Indiana basketball coaching prospects include Dusty. May brings drama, but who should Hoosiers pursue?

So concludes another futile attempt by Indiana to re-create Bob Knight's coaching magic.

Mike Woodson will step down as the Hoosiers' head coach at the end of his fourth season, but with a 14-9 record that keeps IU from making the NCAA Tournament and having lost six of its last seven games, his departure has been likely for several weeks. As a result, Indiana is looking for a new men's basketball coach for the third time in ten years.


However, the conditions around this job have changed since four years ago. It has been so long since Indiana was consistently nationally important that the unexpected occurred: the university became a football school. Curt Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in his first season in Bloomington, giving athletic director Scott Dolson enough latitude to make another significant hiring. That's probably not a terrible thing; Dolson, a former IU basketball manager under Knight, knows better than anybody how difficult it has been for the Hoosiers to replace Knight, and he also knows what it takes to succeed in modern college athletics. How he crosses that line, following such a blowout by a "in the family" hire,

How excellent is the job?

Historically speaking, or today? Despite the fact that Indiana hasn't won a national title in nearly 40 years and hasn't advanced to the Final Four in over 20 years, the Hoosiers' legacy cannot be undone. Indiana is one of only six programs to have won at least five national championships; the others are UCLA (11 titles), Kentucky (eight), North Carolina (six), UConn (six), and Duke (five).

Of course, the difference is that those other schools have remained at the top of the sport's hierarchy throughout the last two decades. Indiana hasn't. Since Knight assistant Mike Davis guided Indiana to a stunning run to the national championship game in 2002, the team has only made the Sweet 16 three times, having missed the field entirely in 11 seasons — or 12, if we look six weeks ahead. Indiana may still consider itself a blue blood, but take away the candy stripe and you have a program that has gone 76-91 in the Big Ten since 2016-17.

Being the head coach of Indiana's men's basketball team comes with inherent advantages. For starters, you'll play in one of the country's most historic venues, Assembly Hall, which was refurbished in 2016 (albeit not in basketball-specific areas like the locker rooms or practice gym). In lockstep with that is a fervent, borderline obnoxious fan base that led the league in attendance in 2022-23. So the support is there, but don't underestimate the ire of a fan following that has been on a ghost hunt for decades.

But, maybe most crucially, particularly in this period, Indiana has money. Lots of stuff. Indiana finished seventh nationwide in men's basketball spending in 2022-23, the most recent year for which tax data is available, with little over $17 million, more than Arizona, Kansas, and UConn combined. (Are the only programs that spent more than IU? Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, and Texas Tech (in that order.)

In terms of name, image, and likeness resources, industry sources estimate that the Hoosiers' current squad is among the top ten most costly in the sport this season, thanks to transfer portal acquisitions such as Oumar Ballo, Myles Rice, and Kanaan Carlyle. The cash from IU's football success will undoubtedly be reinvested in Cignetti's program, but with CFP revenue, high-profile benefactors, and the anticipated House settlement, the Hoosiers should be one of the best-funded programs in the league, if not the country.

Long story short, the coffers are ready for whoever comes next. Spend carefully.

Call list (alphabetical order) 

Dusty May, head coach, Michigan:  

This could be interesting, right? Because this is the decision Indiana should have made last summer, rather than futilely running things back with Woodson for a fourth year of declining returns. Instead, IU sat on its hands, allowing May — an Indiana native who worked as Knight's student manager in the late 1990s — to attend Michigan. To no one's surprise, the 48-year-old who led Florida Atlantic to its first Final Four has promptly turned the Wolverines around; Michigan is 17-5 this season, a half-game behind first place in the Big Ten. (Hilariously, May's Wolverines face Indiana on Saturday. Awkwaaaard.) 

The key question is whether May would leave a similarly fantastic job like Michigan after only one (successful) season. Indiana clearly needs to make the contact to gauge his interest, but the timing could not be worse. May still has four seasons left on his original contract, and if Michigan's boosters were wise, an amended contract with a significant raise would be on his desk first thing in the morning. May's mother, on the other hand, still lives in Bloomington, and his experience with the program qualifies him as a strong contender. Can IU pull off a heist, or has it missed its chance?

Grant McCasland, head coach, Texas Tech:

McCasland, a native Texan, has spent nearly his entire career in the Lone Star State, but that should not prevent Indiana from pursuing one of the best young high-major coaches available. The 48-year-old is only in his second season at Texas Tech, but after making the NCAA Tournament in his first, he has the Red Raiders on track for a deep postseason run; they are 18-4, second in the Big 12, and have surged into the top ten in KenPom's season-long adjusted efficiency rankings. Prior to working in Lubbock, McCasland won at least 20 games in five of his six seasons at North Texas, and his 2021 team defeated Purdue in the NCAA tournament's first round.

It's also worth noting that McCasland arrived at Texas Tech amid turmoil — prior head coach Mark Adams left after making racially insensitive remarks — and quickly brought stability. The environment at Indiana isn't as toxic, but McCasland's ability to steer a path through adversity would be beneficial. If Indiana lived in Texas, this would be a no-brainer.

Ben McCollum, head coach, Drake: 

McCollum, the basketball equivalent of Dolson employing Cignetti, is an outstanding ball coach who has won everywhere he has gone. Does it matter if he has yet to become a household name? We will see. McCollum is only in his first year at Drake, but in his previous 15 seasons at Division II Northwest Missouri State, he won 11 conference titles and four national championships.

The 43-year-old brought four of his former D-II starters with him to Drake, and the Bulldogs have taken off better than anyone could have predicted: they are 21-2, first in the Missouri Valley, and have three wins over high-major teams, including a neutral-site victory over Vanderbilt. Division I coaches studied Northwest Missouri State's offense while McCollum was there, so there should be no issues about his style of play, and the native Midwesterner should feel at ease in Bloomington. It's more a matter of whether Indiana will pursue a better recognizable name, or at least someone with Division I experience.

Greg McDermott, head coach, Creighton: 

The least sexiest name on this list is nevertheless an excellent basketball coach. McDermott, 60, is our second-oldest candidate and may be more of a backup choice, but he is familiar with the Midwest, has nearly two decades of high-major experience, and has won 20 or more games in nine consecutive seasons. That includes four straight NCAA Tournament appearances with at least one win, including a 2023 team that almost missed the Final Four due to a contentious last-second foul call. And IU supporters would shed tears of joy watching his offense, which has finished in the top 25 in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency eight times in his 14 seasons in Omaha.

The pure resume is as strong as anyone else's on the list. However, McDermott has been with the Bluejays for so long that it's reasonable to ask if he still has one more career leap in him. And, while McDermott isn't very elderly, the appeal of selecting a 40-something who can oversee IU for decades is worth considering. Indiana could surely do worse.

TJ Otzelberger, head coach, Iowa State:

 Midway through his fourth season in Ames, Otzelberger has transformed Iowa State from a Big 12 doormat to a viable national title contender. (Yes, the Cyclones have lost three straight, but that is without starter wing Milan Momcilovic, who is still out with a hand injury.) ISU was 2-22 and 0-18 in the Big 12 the year before Otzelberger arrived, but has gone 87-40 in the three years since, including two Sweet 16 berths and the Big 12 tournament championship last season. Otzelberger's defensive concentration has helped the Cyclones finish in the top ten in adjusted defensive efficiency in his first three seasons, and he believes the Cyclones would perform similarly (if not better) in the Big Ten than they do now.

However, the 47-year-old recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with the program until the 2031-32 season, and given his long history with the school — he was also an assistant coach in Ames under McDermott before leaving for Creighton — it doesn't appear that he's eager to depart. Otzelberger is also close to his current athletic director, Jamie Pollard, which cannot be overstated. This one becomes much more unlikely if the Cyclones get back on track and reach the Final Four.

 

Bruce Pearl, head coach, Auburn:

Hiring away the probable Coach of the Year and architect of the country's undisputed top team? Indiana supporters, please get your jaws up off the floor. This is almost certainly not happening, but with Pearl's ties to the area — his first head coaching job was at Southern Indiana, where he won a D-II national title and played for another — and his current success at two different SEC spots, industry rumor suggests Dolson will at least make the call.

Pearl is 65 in March, so this is far from a long-term hire, but consider the vitality Pearl would bring to the program. (Auburn could theoretically oppose any interest in Pearl in the same way that Houston did with Kelvin Sampson: by appointing Pearl's son, Steven, as coach-in-waiting. He recently became Auburn's all-time wins leader, has led the Tigers to their first Final Four, and consistently sends players to the NBA. What more could Indiana ask for than someone a little younger? Pearl's fit and comfort at Auburn likely make this a no-go. However, if you are Dolson, the upside is worth calling.

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And Finally The Hire IS...

In an ideal world, May. Will one of Indiana's former sons, who is genuinely qualified, return home to save the program? Get Hallmark on the line. Unfortunately, IU’s window to hire May was last offseason; he’ll almost surely be offered the position but seems unlikely to accept it. (The same may be true for Pearl, excluding any deeper relationship with the Hoosiers.) With that stated, expect Dolson to employ the same technique he used with Cignetti: locate the finest coach he can, empower him with IU's massive financial resources, and avoid focusing on selecting a flashy name. Everyone on this list would be an excellent hire, but there's one person who ticks all those boxes and appears to jump at this.

McCollum