that actually being a good student was a great way to endear yourself to the fans.

[Str8Hoosiers 2,965]

 

3)   Guard people.

 

4)   Move on offense and take good shots.   No more acceptance of turnovers as "part of the game."

Assuming you mean teach the kids to do these things?

 

What about likeability? Is it important for the IU basketball coach to be liked? By the Players? The Media? The Fans? The Coaching Staff? The School? Other Coaches?

[Old Friend 8,389]

Assuming you mean teach the kids to do these things?

 

What about likeability? Is it important for the IU basketball coach to be liked? By the Players? The Media? The Fans? The Coaching Staff? The School? Other Coaches?

I don't think it's as important as being able to do the job; but there are plenty of great coaches who are also likable. (Izzo and Bo Ryan, for example) I don't see "the right coach" being someone people don't like, though.   I don't even know who that would be.   Archie Miller can be a little on the rough-around-the-edges side; but apart from him, I know of nobody on anyone's hot list who's unlikable.   Good question...probably not going to be an issue.

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

1)   Prioritize recruiting locally and make sure every kid who commits understands what's expected here.   I have zero interest in coaches who have "strong east coast recruiting ties."   You can certainly recruit nationally, but at Indiana, a state with abundant D1 basketball talent, you HAVE to remember and embrace the roots first.

 

2)   Hold yourself accountable and take responsibility.   This is your program.  Be a leader.  High expectations are a good thing.  If people don't have high expectations for you, what the h*ll are you doing in this position?    Accept them.  Embrace them.  Take pride in achieving them.

 

3)   Guard people.

 

4)   Move on offense and take good shots.   No more acceptance of turnovers as "part of the game."

 

5)   Show you can adjust when another coach thwarts your original game plan

 

6)   The first 4 minutes of the second half are indeed the most critical of the game if it's tight.   Be great at coming out in the second half and extending leads or changing the tone/flow of the game.

 

7)   Be "the best" at something.  Doesn't matter what it is...the coach at Indiana needs to be known for his genius at something.  

 

8)   Build rosters.  Not teams.  Band Aids are not okay and we expect to be competitive nationally every year, not once in a while.   We expect (and there is no reason this can't happen) to compete for Big Ten titles consistently.    You won't always win them, but why can't you - with our facilities, our recruiting base, and our school - compete for them?   Wisconsin does.  Michigan State does.  What do they have that we don't?   Excepting a coach who can get it done.

 

9)   For the love of God, on the offensive end, teach the kids to do something besides dribble.

 

10) Eliminate the off-season and off-court garbage as much as you can.  Again, kids need to understand where they are and they need to be taught that Indiana is a special place where arrests are not okay.   Everybody knows kids will be kids; but to whom much is given, much is expected.

 

Bonus :  be named "Brad Stevens"

Great answer. Let's treat this as a baseline for our expectations of our next coach.

 

Next questions for all:

 

Based on these expectations, do you feel that any of the coaches rumored to be our next potential coach meet these standards? 

[mdn82 25,510]

Damn...

[Bryan Medema 1,488]

Second Add: Have a "coaches" name.