Davis faces pressure in 5th season as Hoosier head man

Coming into his fifth season as head coach of the men's basketball team, IU coach Mike Davis has his work cut out for him.\nNot only are some IU fans still bitter at the firing of former coach Bob Knight by former IU and current NCAA president Myles Brand, but last season's 14-15 record and a missed trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 seasons, just added salt to their wounds.\nBut, Davis' elder players disagree and promise improvement.\n"It's a very big year," senior Ryan Tapak said. "One thing you got to realize is that coach Davis is still a pretty young coach. I think this is going to be a big year for the team, big year for coach Davis and I think everything is going to work out. I mean, people might talk about how his job is in jeopardy and stuff like that, well it's not going to be in jeopardy after the year we're going to have."\nWhen asked at Media Day if he was the same coach as last year, Davis said he has more wisdom and knowledge a year later.\n"Last year I was 43 when I sat in this char," Davis said. "I'm 44 now. Last year is gone. All we can focus on is this year. I really like this basketball team."\nThree years after taking his second team as head coach to the Final Four, Davis appeared to hit rock bottom last season. But with a recruiting class featuring Robert Vaden and fellow Alabama native D.J. White, who Davis has known since White was in eighth grade, the electricity of 2002 is beginning to fill the air of Bloomington once again.\n"Well, first of all we are excited about the season," Davis said. "We are excited -- especially coming off a year like last year. We will have to put that behind us. We do have a lot new faces out there and we have new coaches on the staff."\nIn 2002, Davis secured a six-year contract securing him as the IU coach through the 2007-08 season. \nWith that security, Davis' ability to recruit strengthened. \nYear in and year out, Davis has been able to recruit some of the nation's best, starting with the 2002-03 freshman class, which featured juniors Bracey Wright, Marshall Strickland and Roderick Wilmont. He followed up that class with the addition of Pat Ewing Jr. in 2003-04. But Davis secured his name as a top-recruiter this past off season, with the signings of what once was the nation's top recruiting class. But the defection of prep star and current Atlanta Hawk Josh Smith to the NBA, and Robert Rothbart leaving for professional basketball in Europe still left the Hoosiers with some of the top-ranked players in the country. And once again, Davis and his staff are in the spotlight of the recruiting trail, signing the likes of Arizona prep hoopster Joey Shaw, Indianapolis native DeOnta Vaughn and Australian big man Ben Allen. \nWith three years of strong recruiting classes, Davis is looking to get off the hot seat this season. Tapak said he has faith in his coach.\n"He got us to the Final Four in 2002," he said. "So, you know he's got the potential, he's got the ability and he knows what he's talking about. Except, maybe we had some guys who didn't buy into what he was saying, and what happens is that you have a 14-15 year."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.