It's Davis: Officials say he earned it

Mike Davis wondered if he was walking out of Assembly Hall for the last time as IU's men's basketball coach following IU's victory over Minnesota Feb. 28.\nBut he was there again Wednesday when IU President Myles Brand removed the interim label from Davis' title and announced Davis' four-year contract worth at least $400,000 per year. \n"For the next four years, I plan on taking this basketball program to the next level," Davis said. "I look forward to bringing a lot of great players here and having a lot of great memories."\nBrand called Wednesday a "very important day in the history of IU basketball."\nA seven-member selection committee met Monday to determine whether Davis should be hired full-time, or if the committee should start a national search, said IU Vice President for Administration Terry Clapacs. \n"This is not your ordinary basketball program," Clapacs said. "The decision that had to be made was who could keep the program at that level. The decision ended up being an easy one."\nClapacs and incoming athletics director Michael McNeely said nobody else was considered for the position, including Iowa coach Steve Alford, who started for IU from 1984-87. \n"We did not do a full search," Clapacs said. "We spent the year looking at the program. Early on they struggled, but as the season moved on, they started playing better and we realized that we have somebody who can coach at this level."\nThe committee also talked informally Tuesday, and again Wednesday morning to hammer out the details of Davis' contract. Davis can also receive income for speaking engagements, endorsements and other private sources. \n"If the team GPA is higher than the all-campus average, he's paid a bonus," Clapacs said. "If the team gets to the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, Championship, he gets bonuses. It's not an accident he doesn't get a bonus for getting into the tourney, or winning the first and second games, because that's what we expect at IU."\nThe announcement ended four days of waiting for Davis, his family and assistant coaches.\n"I'm very relieved with this announcement," said Mike Davis Jr., a sophomore at Perry Meridian High School. "I was uncertain when people kept saying Alford."\nAssistant coach Dan Panaggio said he felt the pressure to succeed at IU during the past season.\n"It's been an interesting ride because of the magnitude of concern for IU basketball throughout the state," Panaggio said. "It's the only place that I know of where truck drivers talk basketball. Usually they talk NASCAR or whatever, but these guys talk about basketball."\nDavis took over the program when Brand fired Bob Knight Sept. 10 for violating a zero-tolerance policy. Knight was scheduled to earn $139,072 for the 2000-2001 fiscal year.\nDavis, the first black head coach of any sport in IU's history, then guided the Hoosiers to a 21-13 record this season, good enough for fourth place in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers reached the finals of the Big Ten tournament and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Davis said that's not good enough.\n"We got a No. 4 seed this year and everybody was excited," Davis said. "But that's not Indiana basketball. IU basketball should be a No. 1 or 2 seed every year.\n"I want to take this program to highest level. Our guys proved we can win games. We have to get stronger as a team. They have a commitment to the weight room starting after the Final Four"