Congratulations Indiana fans, Mike Woodson is heading out the door, although you will have to wait till the end of the season to see him officially gone. After talks with administration, Woodson has decided to step away from the team after the season is over to allow a new regime to take over.
Indiana will be on the search for a new head coach come the end of the season, whether that is right after the Big Ten Tournament, or the NIT, or maybe even after the NCAA Tournament, but that seems pretty unlikely. This is going to be a big decision as the state of Indiana basketball hangs in the balance, whoever the administration brings in next has to bring success.
Indiana needs a Curt Cignetti-like coach, a coach with a strong background, but may not be so well-known, but can bring immediate success to the basketball program. Cignetti had a long resume of a winning past before coming to Indiana, he just didn't do it at the biggest possible schools.
Hoosier State of Mind did a post on the top five Mid-Major head coaches that Indiana could potentially go after if Woodson were to depart at the end of the season. Now that the news is official, Indiana can be on the hunt for which one they may want to go after. Shaka Smart should be at the top of the list for Indiana, he is an experienced coach with a history of success with a small program.
Indiana should be a program almost any coach would want to come to with the amount of NIL they have and the history of success the program has. One thing Woodson seemed to be goo at though was recruiting, so if recruits are willing to stay, a new head coach would have the future set as well.
There has to be a coach out there that can get this program back to where it used to be, but that doesn't mean it has to be the biggest named coach, sometimes finding a Curt Cignetti-like coach is all a team needs.