New Indiana coach Mike Woodson is bringing a particularly Hoosiers flavor to his new staff in the wake of recruiting previous star Dane Fife as associate head coach Monday.
Fife spent the keep going 10 seasons dealing with Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State, the last three as associate head coach.
Yet, Fife played in Bob Knight’s final team and aided lead Indiana to the 2002 national championship game, the Hoosiers’ latest Final Four appearance. Subsequent to graduating, he served two seasons as an administrative assistant for then-Hoosiers coach Mike Davis.
“Dane is someone who I have always had the utmost respect for,” Woodson said in a statement. “His knowledge of the Big Ten and his success as a recruiter will be an invaluable asset as we look to continue building a staff that will help elevate this program to the highest levels. I know his love for the Hoosiers and this university comes across the moment you talk to him.”
In 2005, Fife became the youngest head coach in Division I men’s basketball when he took the IPFW job – a title he held for the initial five seasons he was there. Fife went 82-97 in six seasons at IPFW, which is currently known as Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Fife was named the Big Ten’s co-defensive player of the year as a senior and holds the school record for takes (180). His shooting percentage (47.8%) in 2001-02 ranks 6th on the program’s single-season list and he won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball Award in 1998.