Mike Davis’ Last Chance to Perform?

Is it fair to criticize the job Mike Davis has done in his first three seasons of work as head coach at Indiana University? The "big shoes to fill" cliché has seemed to have worn off and it is time for Davis to start his own legacy.

In his first three years as head coach, Davis has compiled a 67-38 record, including a 29-19 Big 10 mark. For Indiana, that would be grounds to be run out of Bloomington while being lit on fire by the townsfolk. A certain former legendary coach started his first three season's 56-12, with a blistering 41-5 mark in the Big 10.

Davis' saving grace, obviously, was the miracle performance his team put up in the NCAA tournament title game. Once the delirium of being in a title game for the first time since 1987 wore off, the criticism started right in on Davis.

He was accused of not acting professional enough during the Duke game, crawling under his chair after Jay Williams of Duke was fouled on a three-point attempt late in a regional game.

He was criticized for relying too much on the three-point shot, which was what propelled them into the Final Four, after a 15-19 shooting performance from behind the arc against Kent State.

The biggest criticism though, was that the players on the floor were Bobby Knight's players, and therefore Davis was just the recipient of Knight's great recruiting.

While Davis is admittedly not the smartest or most experienced coach, he is a player's coach. When Indiana was down 17 in the second half to Duke in the regional semi-final, Davis called a timeout and rallied his troops.

It's not known what was said, but whatever it was visibly brought life to a team that was sleepwalking through the game.

We have come to a breaking point, though.

Last season was an embarrassment for the Hoosiers, and Davis cannot weather another losing record season. I would go as far to say that is Davis doesn't qualify his team for the NCAA tournament this year, he will be gone.

In the same vein as FireRonZook.com, a website called FireMikeDavis.com is recording record hits and will probably continue to grow if the season turns bleak.

The fans are fed up with mediocrity. Last season included such low-lights as a 33-point point loss to Wake Forest and a 39-point loss to Kentucky. The Hoosiers also lost seven-of-eight late in the Big 10 season, including all four the team played at home.

That is unacceptable.

As many struggles as Davis has gone through though, I believe he should be given at least two years to prove himself. Indiana has a gaggle of young talent strolling into Bloomington this year, and to have Davis' job hang on the performance of them is insane.

Davis heard the cries that Indiana had become too slow and relied too much on the three-point shot. He heard the rain of boo's and jeers at Assembly Hall, that the game had passed the program by.

Davis responded with a recruiting class that was rated in the top-five of pretty much every sporting magazine in America.

The loss of Josh Smith to the NBA draft put a big wrinkle into the incoming class, but I think Davis knew deep down that after the McDonalds All-American game that Smith was headed out.

What Davis does have to work with is still mighty impressive.

Robert Vaden should make the most impact for the team early, since he has already broken into the starting lineup for the Hoosiers. The 6-5 small forward is a versatile player that can fall into many different roles for the team.

D.J. White has also cracked into the starting five with his early season performances. The 6-9, 230-pound White adds size and strength to a normally dormant and ineffective frontcourt.

The combination of White and Vaden, along with proven leaders Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland, could provide some electricity in Assembly Hall this season that hasn't been experienced for a while.

It could also be a disaster. Two freshman starters trying to mix with two team leaders such as Wright and Strickland has the possibility of becoming a chuck-it-up show. This will prove to be Davis' greatest problem he has to deal with this season: making Indiana play as a team, instead of four star individuals (plus Pat Ewing).

Davis didn't help his cause this season with the scheduling. Not only does he have to go through the rigorous Big 10 schedule that includes Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin, but Indiana plays four top-20 teams in a row during the non-conference part of the schedule.

The Hoosiers get North Carolina and Notre Dame at home, and the team goes on the road to battle Connecticut and Kentucky. The Hoosiers also play at Missouri before the Big 10 season, a team that beat them in Bloomington last year.

Davis has to look at that stretch and figure that he would be thrilled with a 2-3 record in that time span.

There was a time when an Indiana fan would look at that stretch optimistically and be upset with more than one loss. But those days are over. The Hoosier nation has been reduced to the equivalent of a Florida hurricane victim, just riding out the storm and hoping for the best.

The university has been behind Davis from day one, but that was mostly because the players threatened to leave the team if Davis wasn't hired. Something tells me that has left a bad taste in the mouths of the alumni, because they certainly don't like to be told to do anything.

I believe Davis deserves another chance, but a stand must be taken sometime. Indiana fans have heard "wait until next year" for three years now and Davis might not get the chance to for a fourth.