Indiana

How the NBA Has Prepped Coach Mike Woodson for Success at Indiana

Published

2 years ago

October 4, 2022

How the NBA Has Prepped Coach Mike Woodson for Success at Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana head basketball coach Mike Woodson has been prepped and primed for such a time as this, utilizing his collegiate and NBA profession to land him in his second season as Indiana’s head coach.

“The NBA was nice for me, however coming again house to teach school basketball right here at Indiana, I have been in a position to actually be across the gamers and actually be…in a position to coach,” Woodson stated. “I can put together and train all of the basketball ground issues that I love to do.”

Final season, Woodson led the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Match since 2016 in his first 12 months on the helm after the group completed with a 21-14 total file.

The Indiana native can relate to his group on many ranges, provided that he too has worn the cream and crimson and noticed his dream of taking part in and training within the NBA come to life.

Woodson was recruited by legendary coach Bob Knight in 1976. As a sophomore, Woodson and the Hoosiers superior to the Candy 16 however have been stopped of their tracks by Villanova.

The subsequent season, Woodson was the main scorer in Indiana’s NIT title win over Purdue. In his senior 12 months, the Hoosiers made it again to the NCAA Match following a Huge Ten common season championship (13-5), however Purdue obtained its revenge knocking the Hoosiers out within the Candy 16 spherical.

cMike Woodson

Hoosiers Now on Sports activities Illustrated

The large leagues known as, and Woodson was drafted because the twelfth total choose by the New York Knicks within the 1980 NBA draft. He performed there for 2 seasons earlier than hopping across the league between 5 different groups together with the New Jersey Nets, the Kansas Metropolis/Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Maybe the perfect second in Woodson’s basketball profession got here when he began teaching. He began off as assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and at last the Detroit Pistons, the place he received the 2004 NBA Championship with head coach Larry Brown.

Woodson noticed a head teaching alternative with the Atlanta Hawks the next season the place he stayed for six years. After brief stints with numerous different groups, Woodson accepted his first collegiate teaching job with Indiana forward of final season, and boy is it completely different.

“The one factor that I’ve discovered, being within the NBA all these years and training, there’s actually not sufficient time to organize and train and actually be part of a participant’s life since you’ve obtained three, 4 video games coming at you per week within the NBA,” Woodson stated. “There’s simply not sufficient time within the day.”

Apr 11, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks to his players during a timeout against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Knicks beat the Raptors 108-100. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports — Apr 11, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks to his gamers throughout a timeout towards the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Knicks beat the Raptors 108-100.
© Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports activities
Advertisement

That half was irritating for him, he stated. Nevertheless, he had a stupendous run within the NBA and has translated his years of data again to the faculty degree.

For example, Woodson was identified for getting essentially the most out of his gamers defensively within the NBA. Each him and Coach Brown restricted the Pistons’ opponents to simply below 42 p.c taking pictures one season.

Final season at Indiana, these ways formed the Hoosiers right into a defensive-minded group that ranked third (virtually second) within the Huge Ten permitting their opponents to attain a median 66.2 factors per sport.

Scroll to Proceed

“He treats us like adults,” Kopp stated. “He treats us like professionals, however he’s additionally on us after we mess up. He’s very particular about what he desires. It makes it straightforward for us as gamers to know and get what he desires us to do as a result of he’s very clear about it.”

Woodson’s readability is at all times current. He stated he is there to win Huge Ten titles and a nationwide championship. Interval. If the problem to win an NCAA banner for the primary time since 1987 scares the group, then they should not be there, Woodson stated.

“I am not fearful of it,” he stated. “You should not be fearful of it. We have to do that collectively as a unit. Once more, I do know expectations are excessive. I get that. That is factor. However we have to exit and do it on the ground and present that we are able to win a Huge Ten title and a nationwide title.”

Final season was total fairly shiny for the ball membership as Woodson typically refers to them as, however there definitely have been dim spots. Indiana had a dropping September 11 convention file tormented by a 10-ranked offense out of 14 groups within the convention.

Woodson loves to make use of the phrase “have to get my group over the hump” when referring to not ending a job. He takes full accountability for the downsides and stated he places a whole lot of stress on himself.

“I have a look at the Iowa sport, coming down the stretch, 4 and a half minutes and we’re up 9 and we will not shut that sport out,” he stated. “For me, that is robust to swallow as a coach.”

Woodson additionally acknowledges school ball may be very completely different from the NBA having performed in each leagues. In school, there’s a number of pick-and-rolls, three-point photographs and groups on the prime that can get after you defensively.

“I feel we have to have the ability to do all these issues to have the ability to compete at a excessive degree and beat the big-time groups,” Woodson stated. “I imply, that is what it will take this season as a result of that is just about how the faculty sport is being performed.”

Indiana head coach Mike Woodson watches his group through the first half of the Indiana versus Rutgers males’s basketball sport at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor on Wednesday, March 1, 2022.
© Wealthy Janzaruk/Herald-Occasions / USA TODAY NETWORK

One other profit to having an ex-NBA coach for the Hoosiers is that he is aware of all in regards to the drafting course of. Indiana will host its first NBA Professional Day in program historical past on Oct. 7 the place 30 NBA groups will probably be invited to observe the Hoosiers work out in a combine-style exercise.

“I feel whenever you’ve obtained excessive expectations and you have a number of gamers that may have a crack at taking part in on the subsequent degree, it is okay to ask the NBA world into your life,” Woodson stated.

“Hell, it would improve them to play more durable and higher.”

Woodson stated he is obtained a number of buddies on the huge degree, and he is excited for them to observe his athletes play.

As soon as Professional Day concludes, Woodson’s 4 returning starters, his prime 10 recruiting class and a pair different notable bench gamers with alternatives for breakout seasons will set their eyes on a giant season.

Come Nov. 7, Woodson will hold climbing the collegiate teaching ladder with the Hoosiers. He is already climbed at each different degree.

HOOSIERS WANT MORE THREE-POINT PRODUCTION Final season, the Hoosiers ranked eleventh in made three-pointers within the Huge Ten. Coach Mike Woodson, alongside together with his group, desires to see extra manufacturing from the three-point line this season. Woodson pointed at Miller Kopp, Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis amongst those that have to shoot extra from downtown. CLICK HERE
TITLE IX 50TH ANNIVERSARY Indiana basketball coach Teri Moren displays on the advantages of Title IX the final 50 years. The legislation prohibits gender discrimination in instructional establishments that obtain federal funding, like that of Indiana College. Whereas nice strides have been made, there’s extra work to do. CLICK HERE
TREY GALLOWAY RETURNS FROM GROIN SURGERY Indiana males’s basketball guard Trey Galloway handled accidents all through the 2021-22 season, and he underwent groin surgical procedure in June. At Indiana basketball media day, Galloway stated, ‘I am just about again to 100% regular.’ CLICK HERE

Source link

Click to comment

Indiana

3 Things To Watch As Indiana Basketball Hosts USC

Published

4 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

3 Things To Watch As Indiana Basketball Hosts USC

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is off to a good start in Big Ten play, most recently defeating Penn State 77-71 Sunday to improve to 3-1 in the conference and 12-3 overall. Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers will look to keep that momentum rolling with a 7 p.m. ET tipoff Wednesday against USC at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The Trojans are 9-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play in coach Eric Musselman’s first season after Saturday’s 85-74 home loss to Michigan. Musselman built an entirely new roster with 11 transfers and two freshmen after coming over from a successful run at Arkansas, where he had two Elite Eight runs and a Sweet 16 appearance in five seasons. He said Saturday he has no timetable for the return of injured players Terrance Williams (10.6 ppg) and Matt Knowling (3.8 ppg).

Defeating USC won’t do much to help Indiana’s resume – the Trojans are ranked No. 94 in the NET – but the Hoosiers must avoid a loss as they approach a stretch with 11 straight opportunities for Quad 1 wins.

Here are three things to watch as Indiana hosts USC, the first Big Ten newcomer on the men’s side to play at Assembly Hall.

1. Can Indiana sustain success without Malik Reneau?

When Malik Reneau went down with a knee injury on the second possession Thursday against Rutgers, some may have pressed the panic button. Reneau was Indiana’s leading scorer at the time, averaging 14.1 points per game and shooting a reliable 60.3% from the field. But over the next 39 minutes versus the Scarlet Knights, and in Sunday’s road game against Penn State, the Hoosiers put together two of their best performances of the season.

Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey hung 39 points on the Hoosiers, but Indiana locked down the rest of the Scarlet Knights in a 10-point win. Woodson rolled with a starting lineup of Myles Rice, Trey Galloway, Luke Goode, Mackenzie Mgbako and Oumar Ballo, and the Hoosiers picked up their first Quad 1 win of the season against a tough Penn State team.

Ballo was dominant inside against the Nittany Lions, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Rice handled Penn State’s pressure defense better than any Hoosier could last season. Without Reneau, Woodson played smaller lineups with more ball handlers and shooters, and Goode and Mgbako combined to make 7-of-12 3-point attempts.

We’ll get a better sense for Reneau’s status when the Big Ten availability report comes out Wednesday afternoon, but Woodson shared an update after Sunday’s win.

“Don’t know when he’s gonna be back,” Woodson said. “It’s kind of in the medical [staff’s] hand. I mean, he didn’t tear up anything, but don’t know when he’s gonna come back. I really don’t, and I just gotta follow the doctor’s lead and he’s gotta do what he needs to do to get back when he can. But it won’t be any time soon.”

2. Does USC have an answer for Oumar Ballo?

Reneau’s potential absence places a greater emphasis on Ballo, offensively and defensively. The 7-footer is averaging 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, plus a career-high 66.7% field goal percentage, 2.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.

Ballo is tough for any opponent to stop inside, and he may be an even more difficult matchup for USC. Josh Cohen, a 6-foot-10 transfer from UMass, has started all 14 games for USC this season, but he only plays 16.7 minutes per game. Aside from Cohen, USC’s rotation does not include a player taller than 6-foot-8.

In Saturday’s loss to Michigan, Musselman went to a smaller lineup with 6-foot-8 guard Kevin Patton Jr., who played 28 minutes off the bench.

“When we had our traditional center in there, he was minus-23 while he was on the floor, so we’ve gotta have better play when we play with a traditional big,” Musselman said Saturday. “I thought our small-ball lineup did a great job of getting us back in the game. … I’m shocked that our small ball was able to withstand their roster, to be honest with you, but they did.”

3. Can Indiana keep USC off the free throw line?

Staying out of foul trouble is especially important Wednesday for Indiana for a few reasons. Indiana’s depth has taken a major hit with Reneau, Cupps and Newton out. Against Penn State, Indiana’s bench – Anthony Leal, Bryson Tucker, Kanaan Carlyle and Landgon Hatton – combined for three points on 1-for-8 shooting in 46 minutes. Indiana can’t afford to lose Ballo to foul trouble, assuming Reneau does not play. Woodson hasn’t found consistent production off the bench, even with a fully healthy roster.

The other reason for the heightened importance of Indiana’s foul situation is that USC succeeds at getting to the free throw line. The Trojans rank 36th nationally in free throw rate and attempt 22.6 per game. Their offense has not been good overall this season, ranked 101st in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, so it would benefit the Hoosiers not to give the Trojans opportunities at the free throw line. That’s especially relevant with USC leading scorer Desmond Claude, a 6-foot-6 guard who attempts a team-high 6.3 free throws per game.

Source link

Indiana

The Indiana Pacers Need Tyrese Haliburton To Find Consistency

Published

12 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

The Indiana Pacers Need Tyrese Haliburton To Find Consistency

MIAMI, FLORIDA – JANUARY 02: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball during the … [+] third quarter against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on January 02, 2025 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Last season, the world saw the early-season rise of Tyrese Haliburton, in which the Pacer guard averaged over 26 points, and 12 assists per game, leading his team to the number one offense in the NBA.

Unfortunately, an avalanche of injuries, including to his knee, ankle, hamstring, and back, forced Haliburton to play the majority of the season in limited fashion. His numbers, understandably so, fell to a point where fans and pundits essentially decided to wait for this season, 2024-2025, to see his full production return.

Inconsistencies

37 games into this season, however, Haliburton is nowhere near the same place as he was to start last season. His 18.4 points, 8.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds are stil All-Star caliber numbers, but for a team that was expecting their point guard to return to his elite levels of production, it’s been a rough year.

Fortunately for the Pacers, they’re 19-18 and are winning at a decent rate, at least decent enough compete for a Top 6 playoff seed, which means avoiding the play-in tournament altogether. This, in large part, is due to the play of Pascal Siakam, Bennedict Mathurin, and Myles Turner.

Haliburton unquestionably plays a big part in their winning record, inconsistencies aside, but there seems to be a lingering feeling that the Pacers would be considerably better if he was back to form.

In seven games this season, Haliburton has failed to crack double-digit scoring. The Pacers have lost each and every one of those.

In the six games he’s scored over 30 points, they’re 5-1, and have outscored their opponents by 51 points in those five wins.

It’s not rocket science to conclude that teams tend to win more when their best player is producing at elite levels, but in the case of Indiana, it’s absurdly relevant given how one small losing streak can put them right back into play-in territory.

Deadline goals

The Pacers do have a little under a month to further upgrade its roster, which should help offset some of Haliburton’s inconsistent play.

Indiana doesn’t have a major pool of assets to toy around with, and they’re currently over the luxury tax limit by a hair over $400,000 which means they’re probably looking to also shed money to get under it.

(Historically, teams that are so close to go under the tax line make deadline moves that save them just enough to get under, so they can partake in receiving payments from the teams that do go over.)

Can the Pacers make a roster upgrade, and simultaneously get under the tax line? It’s not impossible, but they’ll have to carefully construct a deal that helps both of their endeavors, while also making sure to not waste too much of their future flexibility.

If possible, the franchise should seek out a shooter who can also rebound the ball.

The Pacers are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, and while they rank seventh in three-point efficiency, they rank just 27th in attempts, and are thus in need of volume.

Those players aren’t easy to find, so they’ll have to get creative.

Hope ahead

Setting aside the trade deadline, there might be good news coming for the Pacers in regards to Haliburton.

Over his past five games, the 24-year-old has averaged 25.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.0 rebounds, including a 33-point, 15-assist performance against Miami.

This has been Haliburton’s best stretch of the season, and the Pacers would love to see him maintain this level of production, especially as they’re paying him over $244.6 million over the next five seasons.

Should the Pacers succeed in making a real upgrade before the deadline, and get Haliburton back to form, they could become a serious surprise team in the East by April.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Source link

Indiana

Indiana basketball vs. USC expert prediction, start time, TV channel for 1/8/25

Published

20 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Indiana basketball vs. USC expert prediction, start time, TV channel for 1/8/25

Indiana basketball returns home on a four-game winning streak to host USC in Big Ten action on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.

The Hoosiers (12-3, 3-1) are coming off a victory over highly regarded Penn State in Philadelphia as Oumar Ballo carried the first half and Mackenzie Mgbako heated up early in the second half. Malik Reneau (knee) missed the game, but team officials have said they don’t expect him to be out long term. IU is the Big Ten’s best rebounding team (76.7% defensive rebounds in conference games, 1st; 37.7% offensive rebounds, 2nd).

The Trojans (9-5, 1-2) lost to Michigan over the weekend as they scored just 3 points in final 3 minutes. USC struggles rebounding (68.9% defensive, 12th; 28.6% offensive, 12th) and it doesn’t attempt many 3-pointers (5.0-of-15.7 per game, 31.9% in conference). The Trojans continue to miss Terrance Williams II, the Michigan transfer who suffered a broken wrist in December.

Want more Hoosiers coverage? Zach Osterman and Michael Niziolek keep up with IU all season. Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter.

Indiana basketball prediction, pick

Zach Osterman, IndyStar: Indiana 88-81

Indiana has been playing better of late, with good, tough wins against Rutgers and Penn State. USC isn’t bad so much as finding itself, and this feels like the kind of game where a young team rises to the occasion. IU struggles but wins.