Mike Woodson, Indiana’s newly appointed head basketball coach, has made his standards blatantly clear.
He’s done so by starting a new tradition for the team every day before practice. The players huddle together and crane their necks to look at the rafters. First at the 22 Big Ten titles. Then at the five national championships.
“That’s our goal,” Woodson will say.
This serves as a metaphorical statement as much as daily motivation. Part of the reason IU athletic director Scott Dolson hired Woodson was to connect Indiana’s past to its present. And Woodson, who played for four years at Indiana under legendary coach Bob Knight, is trying to bridge that gap.