On Friday afternoon Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson put out a statement: "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."
While any game following this kind of announcement would create an awkward environment for all involved, there will be a little more to Saturday's game than just any regular Big Ten matchup.
This, of course, is because the Michigan Wolverines are coming to town.
To be more specific, it's because Dusty May's Michigan Wolverines are coming to town with May being one of the most talked about candidates for the soon-to-be-open Indiana head coaching position.
This creates a different kind of buzz surrounding the game, one that is certainly centered around Woodson and his impending departure, but one that is also focused on the former Indiana student manager returning to Assembly Hall.
May was a manger for the legendary Bob Knight from 1996 to 2000, Knight's final four seasons with Indiana. But May has been an Indiana kid since birth.
He was born in Terre Heute, but spent most of his youth living in Green County, Indiana—which borders Monroe County where Bloomington is located.
May is a graduate of Eastern Greene High School, located just under 20 miles southeast of Assembly Hall and a 24 minute drive away from the Indiana campus.
These facts are why many IU fans believe May would love to be the next head coach of the Hoosiers, but his success as a coach is why most would assume he could be Woodson's successor.
Florida Atlantic's run to the 2023 Final Four was what drew so many eyes to May in the first place but, before that, he had an extremely successful run as a top assistant for several programs.
Before taking the FAU job in 2018, May spent time on the staffs at Eastern Michigan, Murray State, UAB, Louisiana Tech and Florida. Despite developing a knack for coaching, that wasn't his desired career path.
It wasn't his desired career path in college, either. May sought to be a high school basketball coach somewhere in the state of Indiana, a position that he felt he would've been prepared for after spending time as a manager at Indiana.
"When I went to Indiana, even for the first year or two I wanted to be a high school basketball coach," May said during his weekly press conference before Michigan's matchups against Oregon and Indiana. "That's why I went there."
May added "I thought if I learn from Coach Knight, if I have Coach Knight on my résumé, I could maybe get one of these high school jobs in my mid-twenties in Indiana. That was my dream."
May's desire to coach in Indiana, even if it was just at the high school level, may point to him being interested in the Hoosiers' head coaching vacancy that will open up at the end of the year, though it'll be tough to poach him away from the Wolverines.
According to May's contract, Michigan would be owed $5 million plus May's entire $1.5 million signing bonus if he decided to leave prior April 1, 2025—a figuring totaling $6.5 million.
If Indiana wants May to man the sidelines in Bloomington in 2025-26, it would have to pay the over $6 million price tag, making things difficult even if Scott Dolson and company believe he is the right man for the job.
Indiana, though, has one of the deepest pockets in the country when it comes to basketball funding, making it possible that it could shell out that kind of cash if it decided May was in fact the answer.
This, of course, brings us to the most burning question in this whole situation: does May want the job?
That's impossible to answer at the moment, but what is clear is that May is doing a terrific job at Michigan and did a terrific job at FAU.
Can he do the same at IU if given the opportunity? Who knows, but what comes first is an enormous matchup between the Hoosiers and the Wolverines, one that could decide the tournament fate of Indiana.
While there's so much noise surrounding both sides, including a Michigan group currently in the thick of a Big Ten title race, May is solely focused at the task at hand.
“It will be cool to walk into Assembly Hall where I’ve spent a lot of time but it is what it is. I’m going there to try to win," May said explaining what his thoughts are before playing his alma mater.
He added, "I’m going there to try to win a freaking basketball game, and that’s it," making it extremely clear that he is attempting to tune out all the outside noise ahead of Saturday's matchup.
While this mentality could make Indiana fans nervous May has no interest in the Indiana program, it might be exactly why he is the right man for the job.
The people of Indiana have yearned for a coach that could bring the level of success of Bob Knight, going through five head coaches in the process, yet none of them have brought the Hoosiers to sustained level of relevance—the same levels seen during the "glory days" of Indiana basketball.
May was born and raised in the Hoosier state, was part of the Indiana program under Knight, and has proven he can win at multiple levels in multiple positions. All those are reasons why he could be the next head man for the five-time National Champions.
For now, though, Indiana welcomes May's Wolverines for a matchup that isn't lacking in storylines.
–––––
Like this content? Join the conversation on TheHoosier.com's premium message boards and subscribe today!
– Follow TheHoosier on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
– Subscribe to TheHoosier on YouTube for more content
– Interact with fellow fans on TheHoosier's Premium Football Board and Premium Hoops Board
