Here's What Dane Fife Said on Dan Dakich's Radio Show
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Dane Fife has always taken a lot of pride in being an Indiana Hoosier, and he's over-the-top excited about coming back to Bloomington to join Mike Woodson's staff.
Fife, who was hired Monday, spent nearly 30 minutes on the radio on Tuesday talking with Dan Dakich on 1070TheFan in Indianapolis. The interview was tremendous, and Fife had a lot of great things to say, including on what it means to be coming home for him and his family. He also let us know that his daughters can rip him as well as anyone.
You can listen to Dan from Noon to 3 p.m. ET Monday through Friday at 1070-AM and 93.5-FM in Indianapolis or online at 1070thefan.com This entire interview is also available on their YouTube channel. It's the first 30 minutes of the three-hour broadcast. To view it, CLICK HERE
Here are the highlights:
– on Tom Izzo's reaction
"He was great. He understands that this is something that I've always talked about. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever been offered a job at IU. Coach (Izzo), he looked at the lay of the land. He's been great, and he always acted like my agent a lot of time. I told him it's hard to pass up and he agreed and said, 'then go for it.''
– on what it could lead to
"Hopefully, he said, when Coach (Woodson) hangs it up, then you're next it line. I'm not looking that far ahead.
"They've had all the same goals and ideas that I've had all the time. The mending of fences, bring this massive conglomerate together, the former players, we've got to have those guys involved to insulate the program.
– on spreading the word again
"The salaries, you know, it's like Gonzaga. Where would that school be and that student body without that program. They'd just be a nice little school. We've got to get people knowing all about Indiana Unversity again.
–
"I was telling Brian Evans this. Coach Knight always told me I was going to be the next Randy Wittman. I could have never been the player Randy was. But maybe I could become the great coach that Randy Wittman. I finally do get it, Randy Wittman the coach. Maybe that's what Coach meant.''
– on current Indiana players
"I think Coach Woodson wants to make sure that everybody understands they are part of it. He's giving them the power to decide what's best for them. It might have to do with their shots or their playing time, but he's let everyone know that they are welcome. But he's not going to beg anybody to come back. This is Indiana University, and we don't need to beg anybody.''
– on moving to Bloomington
"I'm going to be alone for a while, because they've got to finish school. But we'll be looking for a house. There's not a lot available.''
– on evaluating players
"I think an important part during the recruiting process is that you tell them the truth. You've got to tell the kid and the parents the truth, and that means can they handle it? Can they handle criticism? Can they be coached? They have to understand what it takes to get better. A lot of times parents don't like hearing the truth about kids.
– on Jeff Goodman
"I've got a bone to pick with Goodman. He's a hater. I pay attention, because I enjoy it, I enjoy the back-and-forth. Every time I talk to Goodman, his wife has him out shoveling crap in the backyard.
– on having more IU people in the program
"I'd like to think so. The more you can insulate this program with people who know the program, you're better off. I really think the more you can insulate yourself with guys who know the program, you can't go wrong. I saw it work at Michigan State, and I've seen it work at Indiana before too. We've had a ton of Michigan State guys come back there, and you can go right down the line. Even our managers were sons of former players or people who had a connection to the program.''
– on kids moving
"The kids are booing me. They keep telling me they're going to root for Michigan State over Indiana. They're talking a lot of trash. It's amazing how much they know. They say Assembly Hall is outdated, don't have students on the floor. They're talking trash. We're going to get things straight, that Indiana basketball is a religion. I'm a recruiter. I'm a used car salesman.''
– on the brand getting fixed
"It seems to me the goal was to create a new brand, an that didn't work out so much. There's a way of doing things there, and that was established even before Coach Knight was there. Coach Knight just did it better. Coach Woodson, it's time to take the great things we did and have Coach Woodson do that in his own way. That's what our goal is, to get this thing going again.''
– on Woodson and parents
"Coach Woodson is coming from the NBA. It's going to take a lot of work in helping him understand too that this business is different now. This is different now. Parents, you don't have to deal with it in the NBA. Parents, that's the hardest part, that and social media. It just picks and picks and picks at that program, and there's no one there to defend them. The people who should be defending it are the former players. The flip side is we've got to do the work as a staff for them to see what this program represents.''
– on parents complaining
"Even my parents were capable of blaming someone else. I am going to suggest that Coach Woodson has a parent meeting before the season, and that's the way it's going to be. If you're going to get on social media and complain about the staff, then take your son with you and we'll win with or withouth.Your son is going to be held accountable for what all your loved ones do. This is a family network
– on Dane's own parents
The one time I didn't play, we were are Purdue, and we won. My dad said you should think about leaving. I said, 'Dad, have you been to a practice? I've been awful. I've lost confidence. Even my parents were capable of blaming someone else.
We are kind of conditioned to blame, blame, blame as a society, and that's not going to happen at Indiana and I can tell you that Coach Woodson is not going to tolerate.''
– on being a dork
"I've got no juice in my family. My daughters, they think I'm the biggest dork. To be honest with you, I have to own that, because they're not wrong.
