He doesn’t have any college coaching experience, but Scott Skiles’ name keeps popping up in discussions about Kelvin Sampson’s replacement. He has NBA coaching experience, ties to the Midwest and the Big Ten, and he even lives in Bloomington.
But without a game of experience on the NCAA sidelines as a coach, does Scott Skiles deserve consideration for the IU job? Let’s take a look.
Coaching History
Skiles is an Indiana high school basketball legend. In 1982, he led Plymouth High School to a state championship. His team was considered the weakest of the final four teams left in the state tournament and they had a serious height disadvantage. But led by Skiles, the team won the state title 75-74 over Gary Roosevelt in double overtime. Skiles scored 39 points, including a 22 foot shot to take the game into overtime. At the time, Plymouth was the smallest school since Milan High School (the one featured in “Hoosiers”) to win the state title.
From there, Skiles went on to play at Michigan State University. He was Big Ten MVP and First Team All-America his senior season and left East Lansing as the Spartans’ all-time leading scorer. He still holds the record at MSU for most points scored in a season.
Skiles was drafted 22nd overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He played for ten seasons in the NBA for five different teams. Career highlights included passing for 30 assists in a game, an NBA record, during the 1990-1991 season, and winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award that same year. He was injured in 1996 and left the NBA as a player for good.
After a brief stint playing professional basketball in Europe, Skiles returned to the United States and joined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant coach in 1998. In 1999, Skiles was promoted to head coach. In three years with the Suns, Skiles had a .595 record and made the playoffs twice. He left the Suns in 2001.
In 2003, after two years away from the NBA, Skiles returned to coaching with the Chicago Bulls. He helped turn the Bulls, a team consisting of mostly young players, into a strong defensive team. Despite making the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, Skiles was fired on Dec. 24, 2007. The Bulls were 9-16 at the time he was fired.
Fit for Indiana University?
With his strong ties to Indiana and the Big Ten Conference, Skiles seems like a good candidate for the Hoosiers’ position. But having never worked in the NCAA, he has no recruiting experience and it would likely take him a while to learn. However, a strong set of assistants could compensate for the experience he lacks.
Skiles currently lives in Bloomington, so there is no question that the Midwest is a good fit for him. He is a no-nonsense type of coach, hard-nosed type of coach, similar to the style Hoosiers fans got used to under Bob Knight.
But his similarities to the General may also hurt his chances of getting the IU job. Skiles is known for his temper and it may be too soon for the Indiana faithful to go back to such a hot-headed coach.
Skiles may come at a bargain, however, since he is still being paid by the Chicago Bulls. His NBA ties do warrant some concern, though. If he succeeds at IU, would he jump right back to the NBA, where money is easier to come by?
So far, Skiles is one of the few coaches that sources close to IU have confirmed has been contacted.
For more on Scott Skiles:
IU expected to talk to ex-Bulls coach Skiles :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bulls
Undrafted Free Agent: Indiana to Contact Skiles
Skiles Next IU Coach? (Cobra Brigade)
Minnesota Newspaper: Scott Skiles will be IU's next coach - Gang Green - MLive.com
Scott Skiles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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