Majerus to become a Hoosier?

The latest on Rick Majerus: The Indiana University coaching rumor, his new Denver Nuggets Position, and a must read Majerus website.

Okay, first I think the rumor of Majerus going to Indiana may have been around for a while, however, I will be honest and say it was new to me as of this week.

( Photo/AP )

A local sports radio host for 1320AM KFAN, Steve Brown, on his morning show “Steve and the Booner” stated that he heard from some people close to the situation that Rick Majerus to Indiana was a possibility. Back when Rick signed with USC, the rumor was that Indiana told Majerus that Mike Davis wasn’t long for Hoosierland, and therefore in addition to the health concerns, that Rick was convinced it was in his best interests to bail on USC and wait. Wait for better health, wait for the right job in the Midwest, wait for the chance to go to a true basketball mecca, and wait for Indiana University. Any truth to that?

Well…I’d say maybe some. Was Indiana actually the reason that Rick backed out of the Trojans job? I would say no, but the idea of someone like Indiana coming along might have played a role. I’d venture a guess that Indiana University had no contact with Rick Majerus after he signed his contract with USC. However, I think Rick might have had second thoughts genuinely about his health and also in the back of his mind wondered how much longer it would be until one of the "Big jobs" in the Midwest opened up. “Big jobs” is a pretty short list and the members of which are only open to speculation, but perhaps anyone in the Big Ten qualifies, along with Marquette.

There have been recent rumors of Majerus going to Depaul. It was those rumors that brought the Indiana rumor to my attention. It doesn’t help that as nice of a guy as Mike Davis is, Indiana has struggled mightily under him and reports are that he will be working on a final season of “do it now or else” ultimatum. If Hoosier faithful could deal with Bobby Knight, they could certainly deal with Rick Majerus, who is strong willed, but hardly the volatile guy that Knight was. In terms of Depaul, if this was the program that Joey Meyer ran years ago, then I'd say maybe. However, I have a hard time seeing him going to Depaul to be the guy to bring long term stability and to resurrect a lost program. Not that there isn't some of that to do at Indiana, but the prestige, conference, talent, and appearance on the national radar all make it much more appealing.

There seems to be some negativity around Rick since he dropped USC. Understandable. The question remains, is this guy still good for college ball? Should a big school like IU take a chance on Big Rick? I think Indiana would do itself a great service by bringing in Majerus. He would instantly upgrade the type of players that come to Hoosierville, and he’d probably get them back to competing for the conference crown in a relatively short period. Majerus left Utah after a great run, but in truth, after 15 years in a hotel up on the hill above Salt Lake City, things had run their course. I still believe that college basketball would benefit by having Rick back involved, that's not to say that Mike Davis isn’t a terrific person who makes the world better in his own way. I’d vote for letting Davis finish the upcoming season, his last year under contract, all while letting Majerus take another year to improve his health. After the next season, allow the marriage to take place.

As long as we are talking about Majerus, lets look at his recent Mile High Adventure-
The latest news with Rick is that he took a 5-day term as the self described new “food and beverage director” of the Denver Nuggets last week. Eat, drink and be Majerus, as Aaron J. Lopez of the Rocky Mountain News said in his recent article. Majerus and Nuggets coach George Karl are great friends and have always been basketball confidants. What could be better for Majerus than spending a week with former Ute standout Andre Miller and his basketball buddy George Karl?

Finally, a Majerus must read is the “Completely Unauthorized Rick Majerus Site” complete with funny quotes and even a “Majerus Driving Tour of Milwaukee”.