Report: Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson ‘contemplating retirement’ at end of season

All signs now point to Mike Woodson stepping down as Indiana basketball head coach at the end of the season.

Reported first by Field of 68 Basketball Analyst Jeff Goodman, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson is contemplating stepping down and retiring. If Woodson does retire, the current plan would be for him to finish out the season.

The details of the exit are being discussed per ESPN. 

This news comes at the time of a very poor season with the Hoosiers currently at 14-9 record while also being 5-7 in Big Ten play.

He has led the Hoosiers to two NCAA Tournament appearances but finished with zero Big Ten Championships. He was hired on March 28th, 2021 after Indiana fired then head coach Archie Miller.

Woodson’s tenure as Indiana basketball head coach has been a rocky one over the past 4 season. After a promising start in his first two seasons at head coach, Woodson failed to lead the Hoosiers to make the NCAA Tournament in the 2023-24 season and is on track to doing so this current season, as well.

Under his leadership, Mike Woodson coached three players that were drafted in the NBA including former All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis, former Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jalen Hood-Schifino, and current NBA Rookie of the Year favorite Kel’el Ware.

He coached two Big Ten Freshman of the Years in both Hood-Schifino and most recently Indiana basketball sophomore wing Mackenzie Mgbako. He has also coached a total of six All-Big Ten selections including Jackson-Davis, Hood-Schifino, Ware, Malik Reneau, Xavier Johnson, and Race Thompson.

Mike Woodson played for Indiana basketball from 1976–1980 under legendary head coach Bob Knight. He was named an All-American in both 1979 and 1980 and was voted the 1980 Big Ten Player of the Year and the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Basketball Award Winner. His 19.8 points per game average is tied (Calbert Cheaney) for the second highest by a Hoosier who played four seasons in college.

The Knicks selected Woodson with the 12th pick of the 1980 NBA Draft and played 11 seasons in the NBA for teams such as the Knicks, Kings, Clippers, Rockets, and Cavaliers.

Up next for the Hoosiers is a matchup vs Michigan on Saturday. This game will feature the return of Dusty May to Assembly Hall.

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