Isiah Thomas gives emotional speech at Hoosier Hysteria
Teammates of Indiana head coach Mike Woodson at Indiana from 1979-80, Isiah Thomas returned to Assembly Hall on Saturday to welcome in the new era of Indiana basketball at Hoosiers Hysteria.
The all-time great guard addressed the crowd, already energized and excited, and helped electrify the fans even more.
But, it was his emotional moment that got the crowd even more excited about the Mike Woodson era.
"I remember the last time Mike Woodson took off his jersey," Thomas said. "... I watched (number) 42... I was so hurt that day because I felt I hadn't given enough to bring this man a championship he so deserved at Indiana University on this floor.
"I can still see that vision in my head watching coach (Woodson) take off his jersey. It hurt me so deep that I vowed I would never ever let my teammates or fans down here again at Indiana university. We came back and won a national championship in 1981.
Thomas, a consensus All-American as a sophomore in 1981, knows just as Mike Woodson does, the history, standards and tradition of Indiana basketball.
He knows teams should and need to be playing and competing for Big Ten and National titles.
“He is going to lay a foundation here at Indiana,” Thomas said. “He’s going to talk about winning. He’s going to talk about getting an education.
“They’ll be some ups and downs along the way, and you will have some high's and low's. But what you’re going to be a special part of is saying that you were at school when the journey started. And, hopefully some of you will still be in school when the journey ends. With a national championship.”
Indiana has not made an NCAA Tournament since 2016 and has not reached a Final Four since 2022.
'There is no place better and no better fans in college basketball than Hoosier Nation," Thomas said.
To watch the full video of Thomas' speech, click below.
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