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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Mike Woodson feels urgency heading into … – Danville Commercial News
Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 50F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Rain early…then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low around 50F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: October 19, 2023 @ 4:30 pm
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, center, talks with the players during a timeout against Rutgers on March 2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, center, talks with the players during a timeout against Rutgers on March 2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson didn’t mince words when it came to expectations for the Hoosiers for the 2023-24 season.
“I took this job to win Big Ten titles and national titles, and I’ve fallen short the first two years. I’m always optimistic as a coach when I go into a season. This season is no different,” Woodson said on Indiana’s institutional media day for basketball at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday. “We’ve got to go and win a Big Ten title.”
The Hoosiers were the Big Ten favorites entering the 2022-23 season, only to be surpassed by a surprising Purdue team, which won the conference by three games.
Indiana’s second-place finish was good, but with departed talents Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino providing 34.4 points per game combined — to say nothing of the loss of primary contributors Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, Tamar Bates and Jordan Geronimo — few experts are putting those kinds of expectations on Indiana in the coming season.
Indiana (23-12, 12-8 in 2023) was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten in the Lindy’s Magazine preseason preview. The Big Ten media has not yet done its poll, but the Hoosiers will likely be in the same range.
Woodson, however, is undaunted. There needs to be an urgency to what the Hoosiers can accomplish in 2024. He feels it, noting his own career clock is running, and he wants everyone to set the same high standard.
“I thought we put ourselves in pretty good position the last two years. In the tournament, we were right there. I just didn’t get them over the hump, man, and that’s something that I live with every day of my life,” Woodson said. “Somehow, I’ve got to get them over the hump. I’m the coach, and I’ve got to get them over the hump where we can hang another banner in here. I mean, that’s all I think about, man.”
What are reasons for Woodson’s feeling Indiana can reach his standard? A big one is getting point guard Xavier Johnson back from the knee injury that scuppered the majority of what was to be his final season. Johnson received an injury waiver from the NCAA and is, by far, Indiana’s most experienced player.
“This is his last go-around. He can’t come (back) — hell, how many years is this, six years for him? Hell, he’s an old man,” Woodson said.
Johnson takes jibes like that in stride.
“(Woodson) wants to win, and so do we, so it’s got to be everybody coming together and doing the right things every day and bringing our guys along so we can be successful and win,” Johnson said.
Indiana also returns hard-working combo guard Trey Galloway, who along with Johnson, is a co-captain.
“I’d say whatever coach needs me to do, just be ready to be in that position,” Galloway said of his own expectations. “I feel like I can be thrown into a lot of positions and do them, so I think just being ready for whatever coach throws at me.”
Beyond Johnson and Galloway, most of the Hoosiers are pinning hopes on improvement, a change of scenery or cashing in on their raw talent.
In the last category, freshman Mackenzie Mgbako fits the definition. The New Jersey native was the biggest prize the Hoosiers got in recruiting in the offseason. Mgbako averaged 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds last season, though he can also stretch the floor.
“I’m just going to savor the moment and be in the moment,” Mgbako said. “I only feel pressure if I put it on myself. If I get in the right head space and focus on what I’m supposed to focus on, there won’t be any pressure.”
Center Kel’El Ware is one of three transfers hoping to fit in. The highly touted Oregon transfer averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds, but his work ethic was occasionally questioned with the Ducks.
“The word is out. They knocked you and said, ‘Hey, you’re lazy. You don’t work hard,’ and if you make a commitment to me, that’s got to change,” Woodson said of Ware. “I’m not always the easiest coach to play for, but I’m in your corner, and I’m fair, and I want what’s best for you and my ballclub, and he made the commitment to me, and I’m going to push him to play at a higher level to help us win basketball games.”
Finally, there is forward Malik Reneau, who averaged 6.1 points in a reserve role in 2023. He feels far more comfortable coming into this season and is ready to show it.
“I got a year under my belt now. I know everybody now, and I feel way more comfortable. I think my game will prosper and expand,” Reneau said.
Indiana’s men and women will host Hoosier Hysteria on Oct. 20 at Assembly Hall. The athletic department announced Wednesday rapper Gucci Mane will perform after the basketball-related activities conclude.
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