Indiana head coach Mike Woodson has yet to coach a second of college basketball but has created more buzz around the program than has been there in much of the past decade.
The Hoosiers are coming off of a season in which they went 12-15 and reached a fifth straight year of no postseason berth.
Despite the buzz, Mike Woodson knows there is a lot to learn and a lot of work that needs to be done before putting a winning product on the floor.
"Everyone on the team is trying to get a feel for me as a coach and what I want to do on the floor," Woodson told Andy Katz on the March Madness 365 Podcast. "All I can say is they are working hard and doing all that I am asking them to do. I'm trying to do everything I can to get this team in the best position to win... We still have a long way to go as a ball club but we are heading in the right direction."
Indiana added five new players from the roster last year. Xavier Johnson, Miller Kopp and Michael Durr all come from the transfer portal and Tamar Bates and Logan Duncomb were the two recruits in the 2021 class. In addition, Parker Stewart - who transferred mid-year in 2020 - will be eligible this season as well.
Because of a lot of the new pieces and returning eight players who saw action last year, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the rotation for IU. There are also a lot of different skillsets on the roster from a season ago.
"We are trying to play faster, no doubt about that. But I'm not going to play fast and throw the ball all over the gym either," Woodson said. "You can play great offensive and play fast but you have to execute. This team, last year they weren't a great team offensively and getting the ball where it needed to go and I'm just seeing some difference in how we are approaching it now... I'm just trying to push them in the right direction. Turnovers are a problem for me. Defense and rebounding are problems for me."
Because of Indiana's international trip to the Bahamas this week, it allowed IU to participate in 10 extra practices. Those practices will be invaluable for Woodson and the rest of the Indiana roster.
Playing against a professional roster in BC Mega also will give Mike Woodson a lot of valuable information about where his team is.
"I'm looking to see if I can play 10 guys. A 10 guy rotation, two units. I've been kinda rotating players in and out on different teams to see different combinations to see if it works," Woodson said. "I'm not saying it's going to happen but I want everyone to understand they are part of it... the second unit is just as important as the first unit. Someone gets hurt and it's next man up... I have to get a feel of who can do what when the lights are turned on. I'm anxious, I'm excited to get to the Bahamas.
"You are trying to put a ball club together and there are a lot of things that come into play. And we have been working at it for the last month and a half and guys have been going after it, going hard so this will be a nice trip for our guys who have been going after it in practice. So I'm excited to see where we are as a ball club... gives us another chance to get ahead."
Indiana will get a lot of good feedback in the two games it plays in the Bahamas. While Woodson likes where the roster is at the current moment, he knows there is a long way to go to get to where he wants.
For this season, he has high expectations and knows what it will take to get there.
"I'll never sell a team on you can't. That's not my nature... You have to push them to win the Big Ten Title. I'm not coaching for anything else... get in tournament play, that's what it's all about. Im going to keep preaching that until it happens."
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