Indiana coach Mike Woodson will step down at season’s end, vice president and athletic director Scott Dolson confirmed in a statement Friday.
News broke Thursday that the sides had begun to discuss parting ways as Woodson winds down his fourth season on the job.
“During a meeting with Coach Woodson on Wednesday, he informed me he wanted to step down as our program’s head coach at the end of the current season,” Dolson wrote. “He said it had been weighing on his mind for a while, and that it was an emotional and difficult decision. 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.
“At an appropriate time, Coach Woodson will articulate his feelings about his decision and his experiences these last four years.”
That time figures to be Saturday after the Hoosiers host No. 24 Michigan, which is coached by Indiana alum Dusty May.
“It’s clear to me from our discussions in the last several days that his No. 1 priority is for the attention to be off him, and instead focused on uniting Hoosier Nation in support of our student-athletes, coaches, and, most importantly, the program,” Dolson said. “We still have much to play for this season as we prepare for Saturday’s game against Michigan and the remainder of the 2024-25 season, and we want to encourage Hoosier fans to rally around the program and support it in the same positive way that Hoosier fans did during Mike’s All-America and Big Ten MVP playing career.”
Woodson played for Bobby Knight at Indiana from 1976-80 and ranks sixth on the school’s career points list with 2,061. He averaged 19.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 104 games.
Indiana is 14-9 (5-7 Big Ten) and not out of the running for the NCAA Tournament yet, but the Hoosiers have been in a downward spiral with a 1-6 record in their past seven games.
Woodson owns a 77-49 record in three-plus seasons with Indiana. He guided the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first two seasons and won a game in both bids.
Dolson went on to call Woodson a “class act” who helped Indiana evolve in the changing college sports landscape.
“No one loves IU Basketball more than he does,” Dolson said. “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.”
–Field Level Media
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