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One of the biggest and shocking headlines earlier this year when it came to Indiana men's basketball was the news shortly after last season ended regarding then assistant coach Dane Fife and Indiana parting ways.

For the most part, unless you were in the inner circle, this was an out of nowhere announcement considering that Fife had only been back at Indiana for one total season and there was a thought amongst fans that he was being groomed to be Indiana's next head coach after the Mike Woodson era had came to a close.

While it can be hard for a coach to lose his job, especially in Fife's situation being back at your alma mater where you had success as a player, if you have the experience in basketball that Fife certainly does, it opens up the door for many different opportunities that one can pursue.

Many thought that Fife would instantly be a part of a new coaching staff heading into this season, when speaking to Jim Coyle on Indiana Sports Beat Radio powered by TheHoosier.com however, Fife announced he would be looking to do some television work in the meantime.

“Well I’m trying to get in and do a little TV this year," said Dane Fife. "I’m going to do some games for Oakland (University) and hopefully, potentially some work with Big Ten.

"But ultimately the goal is to get back into coaching, although I have always dreamed of doing some TV if it works out and I can keep doing that, but I think ideally get back into coaching, get back into the college basketball world.”

When a coach is done coaching, whether it be forced or not, it is not rare to see them transition into some sort of TV role on any given station. It is often easy at times for TV stations that cover basketball to look to find a coach or player and slide them in because of the knowledge they would bring to the broadcast.

For the coach or player however, it can often be a difficult transition because not only are they stepping away from the game to an extent, it is a new trade that they have to learn, as well. Fife, like others before him, had to practice this new skill.

“It was nerve-racking because every time I’ve done TV before I’ve had job security," said Fife. "Now, I was potentially looking for a job. And there are so many things to think about too like the techniques, looking at the camera, looking at the moderator, not looking down, not moving too much. There’s a lot of things to think about so I was pretty nervous.”

“I think coaching is in my blood and always has been. "Broadcasting, especially in basketball for me, would still be getting a taste of the game and enjoying the game, being around the coaches, being around the players." That was something I really enjoyed this summer was coaching an AAU team here in Indianapolis...Indy Heat 16 and under but the one thing I really didn’t think I’d miss was the comradery in the Summer with the coaches.”

“One of things I have learned is the human-interest stories. I really enjoy learning about people and so I imagine I’ll be making some phone calls to each team and hopefully be able to get there and see their practice or shootarounds and get to know them a little better.”

When the situation with Indiana and Fife happened, it allowed Fife to actually take a break from the grind of college coaching and try out other things but most importantly spend time with family. With college coaching not taking up so much of Fife's time, it is allowing him to do things like enjoy time with family, game broadcasting, working with the local AAU teams, and even learn other trades.

“Well part of it is the less demand," Fife said. "One of the things I’ve really enjoyed with this time off is you just get a lot more time to be dad, a husband, to really spend time with family. Everybody asks me if I’m playing golf and I say ‘heck no.’ The time with family is just something that I’ve really relished, enjoyed.”

“I’ve really enjoyed learning about other things. For example, I’m going to get certified in insurance and if I get crazy enough during this time, I’m going try to pass the Series 7 Test. I’ve really enjoyed learning things that I really haven’t had a chance to do. I’m not opposed to doing other things either.”

It is an obviously big change in the lifestyle that Fife has been used to and surely will have some bumps along the way. With Fife's passion for basketball however, he should eventually find success in this new life venture at least until the opportunity arises to coach once again.

“Well everybody says be yourself," Fife said. "Trying to be yourself in those conditions (broadcasting) is really difficult because of you’re trying to learn the art of it. It takes time, and eventually all those nuances as a commentator they start to just fall into place which allows someone to hopefully be themselves.”

Fife's first live broadcast will be when Oakland University hosts Defiance on November 7th.

Full video of Dane Fife on on Indiana Sports Beat Radio with Jim Coyle powered by TheHoosier.com below.

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