Indiana sticks with Davis
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- The guessing is over for Mike Davis.
The coach who replaced Bob Knight in September finally got the job he
wanted Wednesday when Indiana removed the ``interim'' tag from his title.
The school made Davis sweat through a season, followed by two days of
deliberations and a morning filled with contract negotiations.
``I always thought I'd get the job, from day one,'' Davis said. ``There
were a lot of people I cut off and stopped talking to because I didn't
want to hear the negativity.''
University president Myles Brand said the season revealed Davis' true
character.
``We don't name basketball coaches very often around here, and when we
do, we make sure that we make the right choice,'' he said.
Davis led the Hoosiers to a 23-11 record and a second-place finish in
the Big Ten tournament. They were upset by Kent State in the first round
of the NCAA tournament, fueling speculation that Davis would not become
the permanent coach.
Davis didn't believe it.
``I just felt like if they judged me on that one game, I wouldn't be here,
anyway,'' he said.
Davis got a four-year contract that guarantees him at least $400,000 a year,
the highest base salary for a coach in Indiana history. The salary can grow
if Davis meets performance and academic incentives.
University vice president Terry Clapacs, one of seven members on the
committee that decided Davis' fate, said no other candidates were
contacted.
The 40-year-old Davis, who had been a Hoosiers' assistant coach, took
over the team on Sept. 12, two days after Brand fired the hot-tempered
Knight for violating the school's zero-tolerance behavior policy.
Players on the team threatened to quit if Davis wasn't given the job.
Davis faced a daunting task in the basketball-crazy state.
He was replacing a Hall of Fame coach who was 661-240 with three national
championships in 29 seasons at Indiana. Davis began his first head coaching
job with a team that had only two returning starters, three juniors and
no seniors.
He also had to contend with the interim coach title, which brought on
questions after every game. He found every move questioned, especially
after making a flurry of changes.
The Hoosiers' preseason midnight practice had a different atmosphere
with slam-dunk and 3-point shooting contests and the participation of
the women's team.
Indiana also changed its shoes, going from Converse to Nike and added
the Nike logo to its uniforms.
The changes to Hoosiers tradition might continue next season. Davis
said Wednesday that players' names might appear on the backs of their
jerseys.
``I remember when I played at Alabama and it meant so much to my mom
to have my name on the back of my jersey,'' Davis said. ``So we may do
that, but they have to earn it by working hard in the offseason.''
Clapacs said the NCAA tournament loss did not affect the university's
decision and that the committee believed Davis was the right person to
take the program out of the Knight era.
``This is not your ordinary basketball program,'' Clapacs said. ``The
decision that had to be made was who could lead the program and keep it
that level. The decision ended up being an easy one.''
Knight, close to becoming the new coach at Texas Tech, was fired after
grabbing a freshman to lecture him on manners. Davis said he has not
spoken to Knight since he left Indiana.
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.twbbs.org)
◆ From: 211.75.136.185