Mike Woodson welcomes good friend, ex-teammate Reggie Theus and his Bethune-Cookman to IU

BLOOMINGTON – In the way of old teammates — and even more so old friends — you’ll get conflicting stories from Mike Woodson and Reggie Theus about who did more for the other during their playing days.

Woodson and Theus, teammates with the Kings during their transition between Kansas City and Sacramento in the 1980s, have remained close across the years since. They’ve acted as mentors and sounding boards to one another, as they’ve navigated their respective coaching careers. Theus has been a fixture at Woodson’s charity golf tournaments in Las Vegas, where Theus jokingly (or perhaps not so jokingly) refers to Woodson and fellow longtime friend Eddie Johnson as “my ATM.” Theus even had shirts made for them.

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They’ll meet again Thursday night, when Theus, now head coach and athletic director at Bethune-Cookman, brings his team to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to face Woodson’s Indiana. It will rekindle one of Woodson’s oldest friendships in basketball.

Maybe then, they can decide for good who did more for whom all those years ago.

Then again, maybe not.

“The only thing I get on Reggie about,” Woodson said Wednesday, smiling, “me and Eddie Johnson always ride him a lot, when he first got to the team, he would always throw us bad passes when we were in a scoring position, so we couldn't shoot the ball. We'd have to pass it back.”

Theus, admittedly, remembers it differently. Both men remember it fondly.

“He’s never not complained about the fact that I would never pass him the ball,” Theus said Wednesday, laughing. “It’s so typical from a guy who was only a catch-and-shoot guy, who never really put it on the floor, and if I didn’t spoon-feed him, he would never get a shot off. I’ve been taking care of Mike for a long time.”

In truth, Woodson and Theus have remained close throughout their lives.

They walked similar paths as college stars-turned-first-round picks, who enjoyed long professional careers before going into coaching. Across the course of those careers, they leaned on one another for advice and inspiration.

As they transitioned into coaching, that relationship only deepened.

“Such a great teammate,” Theus said. “We always say these things, cliches like who would you want to be in a foxhole with? Who would you want backing you up? Mike would always be the guy that would back you up, that you’d want in the foxhole with you. …

“For him to be there when I needed a conversation, and for me to be there when he needed a conversation, he’s really never gotten the credit he deserves as a coach.”

Theus and Woodson can recall a time when opportunities were harder to come by, when Black coaches had to work harder to earn them.

The two friends counted on one another then, for counsel and support. Then even more so as those opportunities finally arrived, Theus taking head jobs at both the college and professional levels and Woodson enjoying successful stints with the Knicks and Hawks before returning to his alma mater.

“The NBA has gotten so much better,” Theus said. “You look around the country, you don’t see a lot of African-American head coaches on the level of Indiana University. For Mike to end up in this position helps us all.”

It’s a position Woodson privately told Theus for years he wanted, the chance to return to his alma mater and try to build a winner like the one he knew as a player in the 1970s and 80s.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to mentor and give back to a game and a university he loves,” Theus said. “He talked about this job years ago. Mike, he’s always wanted to be here. I’m just happy it came through for him.”

Jokes about playing days — and quite possibly golf games — aside, Thursday night will represent something special for both men. Two old teammates, two great friends basketball brought and kept together, meeting on the floor once again.

“We've been friends since 1981, '82,” Woodson said. “He's attended my golf tournament that I used to host for years in Las Vegas, and we kind of made our rounds over the years playing golf in different other people's tournaments, so we've kept in touch. I'm happy to do this game with these guys.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball: Mike Woodson, Reggie Theus are long-time friends