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The Indiana basketball team participates annually in an offseason NIL fundraiser called the Hoosier Fan Fest, where players compete in contests, sign autographs, and interact with fans. The 2024 event was expected to be fourth edition, but there’s now some doubt as to whether or not it will occur.
Head coach Mike Woodson is said to be the culprit behind a potential cancellation as he allegedly “forbid” his team from participation.
The event was started by a duo that calls themselves the “Hoosier Hysterics.” Eric Pankowski and Ward Roberts make up the team, and they also host a popular podcast of the same name.
Eric Pankowski and Ward Roberts, hosts of the popular HoosierHysterics! basketball podcast, launched the Hoosier Hysterics NIL Collective in August 2021 because they “love Indiana” and they “know NIL is a huge deal.” After its launch, the Hoosier Hysterics NIL Collective quickly garnered national attention and the support of notable IU alumni. This includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who publicly supported the collective.
HHNIL says all contributions are combined into one pot in order to make significant and impactful and meaningful NIL deals. HHNIL has already hosted several fan-favorite events, including the first-ever men’s basketball Fan Fest which drew more than 3,000 in attendance.
While the group has made a significant impact in terms of NIL support, they’ve also been critical of Mike Woodson throughout his Indiana basketball tenure.
Over three seasons in Bloomington, Woodson is a combined 63-40. That includes a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in ’22 and ’23, both of which ended with Round of 32 exits.
The Hoosiers missed the Big Dance last year after going 19-14.
While Year 3 represented the low of his tenure to date, he’s been able to convince a group of talented transfers to give the program a boost in 2025.
That includes former Arizona big man Oumar Ballo, who headlines a second-ranked transfer class. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the newcomers will experience the Hoosier Fan Fest this fall – which could take a few bucks out of their pockets moving forward.
Mike Woodson ‘forbids’ team from NIL fundraiser appearance.
Pankowski and Roberts broke down the situation, from their points of view, in their most recent podcast.
“Woody killed [the Fan Fest]. There’s no golf outing, either. Woody decided that he does not want to participate in any of them, and he has forbidden his team and players from participating in those events, and because they are so tied to the Indiana program and coaches, there’s just no way forward on those events with Woody taking the stance that he has taken…
“These events have become so important to us as fans… To not be able to do them is such a loss to the IU fanbase.”
The Hoosier Hysterics claim that the cancellation comes due to criticisms given on Mike Woodson’s job performance – with those negative comments coming at a time when the Hoosiers had lost 10 of 14 contests last season.
Pankowski says the head coach “summoned” him to his office for a face-to-face meeting alongside AD Scott Dolson.
“I go to the meeting, and Woody’s there and Scott’s there, and Woody proceeds to tell me that he did not appreciate that I did not support him 100% throughout the entire season. He said that at one point he heard that I called him ‘stubborn.’ He was really p—ed off about that.”
Woodson apparently also took offense to the show having former IU player Brian Evans on for appearances as he’s also been critical of the head coach.
“Because of all that, he’s cancelling the Fan Fest… Why would you want to cancel something that benefits your players financially?… His response was, ‘Well, because I’m stubborn…’
Now, depending on who you talk to, the decision to break affiliation with the Hoosier Hysterics could be good or bad. A number of fans were on board with the program cutting ties, saying that the Hysterics aren’t true representatives of Hoosier Nation.
Still, others saw the move as irrational, painting the Indiana basketball coach as being extremely thin-skinned.
These guys are two of the craziest Indiana fans out there who have helped raise NIL and just want Indiana to win … and Mike Woodson has basically said he doesn’t want their help.
All because they have been honest with their assessment of the Woodson Coaching Era. https://t.co/zqTavbDeoe
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 25, 2024
Not the best look for Mike Woodson!