Indiana makes surprising change to basketball coaching staff

Indiana made a surprising change to its coaching staff on Wednesday.

Hoosiers basketball coach Mike Woodson announced assistant coach Dane Fife won’t return to his staff next season. Fife spent the previous 10 years at Michigan State before returning to his alma mater this past season under Woodson, who just wrapped up his first season as Indiana’s head coach.

“I am committed to doing what I believe is best for the continued growth of our men’s basketball program as we collectively work toward returning it to the upper echelon of college basketball,” Woodson said in a statement. “Sometimes, that commitment can result in some very difficult decisions, and that is the case today.

“Ultimately, I believe that the fit must be right with a coaching staff, and I’ve decided that a change is necessary. I appreciate everything Dane has done as a member of the staff during the last year and as [a] player for our program. He will always be a part of the Hoosier family and I wish him well in his future pursuits.”

More on Dane Fife, Indiana

Fife played at Indiana from 1998 to 2002 and helped the Hoosiers to the 2002 national championship, where they lost to Maryland. After graduation, he played a season in the International Basketball League before the Hoosiers brought him on board as a graduate assistant from 2003-05. He then became the head coach at Purdue Fort Wayne from 2005 to 2011 and amassed an 82-97 overall record as Mastodons coach. After the 2011 season, he headed to Michigan State as associate head coach under Tom Izzo.

Fife remained in that role until 2021 when Woodson took his first college head coaching job at Indiana. This year, the Hoosiers finished 21-14 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play to earn their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. They fell to Saint Mary’s 82-53 in the first round on March 17.