Doyel: IU basketball needs Buzz Williams but will hire Mick Cronin? Mailbagg™ says: Maybe!

Posted by author February 20, 2025 Basketball

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Indiana basketball should hire Buzz Williams – no, IU basketball will hire Mick Cronin.

Both sentences can be true, or at least an accurate reflection of one person’s feelings – me, I’m saying. Both sentences are coming from me.

Days after IU announced the retirement of Mike Woodson at the end of the season, I shot my shot on which coach the Hoosiers ought to hire. Caveat: Brad Stevens isn’t coming. Neither, I don’t think, is Dusty May. Given that, who should they hire? Buzz Williams of Texas A&M. I wrote it. You had thoughts.

A few days later UCLA visited Assembly Hall, and the Bruins are coached by the person I think is most likely to end up replacing Woodson: Mick Cronin. I wrote it. You had thoughts.

Let’s get to it. It’s the Mailbagg™, featuring members of my IndyStar text group. It’s free for subscribers, I don’t pester your phone much, and you can sign up at the link below any of my columns. Get to it! And then get back here, for this text from Tim B.

Doyel: IU, Mike Woodson had to part ways. As usual, Woodson was the last to know.

IU basketball hiring Buzz Williams?

From: Tim B.

Buzz would be great, but I think you’re incorrect about one point. While you and I would never be comfortable with Chris Beard, Bruce Pearl, Scott Drew or Nate Oats, the overwhelming majority of IU diehards would have zero problem with it. I grew up with these people – I know them. They wouldn’t think twice about hiring Chris Beard.

I hear you Tim, and from what I can gather on social media and elsewhere, you’re correct about (some) IU diehards wanting a winner at almost any cost. That’s discouraging, but I come bearing good news:

There’s a difference between “what IU fans want” and “what the school wants.”

The school isn’t hiring any of those jerks. I can’t be any more clear.

From: John B.

You sold me on Buzz Williams. Now let’s see if the Powers That Be are listening.

Listen, let me be clear: I don’t think my column, my opinion, my ANYTHING – not even my pretty green eyes – will have an impact on the search. Nor should it. A good way for IU athletic director Scott Dolson to get fired is to let a sports writer, even one who is this insightful and deceptively handsome, have a say.

But the case for Buzz is compelling, isn’t it Scott?

Sorry. I meant John. The case is compelling – isn’t it, John?

From: Mike T.

IU could do a lot worse than Buzz Williams … which makes me think it won’t be Buzz Williams.

This is such a prickly time to make this hire. Some of the best candidates, on the court, are the aforementioned jerks: Drew, Beard, Oats, Pearl. But untethered to the IU family tree, Dolson will be free to pursue anyone he wants. The question: Does he hire a known winner, with a somewhat known ceiling – like Buzz or Cronin – or does he swing for the fences on Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger or Drake’s Ben McCollum? They have unknown ceilings, but potentially a much lower floor. Who knows?

Doyel: Indiana needs a big-time winner with integrity. IU needs Buzz Williams

IU basketball hiring Mick Cronin?

From: Me to the group

Brad Stevens isn’t coming to IU. Dusty May isn’t leaving Michigan. I like Buzz Williams, but if I had to bet money on the Hoosiers’ next coach, I’d bet on the guy who beat them last night at Assembly Hall: UCLA’s Mick Cronin.

That was my text to the group, sharing my column from UCLA’s 72-68 win at IU. I share columns first with the group. A membership perk! Anyway, this happened.

From: Dr. Ben

I thought we just celebrated Valentine’s Day, not April Fools’ Day. I watched Cronin for years while he was at UC. How’s he an upgrade? Short answer – he’s not.

Doc? Cronin has averaged 25 wins a year for the last 14 years, and reached the 2021 Final Four. How is he NOT an upgrade?

From: Dr. Ben

“The sure-thing resume of Cronin”???

This is the same coach that coached UC, correct? The same coach that was “let go mutually” by UC. The, same coach that wasn’t the first, second or third choice for UCLA. This has to be an April Fools’ joke.

Ben? He wasn’t let go by Cincinnati. He left for the UCLA job. And being the first choice is overrated. First-choice coaches fail all the time. So do second- and third-choice coaches. Again: He averaged 25 wins from 2011-24, and is heading there again this season.

From: Scott C.

Is the IU job coveted nationally? I get the sense that fans assume every coach in the country is just waiting for this opportunity, but the coaches are more like, “Meh, I’m good.”

That’s the question. It’s not as coveted as, say, Duke or UNC would be. Probably not as coveted as Kentucky, though now we’re veering into IU territory, which is to say: A school with a great (if generally older) tradition and an enormous, LOUD fan base that will fire up some prospective candidates … and scare away others. And I would understand both sides.

My guess? Some coaches – Oats, for one – would use the threat of IU to get more money out of their current school. But Beard wants the job. So does Pearl. Drew isn’t leaving the state of Texas. His family loves it there too much.

From: Mark P.

Steve Alford’s name has not come up once among all the search candidates. Any idea why?

Because he’d fail.

From: Becky M.

Just curious why you think a coach would want to leave UCLA – which certainly has a storied program history, but quite long ago – for another program with a less storied history from quite a while back as well?

On the one hand, sure, I get this question.

On the other hand: Cronin has chosen to use news conferences to make clear he doesn’t like his roster (which he recruited) or his travel situation as a West Coast school in a conference largely based in the central and eastern time zones. Cronin seems to want out. And he’s a Midwest guy. Do the math.

Doyel: This wasn’t just UCLA edging IU. It was Mick Cronin’s job audition at Assembly Hall

Siri makes her Mailbagg™ debut

From: Me to the group

Good morning folks. Two things:

One, I’m writing now about the IU job: Who would take it – who would not – and who IU should hire. I have a name. It’s slightly outside the box, and to do this, I’ll have to explain why “name” candidates inside the box won’t get this job.

Names like Nate Oats, Bruce Pearl, Scott Drew, Chris Beard.

Not. Gonna. Happen.

Clearly Mailbagg™ is not written here in chronological order, because I sent this note before the Buzz Williams column.

From: Steve K.

I’m on the road, and Siri just read your text to me. You would’ve loved how she emphasized the ‘Not. Gonna. Happen.’ portion of your text. It’s exactly how I think you’d want her to do it.

If there’s ever a movie about me, I want Siri to play me! Wait that’s not right.

From: David B.

What accent would you like Siri to have? I suggest British so I can remember you at the level of James Bond – Sean Connery edition, of course.

I’d like Dustin Hoffman from Rain Man, if possible:

Of course I’m a very good columnist. A very GOOD columnist.

On Purdue, Pacers, Notre Dame

From: Tom M.

Mason Gillis’s presence is missed at Purdue.

Tom wrote this after my column on Purdue’s home loss to Wisconsin. It’s an excellent point. Purdue wasn’t tough enough against the Badgers. This roster needs a backup point guard, too. Braden Smith has too much on his shoulders, but there’s no other option in high-leverage situations. And that entire game was stressful.

From: Wendell C.

Greg Gard. Quietly effective. Great first name.

I suspect Gard and Painter are buddies. Very similar. Humble. Quietly effective. And unlike Gard – Greg, seriously? – Matt knows how to add a double letter to that first name.

Doyel: Here lies Purdue’s defense, which died Saturday at against Wisconsin

From: Courtey B.

The whining at the Pacers game today did seem uncharacteristic, and it was super frustrating seeing Josh Hart and Landry Shamet getting easy buckets on simple cuts, but I’m not concerned. This is what, their sixth loss in 2025?

You make a good point, Courtney. Maybe I did overreact to the Pacers’ loss to the Knicks.

From: Katie C.

The whining and flopping across the board is making the game tough to watch. Yes, Jalen Brunson was leading and KAT was scoring, but it was just boring. No excitement.

You make a good point, Katie. I wasn’t overreacting at all to the Pacers’ loss to the Knicks. As I was writing it, by the way, a Pacers official saw me in the press room and said:

“It’s just one game, Gregg.”

I responded: “But it’s the only game I’m writing about tonight.”

From: Joel S.

Telling Notre Dame fans not to come back when they start winning is like telling migratory birds not to fly South for the winter. It’s just what they do. I’m not a fan of birds – OK, I hate those “sky rats” – and I’m not a big fan of fair-weather fans either.

Sky rats, Joel? Birds are beautiful.

Sky rats?

Doyel on The Rant: Micah Shrewsberry has his meme. Will he convince Notre Dame fans?

Not printing these

From: JW3

One of the things I like about you is you’re crazy. The other is you love dogs.

Not printing your first sentence. Love the second though.

From: Sid B.

I like that you always lead your columns with the facts, and build from there based only on the facts – even if painful. No excuses. That’s why as a reader I never feel like you’re insulting my intelligence. I feel like that’s why you have such a large text group. You’re always on the level with your readers.

Sky rats? I can’t even—

Sorry, Sid. Were you saying something?

Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar.

More: Join the text conversation with sports columnist Gregg Doyel for insights, reader questions and Doyel’s peeks behind the curtain.