Never nervous Davis

Day 2: Indiana | Traveling Violations

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Nervous? Who, Mike Davis?

Everyone from East Chicago to Evansville may know that if Indiana doesn't reach the NCAA tournament this year, and probably make some noise once there, that Davis likely is out as coach after six years with the Hoosiers.

Davis and IU athletics director Rick Greenspan even said about as much in a joint press release last year, stating the goals for the season are contending for the Big Ten title and doing well in the NCAAs.

IU hasn't reached the tournament the last two seasons, the longest drought since 1971-72. It is just 42-42 over the last 2½ seasons. From Josh McRoberts (Duke) to Greg Oden (Ohio State), the best local recruits keep signing out of state. And there still is a significant faction of Bob Knight loyalists who don't think the soft-spoken Alabama native should have been promoted in the first place.

We are a long way from the feel-good run to the 2002 national championship game when Davis' future seemed limitless.

So is Mike Davis nervous about a season with so much at stake?

"You feel nervous when you don't have a team," Davis said. "Last year I woke up nervous. I hoped we'd be .500 in the non-conference. You know you don't have the horses to compete."

Davis said that in a very matter-of-fact manner. It is proof he doesn't just think he has a team this year; he thinks he has a great one, at least when everyone is healthy. Considering recent injuries to D.J. White, the reigning Big Ten freshman of the year who is out six to eight weeks, and starting off guard A.J. Ratliff, that no longer is the case.

"If you asked me what I thought of this team a week ago, I would have had a different answer," Davis said.

Actually, it seems only a little different. While an early-season schedule that includes games against Duke and Kentucky might not play out as it could have, Davis still is confident IU will more than exceed minimum expectations.

The only issue is the injuries.

"I guess it shows how deep we were," Davis said after IU manhandled Division II Indianapolis 96-49 in an exhibition game Thursday in which the coach's No. 1 priority was "not getting hurt."

This is the season Davis has been building toward. The program took an understandable setback in recruiting during his first and second years at the helm, as uncertainty about his future scared off prospects. Now he has four seniors, including guard Marshall Strickland and big man Marco Killingsworth, a transfer from Auburn, and a big-time sophomore class (led by White). That means freshmen won't be leaned on too much.

It is why Davis is convinced IU is capable of some great things. He calls this group far more talented than the Hoosier team he led to the 2002 championship game.

"The championship-run team has only one guy in the lineup [Jared Jeffries] still playing basketball [professionally]," Davis said. "That will tell you about the level of talent."

And so, no matter what all the talk show and Internet chatter says and no matter the joint press release, Davis is anything but worried about the season.

"I know I can coach," he said. "I know that for a fact.

"If I am at Indiana next year, that would be wonderful. If I am not at Indiana, I can get a job somewhere. I'm not waking up every morning wondering if I will be here next year or not. I think you do that, and [your team] plays scared."

Davis is correct about that. It was interesting to see him so relaxed during an afternoon shootaround, considering his history of high-profile outbursts here.

Maybe it is experience. Maybe it is the hopeful air that is common in the preseason. Maybe it is the finality of it all. Davis' future has been a hot topic since he became the interim coach following the contentious firing of Knight in the fall of 2000.

If nothing else, this season will answer some questions. Win and perhaps everything is fine. Lose and at least it is settled. At the very least, he has a team he likes to fight with.

Davis laughs at that, though. Next year is next year.

"I just don't think about that," he smiled. "I'm not worrying about that."

For what it is worth, the coach who enters the season under the most pressure in the country sure looks relaxed.

Dan Wetzel is Yahoo! Sports' national columnist. Click here to follow him on Twitter. Send Dan a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Friday, Nov 11, 2005 8:52 am, EST

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