Bold Prediction: Mike Woodson will be the 2024-2025 B1G Coach of the Year
While it is certainly no lie that the squad on the court will look a lot different when you look at last season compared to this upcoming one for the Indiana men's basketball team, the commander in chief on the sidelines will look identical.
Flash back to just a few short months ago, and the same man who is now deemed a savior was then cast as a scapegoat. It has been a bit of a seesawing act when it comes to Mike Woodson's tenure at Indiana thus far, as the team has accrued a solid cumulative 63-40 record since he returned to B-Town to coach his alma mater prior to the 2021-2022 campaign.
While his first two seasons were promising, last year was a major step backwards for the program. Thankfully, the leader of the pack bounced right back up from a haymaker of a season, rubbed some dirt on his wounds, and reconstructed a roster that looks ready for a renaissance in 2024-2025.
Through the trials and tribulations of Woody's first few years at the helm, the fanbase has bore with him despite streaks of backlash and heavy criticism. Last season was remarkably frustrating for everyone associated with Indiana men's basketball, but as English poet Piers Plowman once coined centuries ago, "patience is a virtue".
Think what you want and say what you please now about Woody and his incredible staff, but we have a funny feeling that you will later recall any pessimistic thoughts and eat negative words that you may currently harbor towards him. He is a fearless leader who may at times give off grumpy vibes, but the tough love that he showers his players with pay dividends when all is said and done.
The Indiana men's basketball program is ascending, and their rapid rise back to prominence would not be possible were it not for Woodson's efforts. With these things in mind, do not be appalled when Mike Woodson is named the 2024-2025 B1G Coach of the Year. We expect this team to make some serious noise throughout the season, and the head coach will be the catalyst of the moves that they are about to make.
Keep going, Woody!