The Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team has hired Mike Roberts to take the role of the third assistant coach on the program staff. Roberts has been previously with the University of North Carolina Greensboro for the last eight years, since the 2012-2013 season, and coached under the leadership of Wes Miller. The coaching search that had spanned nearly two months since the departure of Ed Schilling has finally come to a conclusion.
“Mike is someone who I think can have a great impact on our program,” said Miller. He has played an important role in establishing a championship culture at UNCG and his love for Indiana basketball is very evident. I think he brings outstanding qualities to every facet of what we were looking for in this position. If you look at his track record, he identifies great people and players who have achieved success in their development. Mike helps them reach their maximum potential which has allowed so many of their players continued opportunities to compete after their graduation.”
Archie Miller in Indiana Athletics Press Release
Requests from Hoosier Nation to get an Indiana-guy on the staff have been fulfilled. Not only has Mike Roberts been a former player with the program, but he understands the differences between the Indiana-of-the-past and the Indiana-of-today. As Archie Miller mentioned, Mike Roberts comes to Indiana with an already established passion for the Hoosiers. Expect that passion to show with this opportunity to coach at his alma mater.
Mike Roberts has been an assistant coach for the Spartans under head coach Wes Miller. As members of the Southern Conference, Mike Roberts has helped rebuild the Division-I program from a struggling position to reaching a 0.500 record and making the NIT in 2017. In 2018, the Spartans reached the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record on the season. Their only losses on the season came from ranked opponents or teams that participated in postseason play.
Source: IndianaHQ
Despite finishing his high school at South Eugene High School in Eugene, Ore., Mike Roberts is a Hoosier at heart. He was born and raised in Terre Haute, Ind. and after high school, he played under Mike Davis from 2001-2005. He was part of Mike Davis’s first season as head coach, and also part of Indiana’s 2002 NCAA runner-up team. Immediately after graduating, he went to work for Bob Knight as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech. In 2006-2007, he was hired at the University of California to be the video coordinator. Cal’s then-head coach Ben Braun promoted Roberts to the staff for two years and brought him to Rice University as an assistant coach in 2008. Roberts would spend years at Rice before ending up at UNCG.
I’m thrilled for the opportunity to come back to my home state and the city of Bloomington and appreciate that Coach Miller would like me to return to be a part of the IU family,” noted Roberts. “Without a doubt, IU was a place that helped shape me and I’m honored to be able to give back to this basketball program and University. I’m excited to work with an outstanding staff and am looking forward to getting to know our players. I am also very grateful to all of the great coaches I was able to work under that helped me develop as a mentor and coach.
New Indiana Assistant Coach Mike Roberts
This announcement comes nearly two months after the departure of Ed Schilling. Despite being one coach short, the Hoosiers have been able to keep the program’s train moving. Indiana has since seen the commitments of the two top in-state players of the 2020 class: Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal. The Hoosiers will keep focusing on development and recruitment with a full complement of coaching staff for the remainder of the off-season.
What’s next for Mike Roberts
The truth is that there is already a pile of work ready for Mike Roberts to tackle. The Hoosiers have been able to cement themselves within the state of Indiana and another Indiana-tied person helps alleviate some of the impact of Ed Schilling not being retained. However, in the 2020 class, the focus will now be on outstanding 2020 recruits that reside outside of the borders.
