Big Ten offers opportunities for qualified Black coaches

Mike Woodson (Indiana) is one of three Big Ten men’s basketball head coaches who are coaching at the same school they once played at as student-athletes, joining Ben Johnson (Minnesota) and Juwan Howard (Michigan). These three, along with Penn State’s Micah Shrewsberry, are the conference’s only Black head basketball coaches.

Historically, IU has hired two Black men’s basketball coaches—Mike Davis (2000-2006) and Woodson, who was hired in the 2021-22 season.

“I’ve heard this same argument and voiced my opinion for years in the NBA,” responded Woodson when asked about the low number of Black head coaches in college basketball. “There are a lot of great minority coaches that can coach if given the opportunity,” said Woodson, who coached in the NBA for over a decade, beginning in 1996.

“If you qualify, you should get an opportunity if somebody’s willing to give you that opportunity,” he pointed out. “I think that’s what’s happening in the Big Ten.”

Woodson returned to Bloomington in 2021, and his Hoosiers improved their win total by nine from the season before, led the Big Ten in defense, in field goal percentage, and in field goal defense; and they were second in blocked shots. The team also reached the conference semifinals for the first time since 2003.

“I thought last season we made a major step,” recalled Woodson, who added that he loves the college game despite being away from it for almost two decades as an NBA player, assistant coach and head coach.

“I signed up for this,” he continued, “so I’m lucky to push these guys to the max and see what happens. I get a lot of opportunities to teach and prepare. It’s what we like to do as coaches. I spent 34 years of my life in the NBA, and coming down to college, I’m trying to figure it out.”

During the conference media days in Minneapolis last fall, Woodson told reporters, including the MSR, just how he got into coaching in the first place. When he retired from playing in the NBA in 1991, Woodson said he looked forward to life without hoops.

“Cotton Fitzsimmons bamboozled me,” he said of the late coach, smiling as he remembered the life-changing incident. “He bamboozled me to come out to Phoenix and be his assistant in the pre-draft camp they had out in Arizona. He said we can play golf every day, and so I’m on the first plane.

“I get out there and we go to our first practice,” said Woodson, “and he’s putting in some stuff, and then after about 30 minutes, he says ‘Hey Woody, I’m going to play golf.’ I played 11 years and didn’t know a damn thing about coaching, and he left and went to play golf.

“That’s how I started,” said Woodson with a smile. “I’ve been chasing it every single day.”

Top 10 Black women’s basketball coaches

Throughout February, the Black Coaches Association (BCA) has been honoring current and former Black coaches. The group recently listed its top 10 Black women’s head basketball coaches, led by South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, and followed in order by Kara Lawson (Duke); Alex Simmons (Gardner Webb); Niele Ivey (Notre Dame); Kenny Brooks (VA Tech); Larry Vickers (Norfolk State); Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Ole Miss); Adia Barnes (Arizona); Billi Chambers (Iona); and Tanya Warren (Northern Iowa).