What if we were in charge of the search process? Here are the moves we’d make.
With the Indiana men’s basketball head coaching job officially set to open up this offseason, we have some thoughts on how the athletic department should go about making its next hire at its most visible position.
What if we were in charge of the coaching search? Here’s what the search firm of The Crimson Quarry would get up to:
Who would be our first three calls?
- LCN: CALL ONE: Brad Stevens. Because, well, you’ve gotta. CALL TWO: Brad Stevens again. CALL THREE: Dusty May. Took Florida Atlantic to a Final Four and would have access to better resources in Bloomington than Ann Arbor.
- Colin: Tempted as I am to spend all three on Brad, I think my second would go to Scott Drew. He passed up high-profile jobs the last time around, but has connections to the state that may make this situation different. Then I call Dusty. He seems interested but has accomplished less than the other two I’m calling first, but it’s a third call I’d be happy to make.
What are the most important aspects for a candidate?
- LCN: Simply put, Indiana’s next head coach needs to bring the program into 2025. The program has gone through 8+ seasons of offenses that are bad, outdated or a combination of the two. The product has been a chore to watch. A team can afford to be just alright if it’s watchable. It can’t if it isn’t. Indiana is neither good nor watchable and hasn’t been consistently for a long time.
- Colin: Somebody who can embrace the history and tradition of the program without being bogged down by it. Fans have high expectations, that can’t scare the next coach. At the same time, I need somebody confident enough to do things their way without feeling like he has to recruit a certain number of players from the state, for example.
Which potential candidates should get more attention than they are?
- LCN: I’m an overall believer in Micah Shrewsberry. He’s not necessarily done himself too many favors in his first two years at Notre Dame but I can’t imagine many are being done for him. He has to prove he’s more than the guy who got to coach Jalen Pickett and I think he is. Shrewsberry is a good X’s and O’s guy who would bring a fun scheme. Combine that with talent across the board he hasn’t been afforded with before as a head coach? Things could be interesting.
- Colin: It’s hard to say how much attention he should be getting given his current employment and links to past Indiana openings that went nowhere, but Billy Donovan checks a lot of boxes. College success to appease an anxious fanbase and NBA experience to appeal to recruits who don’t know who Joakim Noah is.
What would a candidate have to say to win the press conference?
- LCN: Indiana’s next head coach needs to commit to the future. Entirely. Acknowledge the past, yes, but do not let it dominate the storyline or chain your tenure to it. What this program was is relevant. What it could be is all that matters.
- Colin: The opening presser has to be an articulation of what that coach believes to be possible in the near future, not what fans want to hear. Mike Woodson is still haunted by his opening presser, when he said he would be winning conference and national titles. I don’t know how much of a rebuild we are looking at, but if that level of success isn’t in the cards for the next two, three seasons, don’t lie to us.