Everything looked as if things were on the up-and-up for IU Indy.
Bus on fire notwithstanding, head coach Paul Corsaro appeared to have the Jaguars pointed in the right direction for the first time in a long time. Plus, there was the groundbreaking on the new on-campus facility, complete with an arena that will provide IU Indy with a larger permanent home compared to The Jungle.
The Jags’ future, however, will move on without Corsaro now.
Jeff Goodman was first to report that Corsaro is out after one season as IU Indy coach, following an internal investigation. According to the statement provided by IU Indy to Goodman, “His behavior did not meet the university’s values and standards regarding the treatment of student athletes.”
Corsaro was hired last year to replace Matt Crenshaw, the former Jaguars great who languished in his three seasons at the helm. The expectation was that Corsaro would finally right the IU Indy ship, with had lost its directions ever since Jason Gardner was dismissed in September 2019.
Upon his hire, one of Corsaro’s first orders of business was to build his roster, which he put together in relatively short order, primarily through transfers from his previous stop at Division II UIndy. Among the ex-Greyhounds he tabbed to follow him crosstown were Paul Zilinskas, Jarvis Walker and Sean Craig. He also pulled successful players from other D2 programs, including Alec Millender from Wayne State in Nebraska and Timaris Brown from Rockhurst.
In addition to his swath of D2 talent, Corsaro also found high school recruits that could make an impact, including Ron Rutland, who was headed to UIndy before decommitting to join Corsaro, Keenan Garner and Desean Goode, the latter two becoming key figures in the frontcourt.
While 10 wins during the 2024-25 campaign may not seem like much to the more prominent Horizon League programs, that number of victories was the most the Jaguars have had since the 2018-19 season. Among those wins were a sweep of another upstart HL team, Detroit Mercy, one of which was a 95-61 pummeling within the confines of The Jungle.
In addition, IU Indy, under Corsaro’s tutelage, also notched upset wins over a Youngstown State team that rarely lost at home and Wright State to close out the season. It would be the Raiders that ultimately ended the Jaguars’ season in the return match three days later in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.
Despite the early exit, this upcoming season was poised to build on Corsaro’s initial campaign. Millender, Craig, Garner, and Goode were slated to return and Brown, who initially hit the transfer portal, eventually pulled his name out and was also expected to come back.
Now, of course, with Corsaro’s dismissal, their collective statuses are now up in the air. Also, four transfers now have a decision to make. They include Jaxon Edwards from St. Bonaventure, Micah Davis from Eastern Kentucky, Austin Ball from George Mason and Will Wharton from South Dakota State. High school commits Austin Sperry, Maguire Mitchell and Gabe Stewart will be at the crossroads as well.
IU Indy athletic director Luke Bosso is reportedly already working on the search for a replacement. And given the sheer number of players in the transfer portal, not to mention the swath of high school players available, even if every Jaguar player opts to leave, a new coach can quickly turn the situation around, as Rob Summer has already done as the new coach at Cleveland State.
But like Cleveland State, there’s no time to waste.
