IU announced Friday men's basketball coach Mike Woodson would be stepping down at the end of this season.
(WTIU / WFIU News)
Indiana University head basketball coach Mike Woodson will step down at the end of this season.
Athletic director Scott Dolson said in a statement Friday afternoon that he met with Woodson on Wednesday and was told Woodson wanted this season to be his last.
“He said it had been weighing on his mind for a while, and that it was an emotional and difficult decision,” Dolson said in the statement. “We have had subsequent thoughtful conversations about his decision and his desire to ensure that the program is in the best position it can be moving forward.”
He said Woodson would address his decision “at an appropriate time.”
Indiana has lost its last four games and six of its last seven.
Fan dissatisfaction of the coach ramped up last month during a 94-69 home loss to Illinois, the team's second straight 25-point loss. Fans began chanting “Fire Woodson” in the first half as the Hoosiers fell behind by more than 20 points. A mass exodus at halftime left the arena mostly empty by the end of the game.
“He said it had been weighing on his mind for a while, and that it was an emotional and difficult decision,” Dolson said. “We have had subsequent thoughtful conversations about his decision and his desire to ensure that the program is in the best position it can be moving forward.”
The Hoosiers are 14-9 overall and 5-7 in the Big Ten this year. They play host to Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
In his three-plus seasons at Indiana, Woodson has a 77-49 record overall and 36-36 in the Big Ten.
He had a little more than two-years left on the six-year contract he signed in 2021. An amendment to the deal in 2023 boosted Woodson’s salary to $4.2 million annually, making him among the highest paid coaches in the Big Ten.
Woodson led Indiana to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons. His best season was 2022-23, when the Hoosiers went 23-12 overall, tied for second in the Big Ten with a 12-8 record, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
But last year, Indiana finished 19-14 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten and failed to make the postseason.
Woodson played at Indiana under coach Bob Knight from 1977-80 and is still the school’s 11th all-time leading scorer. After a lengthy NBA career as a player and coach, Woodson was hired to succeed Archie Miller on March 28, 2021.
“No one loves IU Basketball more than he does,” Dolson said of Woodson. “I want to thank him for coming back to Bloomington and accepting the challenge of rebuilding our program and re-connecting it with its past and its foundation.”
