Students react to IU's decision to bring Davis back for another year

News surfacing that IU men's basketball coach Mike Davis will return next season has brought criticism and praise from IU students.\nThe Web site, www.TheFacebook.com, has 15 groups dedicated to supporting Davis or calling for his head. The groups, mainly consisting of IU students, include "Cut Mike Davis some slack;" "Fire Mike Davis;" "Fire Mike Davis or take my life;" "Purdue fans for the extension of Mike Davis' contract;" and "Firing Mike Davis would be flat out stupid." \nIU freshman Jason Gaither is the founder of the group, "If Mike Davis goes, I go." Gaither, an Indianapolis native who's been an IU fan his entire life, said Davis deserves to return for another year -- especially because the now third-year coach led the Hoosiers to the final game of the 2002 NCAA Tournament.\n"If they win, he doesn't get credit for it; but if they lose, he gets credit," Gaither said. "They blame him for the loss."\nSenior Kathleen Concialdi founded the "I believe in Coach Davis" group and has supported Davis since her freshman year when the Hoosiers made their NCAA Tournament run.\n"That first year I saw what he could do so I know what he's capable of," Concialdi said. "You can't fire him because he didn't go so far this year."\nMany students, like Gaither, feel criticism toward Davis results simply because he replaced former coach Bobby Knight -- who won three national championships at IU.\nThose still supporting Knight in spite of Davis are more fans of the coach than IU fans, Gaither said.\nSophomore Ray Rodriguez is the founder of the 218-member "Fire Mike Davis" group -- the largest club regarding Davis on TheFacebook, and Rodriguez disputes the Knight notion.\nRodriguez said he's "extremely disappointed" that Davis was retained as head coach, but says he supported the coach when he led IU to the Final Four. Going 29-29 the past two seasons and not making the NCAA Tournament is Rodriguez's source of frustration with Davis -- not his place in the chronological order of Hoosier coaches.\n"If he came here and he started winning, than what can you say?" Rodriguez said. "If he was taking the team deep into the tournament, than what can you say?"\nRodriguez is a member, however, of the "Bring Back Bobby" club -- boasting 456 members. After transferring to IU at the beginning of his sophomore year, Rodriguez said he bought season tickets, but said he only went to four games because of the team's poor performance. He said he'll likely still buy tickets for next season but hopes for a better showing.\n"Nobody wants to go to those games and see what we see there," Rodriguez said.\nMany students felt Rodriguez's pain. The number of IU student ticket holders fell this past year. For the 2003-2004 season, 11,500 students purchased season tickets -- causing the number of tickets students received to be cut from the standard 12 games to eight, according to an Oct. 27, 2003, Indiana Daily Student article.\nThis season, the IU Ticket Office granted student ticket holders the complete 12--game package -- signifying the decrease in the number of student purchases as the demand for tickets didn't outpace supply.\nDespite some IU students disfavoring Davis, that number could rise with expectations soaring for a team returning its top-10 scorers while adding two transfers from Auburn and two incoming freshmen signees to the lineup.\nPerhaps the highest criteria for coaches is winning games. And for Rodriguez, the self-proclaimed "No. 1 Davis hater" and others wanting Davis fired say it's time to win some games.\n"He might be a great guy, but he's not here to be a great guy," Rodriguez said. "He's here to win and he's not doing that."\n-- Contact Staff Writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.