The four men in charge of the men's basketball team have no idea if they'll have jobs at IU in a year. But they say that doesn't bother them. \nNonetheless, they hope they'll be considered for the job. When Mike Davis was hired as interim head coach, he said he made a conscious decision to hire his staff with the idea that they were going to be with him for more than one season.\n"I wouldn't have stayed if I didn't want to be here next year," Davis said. "And I wouldn't have hired them to come in and work one year for me because they both have families. That's the intent, to be here next year."\nIn a matter of days after former coach Bob Knight was fired, Davis put together a staff filled with collegiate and professional experience. The only introduction necessary was "Julius Smith, this is Dan Panaggio." Everyone else already had either coached with or against each other. \nInterim associate head coach John Treloar, Panaggio and Davis have all spent time coaching in the Continental Basketball Association. Treloar and Davis have been with the IU program for the last three years. And Smith laughs as he remembered how his Tulane team played (and usually won) against Davis' Alabama team when they were both assistant coaches. \nNow, years later, Davis called upon them to help him lead a young, talented team. He surrounded himself with older coaches who bring varied experience but share a common goal -- to remain at IU. In order to do that, the Hoosiers are expected to win.\n"I've been doing this for 20 years and so far the best thing about it is the personalities and the way we get along," Smith said. "I like the fact that we can voice our opinions, disagree and at the same time be agreeable when it's all said and done. \n"So many times in this business, you get coaches and you get egos. Well, I haven't seen that develop. We all have one, but I have not seen it get in our way as far as helping each other out. We're all on the same page, we all want to succeed, and we all want to be the coaches at Indiana for a very long time."
The Continental Connection\nWhen Davis and Treloar began working together in 1990, their roles were somewhat reversed. Treloar was the head coach of the Wichita Falls Texans and Davis was an assistant. The two of them guided a struggling team to its first Western Division title, and for four years, they played against Panaggio's Quad City team.\nWhen the Wichita franchise moved to Chicago in 1994, Davis went with the team, this time as a player. He was 35 years old and hadn't played for five years, but he averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.\nIt was in the CBA where Treloar and Davis first met Panaggio, one of the most successful coaches in the league and a three-time CBA coach of the year. Panaggio spent his last nine seasons as head coach of the Quad City Thunder, where he earned a career record of 313-191. All nine of his teams advanced to the playoffs and the Thunder won the championship in 1994 and 1998.\n Treloar, who spent six seasons as a head coach in the CBA, coached against Panaggio's father, Mauro Panaggio. Entering this season, Dan Panaggio had more career victories than any other active coach. He left the CBA ranking second on the all-time win list behind his father (446). Dan Panaggio spent three seasons as an assistant coach to his father before taking the head coach position.\n Treloar said he has watched the younger Panaggio grow and develop as a coach.\n"He's very good," Treloar said. "For him, he sees this as a tremendous opportunity to be a part of a program with such great tradition."
Back in 'Bama\nDavis and assistant interim coach Smith go back to the days when Davis was a junior playing for the University of Alabama. Smith was helping the coaching staff during Davis' last two years in college and said he's been "crazy about Mike Davis ever since." \n"He was soft-spoken like he is now, hardworking like he is now, and humble, just like he is now," Smith said. "I just took a liking to him. I came back the next year when he was a senior and I really liked the way he played and so I followed Alabama."\nSmith, 46, has the most collegiate coaching experience on the team. He has spent time at James Madison, Mississippi State, West Georgia, and Georgia State. Through recruiting, he helped build Tulane's program over the last decade.\n"I think we've got experience in different ways," Smith said. "Smart people try to bring smarter and wiser people around. That's how they become great. That's one of the things (Davis) has done. I think it's very unique that we all bring something different." \nThis season is Smith's 20th as a collegiate coach and he has worked with seven collegiate basketball programs, including IU. He said he doesn't plan on going anywhere else.\n"I accepted it No. 1 because I'm crazy about Mike Davis," Smith said. "Mike Davis thought enough of me that he thought I could help him. He needed my help. It's IU. It's one of the best jobs in America for a head coach or an assistant. \n"It wasn't too much to think about. I didn't think that I was going to come here and this was going to be a one-year deal. No way was I thinking that."
The Future\nAfter the Athletes In Action game, Davis said he wasn't going to redshirt any players because it wouldn't be fair to them; he's said he's not sure if they'll play for him or someone else next year. \nAnd when he went on his recruiting trips this year, one of the most difficult things to tell the players was that he might not be head coach at IU next year. But junior forward Kirk Haston said the team realizes, in a way, the coaches' futures are in the players' hands. It's an added pressure to win, Haston said, but the team asked for it because they presented Athletics Director Clarence Doninger with an ultimatum: Hire Davis or the team walks.\n"I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't thought about it, but that's something we can take care of during the season," Haston said. "If we play well and we win like I think we can, then nothing's going to change around here, I don\'t think."\nDavis, Treloar, Smith and Panaggio have one season to prove what they're capable of at IU. Earlier in the fall, Davis said the Hoosiers won't win a national championship this year -- the team is too young. There are 11 players, no seniors and five freshmen. But the four coaches know they have to win.\n"Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair," Smith said. "It gives you something to do, but it doesn't take you anywhere. A reality of this thing is we do have to win basketball games. I understand that. \n"I also understand I'm surrounded by some very good coaches and a dynamite head coach. So I'm betting on these guys to do a heck of a job coaching. These guys are going to win and we'll be fine"
