Fife returning to Indiana as part of Woodson's staff

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — New Indiana coach Mike Woodson is bringing a distinctly Hoosiers flavor to his new staff after hiring former star Dane Fife as associate head coach Monday.

Fife spent the last 10 seasons working on Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State, the final three as associate head coach.

But Fife played on Bob Knight's final team and helped lead Indiana to the 2002 national championship game, the Hoosiers' most recent Final Four appearance. After graduating, he served two seasons as an administrative assistant for then Hoosiers coach Mike Davis.

“Dane is someone who I have always had the utmost respect for,” Woodson said in a statement. “His knowledge of the Big Ten and his success as a recruiter will be an invaluable asset as we look to continue building a staff that will help elevate this program to the highest levels. I know his love for the Hoosiers and this university comes across the moment you talk to him.”

In 2005, Fife became the youngest head coach in Division I men's basketball when he took the IPFW job — a title he held for the first five seasons he was there. Fife went 82-97 in six seasons at IPFW, which is now known as Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Fife was named the Big Ten's co-defensive player of the year as a senior and holds the school record for steals (180). His shooting percentage (47.8%) in 2001-02 ranks sixth on the program's single-season list and he won Michigan's Mr. Basketball Award in 1998.

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