Mike Woodson Biography
Mike Woodson is a basketball player from Indianapolis, Indiana who played for Indiana University. He played forward for the Hoosiers between 1976 and 1980. He was recruited by and played under Bob Knight. The 6’5 forward went on to play for the New York Knicks and other NBA teams during the ’80s and then returned to the NBA to coach in the 90’s till 2018. He was hired by the Indiana Hoosiers as the next basketball coach after Archie Miller on March 28th, 2021.
- Name: Michael Dean Woodson
- Position: Forward
- Nationality: USA
- Age: 66 years old
- Birthday: March 24, 1958
- Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
- High School: Broad Ripple (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Height: 6’5″ (196 cm)
- Weight: 195 lb (88 kg)
- Seasons: 4 (1976-1980)
- Jersey: #42
- Current Team: Indiana University Head Coach
- NBA Draft: 1980 / Round 1, Pick 12 / Pick 12 Overall (New York Knicks)
Player Awards and Accolades
- NBA Champion (2004)
- NIT Tournament Champion (1979)
- Sweet Sixteen (1980)
Mike Woodson High School Career
Mike Woodson was an exceptional basketball player that came out of Indianapolis public schools. During his senior year, he led Broad Ripple High School with 28.6 ppg. He made it to the all-state team as a result and the Indiana All-Star team where he was the leading scorer in the team’s annual battle against the Kentucky High School All-Stars. He also had the opportunity to practice with a large number of talent in the Indianapolis area when he was in high school including George McGinnis, Roger Brown and Rick Mount.
From an early age, he felt the effect of Hoosier Hysteria on the state and desired to play for the Hoosiers under then head coach Bob Knight.
According to Woodson, playing in Indiana meant “you had to be able to pass, and shoot, and dribble, and play without the basketball, you know, the motion offense. That was Indiana basketball. And Bob Knight is the one who really instilled a lot of the fundamentals and how high school coaches taught their teams.”
Mike Woodson
Mike Woodson Seasons with the Hoosiers
16-11 (11-7 Big Ten)
21-8 (12-6 Big Ten)
🏅 NCAA Sweet Sixteen
22-12 (10-8 Big Ten)
🏅 NIT Champions
21-8 (13-5 Big Ten)
🏅 NCAA Sweet Sixteen
Indiana University Career Statistics
(Source: Sports Reference)
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-77 | 27 | – | 212 | 407 | 0.521 | 76 | 96 | 0.792 | 182 | 43 | – | – | – | – | 500 |
| 1977-78 | 29 | – | 242 | 462 | 0.524 | 93 | 121 | 0.769 | 157 | 41 | 34 | 23 | – | – | 577 |
| 1978-79 | 34 | – | 265 | 532 | 0.498 | 184 | 241 | 0.763 | 193 | 100 | 53 | 14 | – | – | 714 |
| 1979-80 | 14 | 490 | 102 | 225 | 0.453 | 66 | 79 | 0.835 | 49 | 36 | 15 | 9 | 34 | – | 270 |
| Career | 104 | 490 | 821 | 1626 | 0.505 | 419 | 537 | 0.780 | 581 | 220 | 102 | 46 | 34 | – | 2061 |
Mike Woodson Indiana University Basketball Career
Mike Woodson adapted quickly to the next level and was a star while at Indiana University. He was a leading scorer during the 1976-77 season where he added 18.5 ppg, which was his lowest average in a season during his college career. During his first year though, Indiana struggled to gain momentum throughout the season and did not make the postseason tournament.
As a sophomore, scored another 520 points and became the second Hoosier in Indiana history two score over 1,000 points in his first two seasons at Indiana. He was also voted to the Indiana and Gator Bowl Classic all-tournament teams. He led Indiana with 19.9 ppg this season.
Indiana struggled again during his junior year and reached fifth place in the Big Ten standings at the conclusion of the season. He did have one of the best performances ever by an Indiana player in the last game of the season. Against No. 1 Illinois, he hit 18-27 FG and 12-14 FT for a 48 point performance to upset the Illini. This allowed Indiana to make the NIT and they won all four games, including against Ohio State and Purdue. Woodson was named to the All-America and All-Big Ten teams with a 21 ppg stat line.
Going into his senior season, he was in line to become Indiana’s all-time leading scorer with an additional 402 points needed and 332 Big Ten points to pass Michael Thompson for the Big Ten all-time scorer. However, he did not reach this mark due to a back injury leading to a herniated disk that required surgery. He missed 15 games and returned to play at Iowa with six games remaining. He scored 18 points in the game back against Iowa and they won. They continued behind impressive performances produced by Woodson and won the Big Ten title. Woodson won the Big Ten MVP even though he only played in six Big Ten games out of 18. He was selected for All-Big Ten and All-America teams as well.
