The IUPUI men’s basketball program has an opening for a new head coach and, as expected, it has drawn plenty of interest. The program is seeking its next leader to help a struggling program become a consistent winner.
The Jaguars compiled a 26-70 record over the last three seasons. This past year, they went 6-26, including a 1-13 mark in the Summit League. It’s worth noting, however, that they were decimated by injuries.
In addition to being a Division I school, the job is attractive because in another year, their home will become the Pepsi Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. A renovation, costing an estimated $63 million, is scheduled to be completed next summer. That’s a game changer, particularly in recruiting, as they’ll play at a respectable facility. They’ll move from a 1,215-seat gym at ‘The Jungle’ to one that seats about 8,200.
The deadline to apply was Thursday, March 20th, according to a coach who has submitted his resume.
Carlos Knox has been active part of the basketball community in Indianapolis over the last decade. An IUPUI grad himself, Knox remains the school’s all-time leading scorer and he’s in their Hall of Fame. He played overseas before injuries forced him to call it a career.
Read my Q & A with Knox about his interest in the IUPUI job below:
Why is this a job you wanted to pursue?
“First of all, with me being a player there and working closely with the staff and a lot of the people that are involved with IUPUI basketball, it’s just a lot of people that really look forward to having me around. There are relationships that have been built over the years and they are very important because the guy that comes in next, will have to be a person, in my opinion, that can really relate to not only the players, but everyone within the organization. You have to really be involved and be of IUPUI to understand it.”
How will utilizing a renovated Pepsi Coliseum affect the program, particularly in recruiting?
“Well, I think it’ll be a huge help because the gym that they use now isn’t very big and it isn’t very attractive for student-athletes coming on visit. When you look at going into an arena that seats over 8,000 and is really personalized at IUPUI’s home, I think that’ll provide a huge lift when it comes to recruiting. Then, with the inner-city and the Indianapolis community, I think it’ll be easier target to go in and really recruit some of those guys that are from around here, knowing that they’ll have a beautiful place to play in.”
IUPUI basketball is something you really want the Indianapolis community to get involved with and embrace, is it not?
“The most people I’ve ever seen in The Jungle was when we had the Pro Am there. I’ve never seen it that packed in there. I just think if I was the coach, with my record there and some of the things that I do in the community and the relationships and connections that I have, I know that it’ll be very helpful for our program to be supported by several different people from the community like the Pacers and Fever. I envision our program taking off because of our program being supported tremendously by businesses and the community. Two of my biggest supporters are George Hill and (Denver Nuggets head coach) Brian Shaw. They would be behind the Carlos Knox Era and it would be an honor for me to have the opportunity to return to IUPUI to coach the Jaguars.”
What have you been involved with from a basketball standpoint over the last few years?
“I coached two years over in a Saudi Arabian League, and I won a championship in 2009. In 2010, we finished third. I was the head coach and I had two Americans that were on my team every year and we always placed very high. Obviously it’s different than coaching here in the States, but I had a great experience with a great organization that I worked for. From an administrative standpoint, it was the same things: scouting, budgeting, traveling, and practice planning. It was something very, very unique about being overseas, but at the same time it was managing players and managing a complete program.”
“I was an assistant coach for the (WNBA’s) Indiana Fever in 2010. Most of the girls that I’ve been affiliated with, I’m individually training them from a player development standpoint. In the offseason, I work with Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, and Briann January on the regular. And then I also have a lot of different Pacers guys that I’ve had the pleasure in helping out, like George Hill, Lance Stephenson and Paul George.”
How has the Knox Indy Pro Am that you started gone over because it has helped quench a thirst for basketball over the summer?
“The Pro Am was something that I started from the ground up and it’s going into his sixth year and it’s definitely an NBA and NCAA sanctioned event. We try to get the best athletes from the college ranks, obviously the NBA guys and the draft picks that are from the Indianapolis area and some of the local overseas guys. It’s one of the best leagues that has gotten the attention of everybody around the country for being a top league. We want to make sure that we continue that and I think one of the most important thing is the connection with George Hill and the IUPUI established. We’ve had it over there for three years now and it’s been very successful.”
What could IUPUI and its fans expect from you as the head coach?
“I’m an offensive guy, obviously, with my record as a scorer. I love play an up-tempo style game. I love to shoot the three-ball in transition. I want to make sure that I recruit players that are of my system and are able to get things done that I need them to. We’re just looking to push the ball, have fun and have an energetic team. Defensively, kind of the same things. We want to make sure that we’re athletic, we’re quick and long, that we’re in the passing lanes and creating turnovers leading to easy baskets. One of the things that I really want to make sure that we have is a sense of passion and focus for what we’re doing. I think that was something that has been lost in recent years.”
See Also: A.J. Guyton discusses his candidacy for IUPUI’s coaching vacancy