Mike Woodson shares insight into approach Indiana basketball took this offseason

It’s no secret that Mike Woodson and Indiana basketball took a big step backward last season. After reaching the tournament in his first two seasons as head coach, Indiana basketball did not even find themselves on the bubble after the 2023-24 regular season.

With his seat warming and fans growing restless, Woodson knew this offseason and transfer portal was critical. Woodson rebuilt the roster with a ton of talent and gave fans some excitement heading into the 2024-25 season. 

During an interview with WANE’s Glenn Marini at a Boys and Girls Club event in Fort Wayne, Woodson shared some insight into the approach he and his staff took this offseason.

“[It took] a lot of work. We graduated three seniors and then we had three players that went into the portal so we had to start all over again,” Woodson said. 

Filling six open roster spots is no easy task, but the roster turnover allowed Woodson and his staff to bring in players that fit the mold of how they want to play next year. 

Woodson was able to fill his rosters with players that filled the needs and covered the weaknesses of last year’s team. When looking at the 2023-24 team as a whole, the weaknesses were clear. Indiana struggled to shoot the ball from range, they struggled to rebound, and they lacked players who could create shots off the dribble. When looking at the transfer class Woodson recruited, he checked off all of those boxes. 

“We started as soon as the portal opened up we put a list of guys that we wanted to go after. A lot of the guys were top guys like [Oumar] Ballo, Myles Rice, Kanaan Carlyle, and [Luke] Goode. Then we were able to bring in the freshman Bryson Tucker who I truly like a lot as well,” Woodson said.

Luke Goode who shot 38.9% from three last season helps fill the need of a perimeter shooting threat. While Myles Rice (27.5%) and Kaanan Carlyle’s (32.0%) percentages were not the best as freshmen, they also can shoot the ball from range. 

RELATED: One question facing all 12 Indiana basketball players entering the summer

The biggest needs Rice and Carlyle fill are as shot creators. They both have shown the ability to create and score off the dribble which is something Indiana did not have a season ago. 

Ballo helps address the rebounding problem, but in addition to his ability to rebound, he can block shots and score the ball inside the paint.

Mike Woodson used an old trick from his NBA days to help Indiana basketball

“We sat down at the end and I kind of treated it like I was when I was back in the NBA,” Added Woodson last month at a fundraising event.. “I make our guys rank the top-10 players at their position. Then I make the decision on who I’m going to go get. If it’s the best player, then we got to give it a shot because all they could do is tell us no.”

With this highly-ranked transfer class, the expectations surrounding the program are as high as they’ve been under Woodson.

“[Expectations] always are high and they should be. I mean as a coach, I think when we coach we always go into a season with wonderful expectations and things have got to play right and got to stay away from injuries,” Woodson said. “I think we’re deep enough now. We just got to put a nice system in place and get these guys familiar with one another and get them comfortable playing in an Indiana uniform and we’ll see what happens.”

Woodson has started the process of integrating his team and building chemistry through summer workouts. We’ve seen pictures on social media of the team fishing together as recently as last week.

The offseason success that Woodson and Indiana basketball have had has firmly placed them into the top 25 of most preseason rankings ahead of the season. Despite the new look roster, expectations are sky high for the 2024-25 season, but all the hype and praise won’t matter the second they step onto the floor in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the first time in front of the Indiana faithful.

SEE ALSO: Indiana Basketball Mailbag: Offseason takeaways ahead of a season full of expectations

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