Indiana men’s basketball: Staff breakdown

In college basketball, head coaches frequently receive the most recognition, but other staff members and assistants also deserve recognition.

It’s no secret that effective program assistants can make a big difference. Due to staff changes, John Calipari’s Kentucky has appeared disoriented for the past few years. Juwan Howard at Michigan has benefited greatly from Phil Martelli, who has already defeated Tom Izzo in his role as temporary head coach.

In order to let you know the names, roles, and contributions of the other Indiana bench players to the Hoosiers, we’re blogging about them.

The Assistants

There can be up to three staff assistants for each program. The firing of Dane Fife after the first year and the internal promotion of Brian Walsh afterward caused some instability in Mike Woodson’s early years.

Kenya Hunter and Yasir Rosemond, the other two, have been consistent performers. Woodson understands the importance of a good coach having worked for many years as an assistant in the NBA under coaches like Doc Rivers and Larry Brown.

With their designations as associate head coaches prior to the previous season, Hunter and Rosemond were given a slight advancement.

Associate Head Coach Kenya Hunter

Having been hired in the offseason before Archie Miller’s firing in 2021, Hunter has the distinction of being the only full-time assistant holdover from Miller’s Indiana staff. Prior to that, he made stops at his alma mater, Duquesne, Xavier, Nebraska, UConn, and Georgetown.

He worked for North Carolina State as the Director of Basketball Operations.

Although he played point guard for four years at Duquesne, he is best known for his work coaching big men in college. Akok Akok, Terran Petteway, Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe, Otto Porter, and, of course, Trayce Jackson-Davis are among the athletes that Hunter has coached.

He assumed the lead in Indiana and UConn recruiting duties for two big players. It was Jalen Hood-Schifino, the current Los Angeles Laker, for the Hoosiers. For the Huskies? Fellow 2023 draftee and NCAA Champion Jordan Hawkins.

His presence was and remains vital for Mike Woodson as he adjusts to the college game. Hunter has seen and coached basketball played in the Big East, ACC and Big Ten.

Associate Head Coach Yasir Rosemond

In 2021, Rosemond was one of two full-time assistants hired after Woodson. He had previously served as Avery Johnson’s assistant at Alabama.

His other stops are Samford, Seattle, Georgia, and Oregon (his alma mater). His hometown is in the Atlanta region. Aaron Brooks, Herbert Jones, Kira Lewis Jr., and Collin Sexton are among the athletes that Rosemond has coached.

Being the primary recruiter for current Hoosiers Kaleb Banks and Jakai Newton, he enjoys a solid reputation, especially in the peach state. Additionally, he helped Indiana acquire Kel’el Ware during the previous offseason.

Rosemond is a man to keep an eye on because he might be considered for head coaching positions in mid-major leagues; there was some interest in him this past offseason.

Assistant Coach Brian Walsh

Walsh’s tenure and promotion have already been covered in more detail, but he is beginning to establish a solid reputation as a recruiter. He played a key role in Indiana acquiring five-star Liam McNeeley, and he has been frequently observed on the recruiting trail.

Indiana may have a bright future employee; it’s important to keep an eye on them.

 

The Staff

In the last few years, Woodson has changed his staff a number of times, adding fans’ favorite players as well as people he knew during his time in the NBA.

Let’s review a few of them:

Director of Basketball Administration Armond Hill

Prior to Woodson’s first year leading the program, Hill was hired in an administrative capacity. For several years, the two were coworkers on the Los Angeles Clippers staff.

 

Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher’s beef was the nastiest we’ve ever seen from college football coaches

He was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame and is originally from Brooklyn. He was the Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton, where he played and graduated.

After finishing his playing career and working as an assistant at his alma mater, Hill joined the NBA and won an NBA title in 2008 while collaborating with Doc Rivers with the Celtics and Clippers.

Director of Player Development Calbert Cheaney

This past offseason, Cheaney—the all-time leading scorer for both Indiana and the Big Ten—was appointed director of player development for the state. He had served in a similar capacity during the Tom Crean era before.

He had worked in player development for the Pacers and in various assistant capacities in the NBA G-League during the preceding few years. He had previously held front office and assistant coaching positions with the Warriors.

In addition, Cheaney spent several years as an assistant at St. Louis after joining the Indiana staff for the first time.

Team and Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls

Hulls is entering year two in his first post-playing career move with Indiana.

He’d spent the previous few years playing professionally before returning home, literally. Hulls is from Bloomington where he starred as Mr. Basketball for Bloomington South en route to an undefeated state title season.