Indiana basketball: Worst head coach hires in program history
By Josh Yourish
Mike Davis. Mike Davis. . . Head Coach. 2000-2006. Mike Davis. 2. player. 482
In 2000, when Bobby Knight was dismissed from the program, the fans protested and many of the players threatened to transfer unless one of Knight’s assistant coaches John Treloar or Mike Davis was given the job.
Treloar deferred to Davis who was given the job and inherited some quality players for the 2000-01 season. He led the team to a 21-13 record one win better than Knight’s final season. As a No. 4 seed, Indiana was bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round.
Davis went 25-12 the next season and actually guided the roster led by Jared Jeffries to the NCAA Tournament final where they lost to Maryland. It was all downhill from there.
Without a roster stocked with Bobby Knight’s handpicked players, Davis couldn’t keep the program at the same level. The Hoosiers lost in the second round of the tournament the next season and in the two seasons from 2003-2005 went a combined 29-29 with no tournament appearances. He tore the program down to the studs and resigned following the 2006 season.