The irritation came through from Mike Woodson the other day. A couple of days after it was stated he will return as coach of the Indiana University men’s basketball team he asked aloud why anyone would wonder about that.

Three seasons after he returned to Bloomington as the savior of a program he once starred for, there were rumblings of discontent about Woodson’s leadership.

I think Woodson was right to be bugged about the brouhaha and there never should have been any issue about him retaining the position.

Yes, this season’s Hoosiers, currently 18-13, on a four-game winning streak entering Big Ten tournament play Thursday in Minneapolis, have been inconsistent.

They also have been unlucky, particularly in terms of the fragile body of point guard Xavier Johnson, who suffered two injuries. Taking the departing senior out of the mix disrupted an offense that was trying to mesh, frequently leaving the ball in the hands of freshman Gabe Cupps, who was not ready to be the boss on the floor.

This is a very young team. The other starters included a freshman, two sophomores and a senior. Those guys would be forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Ke’lel Ware, and Trey Galloway.

Tuesday, Mgbako was honored as a member of the league’s all-freshman team and chosen co-freshman-of-the-year. Ware was picked for the All-Big Ten second team by the media and third team by the coaches and is a member of the All-Big Ten defensive team. Reneau was named honorable mention.

Unanticipated this campaign was the decline in trust shown by Woodson to C.J. Gunn and Kaleb Banks, now sophomores, who last year appeared likely to be cornerstones of the future. They vanished completely from the rotation.

In this era of the wide-open transfer portal, you can bet Gunn and Banks will depart, leading to the darned intriguing question in this helter-skelter, roster-shuffling world: Who will be back for Woodson to coach>

Mgbako and Ware improved greatly during the season. Reneau improved greatly from last year. By the conclusion of the regular season, the 7-foot Ware seemed unstoppable. It will be a surprise if he does not declare for the NBA draft. Mgbako is a maybe on that front. I believe Reneau is a good bet to return and blossom into a serious star.

During Senior Day, Galloway and Anthony Leal, who have both completed four seasons, but are eligible to play a bonus year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, each announced to fans in Assembly Hall they will return.

They also both praised Woodson, thanked him for his coaching faith in them, and basically said they would not want to play for anyone else. Those were feel-good votes for Woodson.

“It means a lot,” Woodson said. “You know, we been through the battles together. For him to tell Hoosier Nation that he’s coming back, along with Galloway, that means a lot to me as a coach.”

Woodson, an Indianapolis native who turns 66 next week, played for IU under Bob Knight between 1976 and 1980 and was a Big Ten Player-of-the-Year. He played 11 years in the NBA and then had several stops coaching in the pros before coming back to Bloomington for the 2021-22 season.

Indiana was perceived to be in disarray, but the Hoosiers won 21 games under him and competed in the NCAAs for the first time since 2013. Last year, Indiana won 23 games and was again invited to the NCAA tournament.

“Should never be any questions about my job based on what I have done here since I stepped foot in Indiana as a coach,” Woodson said. “I’m not going to entertain questions about it because (there) shouldn’t be anything out there floating around about my job. I’ve done my job and I’m going to continue to do it.”

Thursday night the Indiana plays either Penn State or Michigan. As if they needed something else to worry about, the Hoosiers must wonder how healthy Galloway will be. He got hurt versus Michigan State Sunday and played just seven minutes.

The way things have gone for the Hoosiers lately, it would surprise no one if they advanced to play again Friday, and even won another game or two. Or Galloway could sit out in street clothes and the Hoosiers’ season might end immediately in Minneapolis.

Then the merry-go-round of transferring and recruiting resumes anew.