Version 1 – The Daily Hoosier

– Mike Schumann and Dustin Dopirak contributed to this story.

“It’s a results-oriented business,” said IU athletics director Scott Dolson on Monday as he discussed his decision to fire Archie Miller.

Who is the man to deliver the results of a program hungry for sustained, cutting-edge success?

Let’s take a look at our first edition of the hot post-Miller era picture, currently in groups, but in no specific order beyond that for now.

THE FIRST CALL (WAIT NO)

The name at the top of the chart is the same as it was four years ago. And the same answer must be expected.

Brad Stevens – Stevens is the Great White Whale of Indiana and has been since leading Butler to consecutive national title games in 2010 and 2011. He is in his eighth season in the chair of Red Auerbach as coach of the Boston Celtics and made the playoffs in six of the seven seasons that he completed. It’s hard to imagine that he would leave that job in the middle of the season to return to Indiana, but IU fans can and will dream.

OPEN THE WALLET

Most believe Indiana will go after a coach with proven success at the top. Here are some of the top names that fit that description and should at least listen to Dolson, who has demonstrated his ability to raise money by financing Miller’s purchase through private sources.

Chris Beard – Beard has been in an Elite Eight and national title game for five seasons at Texas Tech and he is one of the best defensive coaches in the game. However, it is also expensive, with a six-year business that averages $ 4.6 million a year, so if the Hoosiers want it, they will have to pay generously.

John Beilein – Beilein stopped training and analyzing games on the Big Ten Network after his foray into the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers did not last a season. He is a proven winner at the university level and in the Big Ten, having guided Michigan to two appearances in national title games and five Sweet 16s in 12 years. He recruited the state well, harvesting Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary, Stu Douglass and Zach Novak from Indiana, among others. He is, however, 68 years old and it is difficult to say whether he would have any interest in being a coach again.

Scott Drew – A Butler graduate who grew up in Valparaíso when his father, Homer, was training there, Drew took Baylor out of being ineligible for the NCAA tournament after Patrick Dennehy’s 2003 assassination by teammate Carlton Dotson for first place in the NCAA tournament. NCAA. He has been in four Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights and would have taken the Bears to the first place in the ranking last season if there was a tournament. However, Drew’s program was under NCAA parole during his tenure, which could shutdown Indiana, and Baylor’s current streak of success can be difficult to abandon anyway.

Eric Musselman – After two spells as NBA coach and once named former NBA D-League coach of the year, Musselman has committed himself to full-time college basketball and has had great success so far. In four years in Nevada, he took Wolfpack to three NCAA tournaments, including a Sweet 16. In his second year in Arkansas, he has Razorbacks back in the tournament with a No. 3 seed and a 22-6 record.

Nate Oats – Oats is one of the hottest names on the market this year thanks to the revolution he created in Alabama. Crimson Tide won the SEC regular season and tournament championships and went to the NCAA Tournament with second place, thanks to an open and heavy 3-point style. He has had 59-13 in his last two seasons in Buffalo, earning a victory in the NCAA tournament in the first round in both seasons. He’s 40-21 so far in Alabama, including 24-6 this year. Some initial reports indicate that Oats is not interested in employment in Indiana.

Mick Cronin – Cronin is currently in charge of a historic blue blood struggling to reach his former heights at UCLA. Coming to Indiana would allow him to do the same thing closer to home as a native of Cincinnati. Cronin took Murray State to two NCAA tournaments and Cincinnati to nine before being signed by UCLA, where he has the Bruins and played Michigan State in one of the first four games this weekend.

Thad Matta – There is no one who is still relatively young and has more experience outside coaching than Matta. But the 53-year-old is out of coaching due to health problems that can still be a problem. Matta has played the NCAA tournament nine times over a ten-year period in Ohio.

Dana Altman – Altman has a good thing going on in Oregon and is not likely to leave unless he is thinking of going back to the Midwest. The Nebraska native was successful at Creighton before 11 consecutive wins at Eugene. He did the NCAA Tournament 8 out of 9 seasons.

MORE INTERESTING NAMES

Bobby Hurley – Hurley played as Indiana playmaker under Bob Knight in the film Blue Chips, which is the closest link he has to Indiana, but he seems to fit Indiana’s profile well and has some success as a head coach, having taken Buffalo to a pair of MAC Titles and an NCAA spot in 2015, having led the state of Arizona to two NCAA spots.

Porter Moser – In his first 13 seasons as a head coach in Arkansas-Little Rock, Illinois State and Loyola (Illinois), Moser never had a team finished in the top five of his league. However, Moser took Loyola to the Final Four in 2018 and that year he won his first of three Missouri Valley Conference titles in four years. The Ramblers won this season with an overall record of 24-4 and one of the best defenses in the country and are heading for the NCAA Tournament with an 8th place finish.

Mike Young – Virginia Tech’s head coach has the Hokies in the NCAA tournament and the top 25 in his second year in office. He took Wofford to five appearances in NCAA tournaments in ten seasons.

Andy Enfield – Pac-12’s coach of the year, Enfield’s 21 wins led all the teams in the league and he won the fourth highest number of wins in USC history. The USC was in the top 30 in attack and defense, according to KenPom. They are seed # 6 in the NCAA Tournament.

Mark Pope – How well would a former Kentucky player be received at the UI? If he wins as in BYU (44-14), everyone will surely be forgiven. BYU has been strong at both ends of the field, with a top-30 attack and defense according to KenPom. They are seed # 6 in the NCAA Tournament.

THE FACES OF INDIANA

In the eyes of many, no coaching research in Indiana is complete without the mention of some famous alumni. But don’t hold your breath.

Steve Alford – As a player, Alford was loved by everyone. As a name in a coaching search, no one divides the fan base anymore. The debate should not have much traction at the moment. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that Alford is committed to staying in Nevada and will not seek the position of senior coach in Indiana.

Mike Woodson – Perhaps the most proven coach among the former players, but all of Woodson’s work was at the NBA level. He made it to the playoffs for five consecutive seasons as a coach and is currently at the New York Knicks as an assistant.

Dane Fife – Son of a trainer with Bob Knight and Tom Izzo roots, Fife is a popular name among IU fans. But would he be mentioned if he weren’t a former UI player? Fife was an IPFW coach for six seasons and was going in the right direction before moving to Michigan.

Michael Lewis – Current UCLA assistant under Cronin, Lewis knows the Midwest and the Big Ten well as an assistant at Butler and Nebraska. He would end up working as a head coach one day, but would Indiana really be the first?

OTHER NAMES TO KNOW

Although Indiana fans currently feel burned at the thought of hiring a midfielder, this is a path that has produced some of the sport’s best coaches, including Bill Self, John Calipari and Mike Krzyzewski.

Ritchie McKay – Tony Bennett’s former assistant is on the rise at Liberty, amassing a record 82-16 in the past three seasons. McKay led the Flames to ASUN’s third consecutive championship in the regular season. Under McKay, Liberty has five consecutive seasons of 20 wins.

Joe Pasternack – Pasternack could have been included in the Indiana guy list too. A former IU basketball manager like Dolson, Pasternack was recently named Big West coach of the year. He has four consecutive seasons of 20 wins at UCSB and is going to the NCAA Tournament.

Dennis Gates – Gates transformed Cleveland State in just two years, winning consecutive Horizon League Coaches of the Year awards in the process. He would not be difficult to find. Gates will train against former IU coach Kelvin Sampson on Friday in Bloomington in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Wes Miller – Does Miller’s time continue in Bloomington? Mike Roberts’ former boss at UNC Greensboro has compiled a 125-42 (.748) record in the past five years and seems an obstacle to getting a major job in the short term.

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