Mike Woodson: “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, guys”
Indiana coach Mike Woodson, who turns 66 next month, was asked Tuesday by a reporter if he ever thinks about how long he plans to coach in Bloomington.
In his third season as IU’s coach and coming off two straight NCAA tournament appearances, Woodson said he plans to remain in his current post for a while.
“I came back to try to put this team in the best position possible,” Woodson said. “I’m going to continue to do that. I’m almost 66 but I feel good and I still move around and I think that I still think well in terms of the game and I still think I can teach the game. I don’t know, there are coaches that are coaching into their 70s. I don’t know if that’s something I’ll do, I don’t know. But at this point, I’ll take it a day at a time, a year at a time.
“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon guys. I’m just not. So I’m going to continue to build this team and try to put this team in the best position possible and see where it leads us.”
After leading IU to a 44-26 record in his first two seasons, Woodson’s salary was raised by $1 million in August, bringing his annual compensation to $4.2 million.
He has three years remaining on his contract after this season.
“Upon his arrival, Coach Woodson immediately re-inserted our program into the national conversation both in terms of an elevated level of success on the court and in recruiting,” Athletic Director Scott Dolson said of Woodson in August. “I knew that returning our program to the level that Hoosier fans rightfully expect would be a process that wouldn’t happen overnight. I have been extremely pleased with the steps we have taken during the last two years. I believe under Coach Woodson’s leadership, we have positioned the program to compete at the highest levels in recruiting, which in turn will enable us to compete at the highest levels within the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament.”
Woodson has publicly stated several times that he expects IU to compete for Big Ten and national championships under his leadership.
The Hoosiers finished second in the conference last season but have yet to advance past the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Indiana’s struggles this season – the Hoosiers are currently 14-11 and 6-8 in the Big Ten – have drawn plenty of scrutiny on the job Woodson has done with his third IU team.
Indiana began the 2023-24 season ranked No. 50 in KenPom but is currently No. 98. The Hoosiers were also picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten and are tied with Rutgers for 9th in the league standings with six regular season games left.
Filed to: Mike Woodson