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(02/06/14 6:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>He couldn’t figure out why his players weren’t as sharp as normal. The No. 39 IU women’s tennis team was on the road against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. Friday and the Hoosiers fell behind early in the match after losing the doubles point.“They were tight as a drum,” IU Coach Lin Loring said. “I couldn’t figure it out.”IU rallied to win the next four points en route to a 5-2 victory against the Broncos. It was Loring’s 800th career victory, the most in NCAA Division 1 women's tennis history.When the team returned to its hotel, he figured out why his players were on edge.“They had done a few surprises for me, which they couldn’t have done if they had lost the match,” he said. His players gave him donuts with “800” painted in red icing as well as 800 customized red and white M&M’s — on one side it said “800 wins” or “IU women’s tennis.” Loring’s face was on the other side. “I had no idea you could do that to an M&M,” he said, laughing. “It’s pretty unbelievable.”Senior Kayla Fujimoto said it was a cool experience to be a part of the team for Loring’s milestone victory, adding that it's hard for her to wrap her mind around how many matches he has won.“It’s such a big number," she said. "And if you think about how many matches we play a season, it’s pretty incredible what he’s done.”Not only is Loring the winningest coach in NCAA history, but he has achieved most of his victories at the same university — Indiana. Loring, who is in his 41st season coaching and 37th year at IU, has stood the test of time in a profession that he described as a "high-burnout sport."“You seldom see anyone in it for the long haul," he said.He said coaching is like most jobs, meaning you have to switch employers if you want a raise in salary. Coaches leap frog from one university to the next until they land their destination jobs or burn out entirely. Loring said coaches jump schools every four or five years looking to better their lot. Or they get fired or retire.“It’s a really, really high turnover profession and it’s hard for people to put together a career like that," he said.Loring could have been one of the coaches who climbed the coaching ladder. After four seasons coaching at the University of California-Santa Barbara, he became the head coach of the IU women’s tennis team in 1977. After only three seasons in Bloomington, Stanford University came calling.Loring described the position as the head coach of the Cardinal as “arguably the number one job in the country.”Stanford, who has won 17 national championships since 1982, was on a quarter system, compared to IU’s semester-based schedule. The university wasn't going to name its coach until the first week of October and by that point, IU would have been in session for five weeks. Loring said he couldn’t walk out on his team that far into the school year. “People would tell you my one trait has always been loyalty to my friends and my players and the school,” he said. In addition to his loyalty to his players and the staff, Loring said the allure of Bloomington grew on him and ultimately kept him at IU. “I thought it was a nice town to raise a family," he said.Loring said IU’s athletic director at the time told him that he had displayed the kind of loyalty he wanted in a coach. His commitment to the University has paid dividends during his tenure. By remaining in Bloomington, Loring led the Hoosiers to 104 consecutive Big Ten victories from 1978-1985. In total, he has had 12 undefeated conference seasons, 16 Big Ten titles and one national championship. Junior Katie Klyczek said his win total shows how great he is as a coach. “No one has even come close to it,” she said. “It just shows how much passion he has for this sport and for his team and what a great job he does.”Loring has provided stability and consistency for the program, which has largely allowed IU women’s tennis to avoid long rebuilding periods. Every time a university changes coaches, the program loses recruits and has to spend several years reloading and rebuilding. Loring said he hasn't had to endure many of those down periods at IU.“You can kind of see what our basketball program went through every time they changed coaches and part of the 800 (wins) is due to the continuity our program has had," he said.Despite having the most career Division 1 women’s tennis victories in NCAA history, Loring said he has never been about the wins and losses. He said he didn’t know he was on the verge of winning his 800th career match until three days before the Hoosiers faced Western Michigan. Instead, his greatest reward is the connections he has made over the course of several decades as a coach. He said the relationships he has developed are more important to him than the wins.Loring attributes the milestone to a lot of great assistant coaches, academic counselors, strength coaches, sports medicine personnel, and most importantly, athletes who have contributed to his hundreds of victories.“I’ve always been more about the people involved and the connections that you make, (the) Christmas cards you get back every year from my former players with their family pictures," he said.Junior Alecia Kauss said the players look up to him almost as a second father, and she said it's because of who he is off the court just as much as it is who he is in the heat of a match. “It’s not just the on-the-court stuff either,” she said. “It’s him as a person. It’s everything." With seven returning players from last year's NCAA Tournament team and only three seniors, the No. 40 Hoosiers (4-1) are in position to add to Loring's career win total in the next few seasons.When asked how many wins Loring would finish with in his career, junior Shannon Murdy joked that he would reach 1,600, given his long and successful tenure in Bloomington. The realistic consensus among the players is that he should aim for 1,000 career wins.“I would hope that he stays coaching for as long as possible so that as many people could have him because he does great for the program and he’s helped all of us individually,” Klyczek said. Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(02/04/14 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A fresh coat of snow blanketed the field at Memorial Stadium. It was better suited for a snowball fight than a football game.Inside the stadium sat Zander Diamont, the Los Angeles native who left behind beaches and boardwalk to play football more than 2,000 miles away in Bloomington.The three-star quarterback prospect said he always wanted to do something different for college. Diamont, an experienced snowboarder, said the weather in Indiana was irrelevant in the decision-making process.“I wanted that Big Ten college, university pride,” he said. “I wanted all that.”Diamont said he felt the presence of those traits at IU when he arrived in Bloomington on a visit, and he knew it was where he wanted to be. He said the distance from home won’t be a problem for him, adding that he’s not really a “homesick kind of guy.”The recently-enrolled freshman found reassurance in the move from California to Indiana from IU sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld, a native of Modesto, Calif.Diamont said he frequently talks with Sudfeld, who told him that he will adjust to the weather in the Midwest.“I’ll have to grow accustomed to throwing in the cold a little bit,” Diamont said. “That’ll be new, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”By enrolling at IU, he joined an already cluttered quarterback competition. Sudfeld and redshirt sophomore Tre Roberson split time under center in 2013.IU Coach Kevin Wilson announced Jan. 15 that junior quarterback Cameron Coffman, who started for the Hoosiers in 2012 after Roberson suffered a season-ending knee injury, will transfer from IU.With Coffman out of the picture for the Hoosiers’ 2014 season, Diamont could be in the running for IU’s third-string quarterback, or he could take a redshirt season because of the depth in front of him.“It’s not my call,” he said, “and I’m not looking to make the call.”He said the decision is up to the coaching staff but that his ability to gain weight could affect the outcome.Listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds by national recruiting websites, Diamont said he played at 168 pounds during his senior season but is currently down to 163. He said his goal is to add upwards of 10 to 15 pounds in the offseason in order to be competitive as a quarterback at the collegiate level.This isn’t the first time IU Coach Kevin Wilson has coached a quarterback in Bloomington who needed to gain weight in order to play in college.Wilson said Roberson weighed 163 pounds when he arrived at camp.Wilson said the Hoosiers are getting a good player, even though Diamont will have to get bigger and stronger to play in the Big Ten.“He’s got a big arm, (he) can throw it,” Wilson said, adding that Diamont can “move a little bit.”Despite being buried in IU’s depth chart behind two proven quarterbacks, Diamont said he can worry about only himself.“If you get caught up in the day-to-day of what the other guy next to you is doing ... then you’re going to lose yourself in that and it’s going to hurt you,” he said. “I think just focusing on what you do and kind of taking care of what you can control is the way to handle it.”Despite the return of IU’s quarterback tandem, which led to the Hoosiers being No. 17 in the nation in passing yards per game, Wilson said it was important for IU to sign Diamont.“Even though we’ve had some offensive success ... it’s kind of nice to have these guys here,” Wilson said on Jan. 9 when the team introduced its six mid-year enrollees, all of whom play on the offensive side of the ball.The Hoosiers didn’t sign a quarterback last year, creating a need for IU to restock on quarterback talent for the future. By the time Sudfeld and Roberson exhaust their eligibility, Diamont will be a rising junior with two years of experience in the Hoosier program.In the meantime, he said he isn’t discouraged by the competition, and he believes it will bring out the best in him. “I think I can play with anybody,” Diamont said. “Cam Newton can walk in the room and I’m gonna be like ‘I can play with Cam Newton,’ regardless of whether or not I can. That’s just my mentality and I think that I take that in every aspect of my life.” Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/30/14 5:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU, welcome to Pinnacle Bank Arena — Nebraska’s $179 million basketball facility that opened for the 2013-14 season.The Hoosiers lost their only road game against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. In January 2012, the then-No. 11 Hoosiers left Bob Devaney Sports Center on a three-game losing streak after squandering a 13-point lead in a 70-69 loss.Two years later, Nebraska (10-9, 2-5) has a 9-1 home record to go along with its new arena.IU sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell said the Cornhuskers are one of the hardest-playing teams in the Big Ten.“Nebraska plays very hard, especially at home,” he said. “They’ve gotten a lot better over the years, so it’s definitely going to be tough to go in there and play in that environment.”The Cornhuskers have been a different team at Pinnacle Bank Arena.After losing by 31 points at then-No. 3 Ohio State on Jan. 4, Nebraska upset the Buckeyes 68-62 at home Jan. 20.The Cornhuskers’ lone home loss this season was a one-point defeat at the hands of Michigan, who is undefeated in the Big Ten and hasn’t lost since Dec. 14.Senior forward Will Sheehey said Nebraska doesn’t do anything differently schematically when playing in Lincoln, Neb. Instead, he attributes the Cornhuskers’ success to their comfort level at home.“A majority of teams would say they play better being at home than they do on the road,” he said. “They’re a hard-playing team, they shoot the ball well — so obviously being at home helps your shooting percentages a little bit.”Offensively, sophomore guard-forward Terran Petteway paces Nebraska. The transfer from Texas Tech averaged 3.1 points per game off the bench for the Red Raiders in the 2011-12 season. Now he’s the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten at 18.2 points per game.Petteway recorded the best stat line of his career on Sunday against Minnesota. He scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists in an 82-78 victory against the Golden Gophers.IU Coach Tom Crean described Petteway as a versatile scorer.“He is a wrecking crew when it comes to having the ball in his hands and he can find people,” Crean said. “He can really get to the rim and he can shoot threes.”On Monday, Nebraska dismissed its third-leading scorer, junior guard Deverell Biggs, for disciplinary reasons. The team used Biggs on more than 30 percent of the Cornhuskers’ possessions, according to kenpom.com.When he was on the floor, the guard ended almost one-third of Nebraska’s possessions with a shot attempt or turnover.Without Biggs, even more of the offensive load will fall on Petteway’s shoulders.Petteway has been a nightmare to defend because of his 6-foot-6 frame and outside shooting ability.“There’s not a single spot on the court that he can’t score from, so he’s got the confidence as well,” Sheehey said. “When we got a guy who can score from all over, it makes it tough to defend.”Sheehey, who is arguably IU’s most versatile defender and will be assigned to defend Petteway on Thursday, said the best way to defend a talented scorer like Petteway is to make his touches hard.The Stuart, Fla., native is the only player on the Hoosiers’ roster who played in IU’s loss to Nebraska in 2012. Sheehey said Cornhusker fans had the Bob Devaney Sports Center “packed and jumping for us” and that he expects a similar environment Thursday.“The atmosphere is going to be big time, as it should be,” he said.Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/30/14 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana, welcome to Pinnacle Bank Arena — Nebraska’s $179 million basketball facility that opened for the 2013-14 season.The Hoosiers lost their only road game against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. In January 2012, the No. 11 Hoosiers left Bob Devaney Sports Center on a three-game losing streak after squandering a 13-point lead in a 70-69 loss.Two years later, Nebraska (10-9, 2-5) has a 9-1 home record to go along with its new arena.IU sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell said the Cornhuskers are one of the hardest playing teams in the Big Ten.“Nebraska plays very hard, especially at home,” he said. “They’ve gotten a lot better over the years, so it’s definitely going to be tough to go in there and play in that environment.”The Cornhuskers have been a different team at Pinnacle Bank Arena.After losing by 31 points at then-No. 3 Ohio State on Jan. 4, Nebraska upset the Buckeyes 68-62 at home Jan. 20.The Cornhuskers’ lone home loss this season was a one-point defeat at the hands of Michigan, who is undefeated in the Big Ten and hasn’t lost since Dec. 14.Senior forward Will Sheehey said Nebraska doesn’t do anything differently schematically when playing in Lincoln, Neb. Instead, he attributes the Cornhuskers’ success to their comfort level at home.“A majority of teams would say they play better being at home than they do on the road,” he said. “They’re a hard-playing team, they shoot the ball well — so obviously being at home helps your shooting percentages a little bit.”Offensively, sophomore guard-forward Terran Petteway paces Nebraska. The transfer from Texas Tech averaged 3.1 points per game off the bench for the Red Raiders in the 2011-12 season. Now he’s the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten at 18.2 points per game.Petteway recorded the best stat line of his career on Sunday against Minnesota. He scored 35 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists in an 82-78 victory against the Golden Gophers.IU Coach Tom Crean described Petteway is a versatile scorer.“He is a wrecking crew when it comes to having the ball in his hands and he can find people,” Crean said. “He can really get to the rim and he can shoot threes.”On Monday, Nebraska dismissed its third-leading scorer, junior guard Deverell Biggs, for disciplinary reasons. The team used Biggs on more than 30 percent of the Cornhuskers’ possessions, according to kenpom.com.When he was on the floor, the guard ended almost one-third of Nebraska’s possessions with a shot attempt or turnover.Without Biggs, even more of the offensive load will fall on Petteway’s shoulders.Petteway has been a nightmare to defend because of his 6-foot-6 frame and outside shooting ability.“There’s not a single spot on the court that he can’t score from so he’s got the confidence as well,” Sheehey said. “When we got a guy who can score from all over, it makes it tough to defend.”Sheehey, who is arguably IU’s most versatile defender and will be assigned to defend Petteway on Thursday, said the best way to defend a talented scorer like Petteway is to make his touches hard.The Stuart, Fla., native is the only player on the Hoosiers’ roster who played in IU’s loss to Nebraska in 2012. Sheehey said Cornhusker fans had the Bob Devaney Sports Center “packed and jumping for us” and that he expects a similar environment Thursday.“The atmosphere is going to be big time, as it should be,” he said.Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/27/14 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With Sunday’s 56-46 victory at Assembly Hall, the IU men’s basketball team (13-7, 3-4) took revenge against Illinois (13-8, 2-6) for its overtime loss in Champaign, Ill., on Dec. 31.Both teams entered the weekend on losing streaks. The Hoosiers had dropped two straight games by single digits after leading in the second halves of both contests.IU Coach Tom Crean said his players took their disappointment from their five-point loss at No. 3 Michigan State on Tuesday and transferred it to preparation for their matchup against Illinois.Crean said Illinois was a desperate team. The Fighting Illini arrived in Bloomington on a five-game losing streak and they were looking for their first win since Jan. 4.“We played with the same level of desperation,” he said. “I never follow that whole ‘must-win’ theory. It’s about putting yourself in a position where you take the next step and that’s exactly what these guys did.”The team’s main scoring options, freshmen forward Noah Vonleh and sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, entered Sunday averaging nearly 30 points per game combined.They were held to two points each in the first half.Crean said defenses pay so much attention to Ferrell and Vonleh that he doesn’t think IU has to define its third and fourth scoring options. Instead, he said IU needs multiple players to contribute offensively, which is exactly what fueled the Hoosiers before halftime.Redshirt sophomore forward Austin Etherington scored a season-best seven points, all of which came during the first half. Etherington assumed the role of IU’s sixth man Sunday, a major promotion after not playing against Michigan State Jan. 4.Freshman guard Stanford Robinson, who earned his second start of his career, and freshman forward Troy Williams each scored six points before halftime.After not making a shot in the first half, Ferrell scored 15 points after halftime, including six free throws in the final minutes of the game. Robinson, Ferrell’s running mate in IU’s backcourt, finished with 10 points and five rebounds.Despite recently logging some of the best point totals of his young career, Robinson said he views his role as being a lock-up defender.“I take pride in guarding my man,” he said. “When I bring energy on the court, the team, they follow along. We all ride up on that defensive edge.”Illinois committed 13 turnovers and IU held the Fighting Illini to 46 points, which was the lowest output for a Big Ten opponent since Crean took over the reins of the program in 2008.Excluding redshirt junior guard Rayvonte Rice, who scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Illinois made 25.6 percent (11-of-43) of its field goal attempts.IU’s dominance on the boards went hand-in-hand with Illinois’ inability to score. The Hoosiers out-rebounded Illinois by 14, limiting the Fighting Illini to four offensive rebounds and no second chance points.Vonleh, who only recorded four points, grabbed 14 rebounds in the game.Crean said IU would have lost earlier in the season if the Hoosiers had logged similar statistics to the ones they recorded against Illinois — 41 percent shooting as a team and only four points from Vonleh.“We’re in the hardest league in the country,” he said. “And you’re forced to get better because everybody else is." "Games like this exponentially raise their confidence level, and we just have to continue to move forward with it.” Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/26/14 10:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a 56-46 victory at Assembly Hall Sunday, the IU men's basketball team (13-7, 3-4) took revenge against Illinois (13-8, 2-6) for its overtime loss in Champaign, Ill. on Dec. 31.Both teams entered the weekend on losing streaks. The Hoosiers had dropped two straight games by single digits after leading in the second halves of both contests. IU Coach Tom Crean said his players took their disappointment from their five-point loss at No. 3 Michigan State on Tuesday and transferred it into energy for their preparation for their matchup against Illinois. Crean described Illinois as a desperate team. The Fighting Illini arrived in Bloomington on a five-game losing streak and they were looking for their first win since Jan. 4.“We played with the same level of desperation,” he said. “I never follow that whole ‘must-win’ theory. It’s about putting yourself in a position where you take the next step and that’s exactly what these guys did.”Several of the Hoosiers’ role players carried the scoring load in the first half, when IU's top five scorers, in terms of points per game, scored only seven points. The team’s main scoring options, freshmen forward Noah Vonleh and sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, entered Sunday averaging nearly 30 points per game but they were held to two points each in the first half. Crean said defenses pay so much attention to Ferrell and Vonleh that he doesn’t think IU has to define its third and fourth scoring options. Instead, he said IU needs multiple players to contribute offensively, which is exactly what fueled the Hoosiers before halftime.Redshirt sophomore forward Austin Etherington scored a season-best seven points, all of which came in the first half. Etherington assumed the role of IU’s sixth-man Sunday, which was a major promotion after not playing against Michigan State on Jan. 4. Freshman guard Stanford Robinson, who earned his second start of his career, and freshman forward Troy Williams each scored six points before halftime. After not making a shot in the first half, Ferrell scored 15 points after halftime, including six free throws in the final minutes of the game. Robinson, Ferrell’s running mate in IU’s backcourt, finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Despite recently logging some of the best point totals of his young career, Robinson said he views his role as being a “lock up” defender.“I take pride in guarding my man,” he said. “When I bring energy on the court, the team, they follow along. We all ride up on that defensive edge.”Illinois committed 13 turnovers and the Fighting Illini’s 46 points is the lowest output for a Big Ten opponent since Crean took over the reigns of the program in 2008.Excluding redshirt junior guard Rayvonte Rice, who scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Illinois made 25.6 percent of its field goal attempts.IU’s dominance on the boards went hand-in-hand with Illinois’ inability to score. The Hoosiers out-rebounded Illinois by 14, limiting the Fighting Illini to four offensive rebounds and no second chance points.Vonleh, who only recorded four points, grabbed 14 rebounds in the game. Crean said IU would have lost earlier in the season if the Hoosiers had logged similar statistics to the ones they recorded against Illinois--41 percent shooting as a team and only four points from Vonleh.“We’re in the hardest league in the country,” he said. “And you’re forced to get better because everybody else is.” “Games like this exponentially raise their confidence level, and we just have to continue to move forward with it.”Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/24/14 7:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twenty six days after facing off in an overtime thriller in Champaign, Ill., Indiana and Illinois will meet for round two at 3 p.m. Sunday at Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini defeated the Hoosiers 83-80 in their last meeting but both teams have since found themselves in the same place—toward the bottom of the Big Ten standings. Illinois (13-7, 2-5) is searching for its first road win since Nov. 26. It suffered defeats at Georgia Tech, then-No. 4 Wisconsin, Northwestern and No. 17 Ohio State this season. The Fighting Illini are in the midst of as tough a five-game stretch in conference play as any in the country this season. They were routed at home by then-No. 4 Michigan State on Saturday and they lost at No. 17 Ohio State Thursday. After facing IU, Illinois will return home for games against No. 10 Iowa and No. 9 Wisconsin in the first week of February. The Hoosiers are looking to prevent a three-game skid, after suffering single-digit losses to Northwestern and No. 3 Michigan State in the week following their upset of then-No. 3 Wisconsin. Sunday’s matchup between IU and Illinois could come down to which team’s star guard can make more shots down the stretch. IU sophomore Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell (17.5 points per game) and Illinois redshirt junior Rayvonte Rice (16.6 points per game) are two of the top scorers in the Big Ten. They combined for 59 points on New Year’s Eve. Both players have struggled recently to make a high percentage of their shots. Since they squared off on Dec. 31, Ferrell has made 25-of-75 shots (33.3 percent) and Rice has connected on 20-of-71 attempts from the field (28.2 percent). With one-third of Big Ten play in the rearview mirror, IU's rotation is still undergoing changes. With senior forward Will Sheehey sidelined with an injury for IU’s game against Michigan State, freshman guard Stanford Robinson and redshirt sophomore forward Austin Etherington started for the first time this season. Additionally, sophomore forward Jeremy Hollowell saw the court for the first time since Jan. 4. Senior walk-on forward Jeff Howard has seen a spike in his minutes in conference play. Howard is averaging 5.7 minutes per game this season, but he played a combined 33 minutes in the Hoosiers’ most recent two contests. The Hoosiers lost to Northwestern and Michigan State after having second half leads in both games. After the Hoosiers lost to the Spartans, IU Coach Tom Crean said his team has to continue finishing at the rim. “For the most part, we just didn’t make shots that we were making around the rim, not necessarily layups, but just stuff that was right there,” he said. “We were getting where we wanted but we gotta finish.” Crean said IU missed 14 layups in its home loss to Northwestern.On the season, IU’s shooting percentage on attempts near the basket is worse than the national average, according to hoop-math.com. The Hoosiers have made 54.9 percent of their field goal attempts at the rim, which is six percent lower than the Division I average. “If we’d finish better the other day, we don’t lose the Northwestern game, in all honesty,” he said. While IU has squandered consecutive opportunities to earn Big Ten victories, Crean acknowledges that there is a lot of basketball to be played this season. “The bottom line for us is to continue to improve, understand that two-thirds of the Big Ten season is still in front of us…and get ready for the next one,” he said. “This league obviously shows when you got some of the scores and games that you have in the first couple of weeks…just how powerful it is. And we’ve been right in the middle of that and we want to continue to be.”Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/15/14 5:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The streak is over.After losing its previous 12 games against Wisconsin, IU (12-5, 2-2) overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat the No. 3 Badgers (16-1, 3-1) 75-72 at Assembly Hall.Sophomore guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell accounted for 19 of IU’s 41 points in the second half, and he was the Hoosiers’ main scoring option in the final minutes of the game. Despite missing his first seven three-point attempts of the game, Ferrell knocked down a jumper from behind the arc with two minutes and 53 seconds remaining to give IU a 68-65 advantage.“I felt like most of my threes kind of felt good, just weren’t going in,” Ferrell said. “If I had to make one three, I was glad it was that last one.”While Wisconsin twice cut IU’s lead to one point in the waning minutes, the Hoosiers never surrendered the lead.With IU leading 73-72 and roughly 20 seconds left in the game, Ferrell had an open look at a layup, but he elected to continue dribbling to take more time off the clock. He was fouled and made a pair of free throws to extend the Hoosiers’ lead to three points.Wisconsin had two game-tying three-point attempts, but the Badgers missed them both, provoking IU fans to storm the court in celebration.IU Coach Tom Crean described Ferrell as a “big-game player.” “When he’s attacking and there is no predetermination, when he’s not settling, he’s fantastic,” Crean said. “And he made a big, big difference for us tonight.”While Ferrell’s late three-pointer was the turning point for the Hoosiers, IU’s calling card was penetrating Wisconsin’s defense and getting to the rim.The Hoosiers outscored Wisconsin 52-44 in the paint and Badger Coach Bo Ryan said IU’s ability to drive into the lane was what really hurt his team. Senior forward Will Sheehey, who had 13 points and six rebounds, said IU played games against tough opponents this season but the Hoosiers “haven’t gotten it done.”He credited Ferrell and freshman guard Stanford Robinson for making big plays throughout the game.“If we have guys that are committed to doing what we’ve been doing, committed to the game plan, playing hard, playing smart, we’re going to win games,” Sheehey said.For the second consecutive game, IU overcame a double-digit lead en route to a conference win.Crean said the Hoosiers needed a victory against Wisconsin just like they did against Penn State on Saturday. He said his team looked very locked in despite its quick turnaround from State College, Pa., last weekend.“You’d like to have more time for Wisconsin, but we didn’t, and it doesn’t matter,” he said. “You have to come out, and you have to execute. Sometimes you have to make some changes on the fly, and our team is really growing and doing that.”Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/15/14 1:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The streak is over with a 75-72 win against Wisconsin.IU had lost its previous 12 matchups against Wisconsin. IU Coach Tom Crean had never defeated the Badgers since arriving in Bloomington.The Hoosiers trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but IU fought back to take the lead with a Noah Vonleh hook shot with 9:02 remaining in the game.Wisconsin junior guard Traevon Jackson virtually couldn't miss, connecting on 9-of-11 shots for 21 points, but he only scored two points in the final seven and a half minutes.Both teams traded baskets down the stretch but IU never lost the lead after Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell made a layup with just more than four minutes to play. Ferrell wasn’t always efficient (10-of-24 shooting) but he led the Hoosiers’ resurgence with had 19 second half points.After Ferrell made a pair of free throws to give IU a three-point lead with 19 seconds left in the game, Wisconsin missed two game-tying three-point attempts. IU freshman guard Stanford Robinson corralled the rebound and secured the Hoosier victory.Robinson provided a spark with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench. As a team, IU shot 51.6 percent from the field and four players scored in double figures.IU improves to 12-5 (2-2 Big Ten) with the win and the Hoosiers ended Wisconsin’s 16-game winning streak.
(01/15/14 12:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite Wisconsin making its first seven shot attempts of the game, the Hoosiers fought back to cut the Badgers’ lead to 35-34 at halftime.Noah Vonleh made a pair of three-pointers in the first three minutes to carry IU’s offense early in the first half. Wisconsin jumped out to an 18-10 lead during a stretch in which the Hoosiers didn’t score for more than four and a half minutes.Six Hoosier bench players saw action in the first half but no one made a bigger impact than freshman guard Stanford Robinson. The guard had six points in the half, connecting on three of his four shot attempts. Sophomore forward Jeremy Hollowell, who was benched against Penn State, did not take his warmups off in the first half and sat toward the end of the bench.Senior forward Will Sheehey led IU in scoring with eight points in the first half as he took advantage of Wisconsin freshman Nigel Hayes.Badger guard John Gasser led Wisconsin in scoring with nine points and all of the team’s starters have at least four points.
(01/14/14 7:31pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s no secret that Wisconsin has had IU’s number in basketball in recent years. Despite the Hoosiers’ 94-67 all-time lead in the series, the Badgers have won their last 12 games against IU. It hasn’t mattered where the games have been played—Bloomington, Madison, Wis., or on a neutral court in the Big Ten Tournament. IU (11-5, 1-2) hasn’t defeated Wisconsin (16-0, 3-0) since January 2007. The scary part for Hoosier fans is that on paper, this may be Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan’s best team yet. The Badgers have earned a tournament berth every season since 1999; however, no Wisconsin team has ever started a season 16-0. The No. 3 Badgers and the Hoosiers have played one common opponent this season. While every matchup is unique, ruling out the ability to use the transitive property in college basketball, Wisconsin won by 25 against Illinois, who defeated IU by three in overtime. IU Associate Head Coach Steve McClain said when a Big Ten team like Wisconsin puts five veterans on the court who have “been through the battles,” then it can maximize its potential. “They’re a very talented, very tough team that passes the basketball,” he said. “A team that shares the ball, a team that doesn’t care who scores.”The Badgers have six players who average between six and 14 points per game. Even though Wisconsin doesn’t have a player among the top 12 scorers in the conference, several Badger players can put up big numbers on offense. Five players have scored at least 19 points in a game. Seven-foot forward Frank Kaminsky logged 43 points against North Dakota on Nov. 19. McClain said Kaminsky suffered an eye injury in Wisconsin’s game at IU last January that set him back for the remainder of the season. IU’s Associate Head Coach said the forward has made big strides this year. “To see his development, there’s no question that he’s developed into a very good three-point shooter,” McClain said. “He’s developed into a very good post player. He can go left shoulder, right shoulder, it doesn’t matter. He’s a guy they can really play through or play to.”Not only can Wisconsin score but it scores efficiently. Half of Wisconsin’s eight-man rotation shoots at least 50 percent from the field, earning the Badgers an adjusted offensive efficiency that is the fourth best in the country, per kenpom.com. Ken Pomeroy predicts Wisconsin to win by seven and most point spreads favor the Badgers by four points or fewer.All signs point to a Badger victory but IU’s win against Penn State showed a resilience that hadn’t previously materialized for the Hoosiers. IU’s 15-point deficit was the largest the Hoosiers have overcome in a victory during the Tom Crean era. McClain said he saw a group of players that really came together on the road in State College, Pa. “We’re down 13, 14, and we were really playing hard in the end,” he said. “Shots weren’t going in but we were playing the right way.”Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/13/14 1:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU alumnus Greg Heban arrived in Bloomington in 2009 as a pitcher for the Hoosier baseball team. Four-and-a-half years later, he is at Fit Speed Athletic Performance in Weston, Fla., to train for the 2014 NFL Draft alongside Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall and former All-Pro wide receiver Chad Johnson.“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s been absolutely an incredible journey and hopefully I can continue to build and continue to strive to be the best that I can be. I credit a lot to the IU coaches that were there that helped me become who I am.”Heban joined the IU football team as a walk-on during preseason camp in 2010, and he made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers.He was named IU Special Teams Player of the Week six times and was one of the Hoosiers’ Special Teams Players of the Year. The Muncie, Ind., native received attention outside Indiana as an ESPN.com All-Freshman team selection and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.After Heban graduated with a bachelor of science degree in exercise science last May, he then exhausted his athletic eligibility last fall. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety, who was named one of the 2013 team captains at IU’s post-season banquet, anchored the Hoosiers’ defense.He finished with 275 tackles and nine interceptions during his career.Heban said all of the players took some time off following IU’s 56-36 victory against Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game, which was the Hoosiers’ regular season finale.“We all definitely took maybe a couple days to a week to kind of rest our bodies from how long and gruesome the season can be,” he said.However, Heban said he didn’t take too much time off in order to keep his legs and his body in shape. Even though his college career is in the rearview mirror, Heban’s playing days aren’t over.He is pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL.After IU’s win in the Bucket game, Heban said he thought training for IU’s pro day was something he had to do.“If I don’t do it, I’m going to regret it in the end,” he said.On Jan. 7, Heban signed with John Hernandez and Agency Athlete during what he described as a “crazy” process. The company is a “full-service international sports management agency with several divisions covering all professional sports,” according to its website. “I never thought I’d actually pick out an agent,” he said. “Maybe one would contact me and that would be the guy but five or six agents have contacted me. Me and my dad did a lot of research on all the agents and the companies. I just kind of feel like Agency Athlete and John Hernandez was a great fit for me.”After signing an agent, the next step for Heban is to train for IU’s pro day and — if he earns an invitation — the NFL Combine.Heban arrived at Fit Speed on Saturday. He joined former IU wide receivers Cody Latimer and Kofi Hughes, who have been training there since December.Heban begins his training Tuesday. He said he saw his former teammates training with players from other schools when he arrived at the facility.“It just looked like a great atmosphere,” he said. “They have Brandon Marshall coming in, and Chad Ochocinco training there, too, so we’re going to be training with some of the best guys in the league.”Heban said Agency Athlete and Fit Speed Athletic Performance go hand-in-hand in improving his draft stock. He said his biggest focus is on training to achieve good scores on the Combine drills. Meanwhile, Hernandez will work to publicize Heban.“John Hernandez and Agency Athlete do a great job of getting your name out there to people with the marketing division,” he said. “I think that’s actually the first thing is getting your name out there, and then once you get your name out there, getting scouts to look at you a little more.”Heban said all of the time and effort put into his training and marketing will come down to IU’s pro day.“It comes down to those days,” he said. “Just trying to show out.”Follow football reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/12/14 6:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dominique Booth leaned back in his chair in Memorial Stadium’s North End Zone complex, where IU football introduced its six mid-year enrollees to the media Thursday. Booth had committed to IU on ESPN.com only two days earlier. He credited the “family-oriented” culture of the Hoosiers as one of the main reasons why he chose to come to Bloomington. Booth laughed as he recounted a memory from his childhood involving IU freshman defensive end David Kenney. The two players grew up together in Pike Township, northwest of Indianapolis. “He’s definitely a character,” Booth said. “He used to stay at my house all the time.” The wide receiver described a time when Kenney opened a box of frozen waffles and put all of them in the oven. Booth said Kenney proceeded to dump a bucket of maple syrup on the waffles and then walk around the Booth house, offering waffles to anyone he could find. “I have a lot of good stories with him,” Booth said. “He’s just a great guy to be around.” The story is seemingly inconsequential but it speaks to the relationships Booth had fostered with IU players and in some cases, the friendships were kindled long before playing football for the Hoosiers was even on the wide receiver’s radar. In one case, Booth may be closer to being considered a family member of one of his teammates rather than a friend. IU junior wide receiver Shane Wynn’s aunt is Booth’s godmother. “It’s a lot of connections here obviously,” he said. During ESPN.com’s live broadcast of Booth’s commitment, the Indianapolis native said he figured out what was truly important to him during the recruiting process. In Booth’s recruitment, waffles — or rather, the relationships that are represented by Kenney’s waffles and the other memories he shares with his IU teammates — is one area in which the college football powerhouses simply couldn’t compete with the Hoosiers.Ultimately, it was the Hoosiers’ offense, the University itself and the people at IU that attracted him, Booth said after committing to IU. He originally committed to the University of Tennessee in July before reopening his recruitment in December. “It’s great,” Booth said of his recruitment coming to an end. “No more stressing about schools that want me.” Booth had scholarship offers from more than half of the teams in the Southeastern Conference and almost one-third of the teams in the final AP Top 25 Poll for the 2013 season. Booth said the success of the other schools that recruited him doesn’t bother him. In fact, the 6-foot, 200-pound receiver initially chose the Volunteers instead of Alabama and Florida State last summer. “That’s not what I look at,” he said. “I’m a future-oriented type of guy, I’m not scared to do what’s never been done before. I don’t like to fall in line, I like to create a new path so that’s what I want to do here.” Despite being well-versed with the recruiting process for high school athletes, Booth said he was never very familiar with college, with one exception. IU was the only university that he knew much about when he was growing up. Booth also said the short distance between Bloomington and Indianapolis will allow his family and friends to attend IU’s home games. If he needs to go home, he can be in Indianapolis in roughly an hour. “It’s a good situation," he said.IU Coach Kevin Wilson said IU was “very lucky” when Booth reopened his recruitment because the team is in need of receivers. Senior wide receivers Kofi Hughes and Duwyce Wilson, along with senior tight end Ted Bolser, finished their college football careers last fall. “It just kind of snowballed and fell our way,” Wilson said. Booth’s chances of contributing to the Hoosier offense next season improved when former IU wide receiver Cody Latimer declared for the 2014 NFL Draft on Jan. 5. In total, IU lost four of its top six receivers from last season. Booth sees himself filling part of the void at outside receiver for the Hoosiers next season. However, he doesn’t take potential playing time for granted. “Even if those guys still were here, you still got to work to get your spot so that’s what I plan on doing — working to get my spot,” he said. Booth is confident in his technical skills, such as beating man coverage and blocking. He said playing against man coverage is when wide receivers get to show what they can really do on offense. “It’s the perfect opportunity right there,” he said. “(You) just know you’re about to kill, basically.” Booth said his best performance in high school was against Ben Davis (Ind.) High School last fall and that the Giants only play man coverage on defense. The future Hoosier wide receiver had three touchdowns, repeatedly burning Ben Davis’ defensive backs due to their refusal to change their defensive scheme. Eventually, the Giants switched to a cover three defense because they had to try to find an answer for Booth. Granted, he will now have to face the likes of Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State in college, but he has a positive outlook on facing man coverage at the next level. Booth said it is the type of defense he wants to face as a wide receiver. While IU’s prolific passing attack allows for receivers to have big games catching the ball, the Hoosier wide receivers must also be able to block downfield. “I’m pretty good at blocking,” he said. “I take pride in that. (When) we made new goals for our team at Pike, I said, ‘Man, one of our goals is going to be for (the) offense (to have) eight pancakes a game.’” In football, a pancake is when an offensive player delivers a block on a defensive player that sends the defender to the ground. Booth made a highlight tape in high school called “Smack Cam,” which only consists of plays where he pancakes defenders. “It’s fun to me,” he said. “You don’t get the chance to hit on offense. You (are) supposed to score, you’re not supposed to pancake people as a receiver.” Booth, who is ranked the No. 232 prospect in the 2014 recruiting class by ESPN, joins an IU team that he describes as being “on the way up.” He cited the team’s passing offense the past two seasons as evidence that the program is trending upward. In terms of the Hoosiers’ young defense, the wide receiver said that it can only improve. “In four years I see it being a top of the Big Ten team,” Booth said. “I really do.”Follow football reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/12/14 2:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU alumnus Greg Heban arrived in Bloomington in 2009 as a pitcher for the Hoosier baseball team. Four and a half years later, he is at Fit Speed Athletic Performance in Weston, Fla. to train for the 2014 NFL Draft alongside Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall and former All-Pro wide receiver Chad Johnson.“It’s unbelievable,” he said, when reflecting on where his athletic career at IU has taken him. “It’s been absolutely an incredible journey and hopefully I can continue to build and continue to strive to be the best that I can be. I credit a lot to the IU coaches that were there that helped me become who I am.”Heban joined the IU football team as a walk-on during preseason camp in 2010 and he made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers. He was named IU Special Teams Player of the Week six times and he was one of the Hoosiers’ Special Teams Players of the Year. The Muncie, Ind. native received attention from outside of the state of Indiana as he was an ESPN.com All-Freshman team selection and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.After Heban graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science last May, he then exhausted his athletic eligibility last fall. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety, who was named one of the 2013 team captains at IU’s post-season banquet, anchored the Hoosiers’ defense, finishing with 275 tackles and nine interceptions in his career. Heban said all of the players took some time off following IU’s 56-36 victory against Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game, which was the Hoosiers’ regular season finale. “We all definitely took maybe a couple days to a week to kind of rest our bodies from how long and gruesome the season can be,” he said. However, Heban said he didn’t take too much time off in order to keep his legs and his body in shape. Even though his college career is in the rearview mirror, Heban’s playing days aren’t over. He is pursuing his dream of playing in the NFL. After IU’s win in the Bucket game, Heban said he thought training for IU’s pro day was something that he had to do. “If I don’t do it, I’m going to regret it in the end,” he said. On Jan. 7, Heban signed with John Hernandez and Agency Athlete in what he described as a “crazy” process. The company is a “full-service international sports management agency with several divisions covering all professional sports,” according to its website. “I never thought I’d actually pick out an agent,” he said. “Maybe one would contact me and that would be the guy but five or six agents have contacted me. Me and my dad did a lot of research on all the agents and the companies. I just kind of feel like Agency Athlete and John Hernandez was a great fit for me.”After signing an agent, the next step for Heban is to train for IU’s pro day and if he earns an invitation, the NFL Combine.Heban arrived at Fit Speed on Saturday. He joins former IU wide receivers Cody Latimer and Kofi Hughes, who have been training there since December. Heban, who begins his training on Monday, said he saw his former teammates training with players from other schools when he arrived at the facility. “It just looked like a great atmosphere,” he said. “They have Brandon Marshall coming in and Chad Ochocinco training there too so we’re going to be training with some of the best guys in the league.”Heban said Agency Athlete and Fit Speed Athletic Performance go hand-in-hand in improving his draft stock. He said his biggest focus is on training to achieve good scores on the Combine drills. Meanwhile, Hernandez will work on publicizing Heban. “John Hernandez and Agency Athlete do a great job of getting your name out there to people with the marketing division,” he said. “I think that’s actually the first thing is getting your name out there and then once you get your name out there, getting scouts to look at you a little more.”Heban said all of the time and effort put into his training and marketing will come down to IU’s pro day.“It comes down to those days,” he said. “Just trying to show out.”Follow football reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/11/14 7:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With usual starter Jeremy Hollowell sitting on the bench in his warm-ups for the entire game, IU (11-5, 1-2) used a balanced scoring attack and production off the bench to defeat Penn State (9-8, 0-4) 79-76 on Saturday. IU Coach Tom Crean said it was a big win. In the team’s 16th game of the season, IU escaped State College, Pa., with a victory that was both the Hoosiers’ first win on the road and their first in the Big Ten.“We tell our team this is the hardest playing team in the league,” Crean said. “There’s no question about it.”On a day in which most sports fans in Happy Valley were focused on the introductory news conference of Penn State’s new football coach, James Franklin, the Nittany Lions’ basketball team made the most of its home court advantage, jumping out to a 17-4 lead.Penn State started the game 5-of-5 from the field, with three 3-pointers during that run.IU freshman forward Noah Vonleh single-handedly kept the Hoosiers in the game when his teammates missed their first seven shots. Vonleh scored the team’s first 12 points. He showed his versatility by scoring in the low post on layups, making free throws and knocking down an open 3-pointer from the wing.When the Haverhill, Mass., native went on a dry spell lasting more than 15 minutes, his teammates were there to take over the scoring load. Sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and freshman guard Stanford Robinson led a 12-4 run to cut Penn State’s lead to 41-37 at halftime. Senior forward Will Sheehey made a 3-pointer with 16:38 remaining in the second half to give IU its first lead of the game. Two of the Hoosiers’ bench players made valuable contributions in crunch time. Senior walk-on forward Jeff Howard, who averaged 7.5 minutes of playing time in his 10 previous appearances this season, scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in the final 10 minutes. “Jeff Howard doesn’t know when he’s going in, and when Jeff Howard went in there, Jeff Howard was ready to go,” Crean said. “I think he kept us moving in a direction with getting to the foul line and with being active and being where he needed to be.”After Penn State junior guard D.J. Newbill made a pair of free throws to take a two-point lead in the game’s closing minutes, sophomore forward Austin Etherington pump-faked, sending his defender flying past him, before rising up and making a 3-pointer in the corner. Crean described Etherington’s shot as “monstrous.” “He’s a battler, he’s scrappy and really, because he hasn’t played a lot, the confidence is going to go one way or the other in the game,” he said. “The fact that he went in there and his confidence grew like it did to the point where he could knock down that shot in the corner was huge.”With Penn State starters graduate student guard Tim Frazier and sophomore forward Donovan Jack fouling out in the second half, Newbill led PSU’s comeback attempt.He scored the team’s final six points but was unable to connect on his game-tying 3-point attempt with one second left.“They really earned the victory,” Crean said. “When two teams fight like that, you can’t say that you deserved it but when you get it the way we did, you can say that you earned it.” Follow men’s basketball reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/11/14 6:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After falling behind 17-4 to Penn State in the first four minutes and 20 seconds, IU clawed its way back to cut the Nittany Lions’ lead to 41-37. Freshman forward Noah Vonleh scored the Hoosiers’ first 12 points. He made a pair of layups and knocked down an open three-pointer, in addition to five free throws. The Hoosiers went small in their starting lineup, giving graduate student guard Evan Gordon his first start of the year. Sophomore forward Jeremy Hollowell, who started in 14 of IU’s 15 games this season, did not take his warm-ups off in the first half. Penn State used a balanced scoring attack to build an early lead. All five of its starters had at least five points in the first half and they are a perfect 6-of-6 from three-point range. Junior guard D.J. Newbill, who was limited to seven points in his previous two games, leads Penn State with 10 points.IU freshmen Stanford Robinson and Troy Williams carried the Hoosiers down the stretch. Robinson had seven points and two rebounds off the bench. Williams had five points, two rebounds, two blocks and a steal in the first half.--Andy Wittry
(01/11/14 8:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a bye week separating its 73-56 loss against No. 5 Michigan State and its game at Penn State (9-7, 0-3) on Saturday, IU (10-5, 0-2) has had a lot of time to prepare for its upcoming matchup.“We are coming off a very good week of practice and preparation,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “With the bye coming during the break, it has allowed us to work smart and spend more time on getting better both individually and as a team.”It is the third consecutive season that the Hoosiers will have faced the Nittany Lions on the road in early January.The newcomer-laden Hoosiers have a significantly worse resume than Crean’s past two teams had through the first two months of the season. On Jan. 8, 2012, No. 12 IU defeated Penn State 88-82 to improve to 15-1 (3-1). Those Hoosiers already had wins against No. 1 Kentucky, Notre Dame, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 16 Michigan under their belt at that point in the season. On Jan. 7, 2013, the No. 5 Hoosiers defeated the Nittany Lions 74-51 in State College, Penn. for their 14th win in 15 games. Last year, IU had non-conference wins against Georgia, Georgetown and No. 14 North Carolina.This is a new season and a new narrative for the Hoosiers. So far, the storyline of their season hasn’t been a favorable one. IU enters the matchup tied for eighth in the Big Ten and the team is 2.5 games out of first place. The only thing keeping IU out of last place is that three teams have lost three conference games. While previous IU teams had already established an identity by this point in the season, the 2013-14 Hoosiers are still forming one. “Our goal this week was to continue to build the identity of running, of moving without the ball, getting the ball reversed, getting back on defense, challenging shots better, making sure we’re rebounding at a high rate, finishing better, all those things,” Crean said. “We have to really stay in the moment as much as possible for our team to gain confidence and that’s what we’re trying to do.”Despite IU’s two-game losing streak, Crean believes his team is improving.“I loved our attitude and toughness,” he said. “There is no question we are getting better.”The Hoosiers will test their toughness against Penn State guards Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill, the sixth and seventh highest scorers in the Big Ten, respectively. The duo is averaging 34 points per game this season. Frazier has returned to playing at an All-Big Ten level after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Penn State’s fourth game last season. He is a constant threat to produce a stat line that approaches a triple-double by averaging 17.1 points, 6.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Crean has experienced firsthand the damage that Frazier can do on offense. In 2011-12, Frazier’s last healthy season and one in which he accounted for 58 percent of the Nittany Lions’ offense, the Houston, Tex. native scored 68 points in three games against the Hoosiers. “Frazier is a tough matchup because of how much he thrives on pressure and playing through the pressure and what he creates,” Crean said. The graduate student guard can affect a basketball game in more ways than just scoring. Frazier is credited with an assist on 39.8 percent of his teammates’ field goals when he is on the floor, which is the 11th best assist rate in the country, according to kenpom.com. When on the court, he records a steal on three percent of Penn State’s defensive possessions and he draws 5.7 fouls per 40 minutes. However, Crean said the Nittany Lions have more weapons in their arsenal besides just Frazier and Newbill. “They have five players in double figures so they share the basketball,” he said. “They have added another scoring threat from the guard position in John Johnson. Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor are two players that have really elevated their games this season.”Crean said every possession matters in the Big Ten, regardless of time and score, and that games can go a different direction in a hurry. “I expect we will see a physical, tough and demanding team, and we are going to have our work cut out for us,” he said. Advanced statistics courtesy of kenpom.comFollow men’s basketball reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/11/14 1:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Kevin Wilson announced Friday afternoon that Defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory and Defensive Line Coach Jon Fabris will not return to the coaching staff in 2014.“Doug and Jon are solid coaches and good men,” Wilson said in a press release. “We appreciate everything they have done for IU Football and wish them both the very best moving forward. We are excited about the future as we continue to build our program in a positive way.”The IU football team improved its win total from one victory in Wilson’s first season in Bloomington to five last season. However, the Hoosier defense regressed statistically in each of Wilson’s seasons at IU. In 2011, the team allowed 458.7 yards per game, according to cfbstats.com. That number increased to 463.5 in 2012. Last season, IU finished 123rd in total defense out of 125 FBS teams. On average, the Hoosiers allowed more than 527 yards and more than 38 points per game.IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass said Wilson waited until after the season to evaluate the state of the program.“It was an on-going conversation about making a variety of improvements and potential personnel changes were one of those,” Glass said. Glass said the timing reflects the thoughtfulness and seriousness with which Wilson made the decisions. IU’s athletic director said there were pros and cons to a variety of times when coaching changes could have been made but he said he thought it was important that Wilson took his time before making changes.“It was very thoughtful, it was very deliberative, it wasn’t emotional,” Glass said. “He gave some time between the end of the season and the decision-making, which I think was good.”Glass said it was critical for Wilson to finalize personnel changes before the American Football Coaches Association Convention that will be held in Indianapolis next week. The timing gives Mallory and Fabris the chance to pursue other opportunities. As Wilson seeks to replace Mallory and Fabris, Glass said it’s more important to hire the right coaches as opposed to making a quick decision for each of the openings.“I know that Kevin will move out with all deliberate speed to get a replacement but I think it’s more important that he gets the right guy than that he rushes to it,” Glass said. “I also think he did not pursue a replacement until he had made a final decision with regards to Doug, which I think was the appropriate approach.”Glass said he believes that Wilson will look outside of the IU football program to find his new defensive coordinator. This would indicate that it is unlikely that IU Co-Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach Williams Inge will be promoted to defensive coordinator.Glass, who said Wilson is in the early stages of finding replacements, is not aware of any early candidates and he said he wouldn’t share the names if he had heard of any coaches that Wilson is considering. Glass said IU football is Wilson’s program and if he started micromanaging it, it would be like the “President picking bombing targets from the Pentagon.”“Then it’s people that don’t really know making those kinds of decisions so I think it’s important that the head coaches make those choices, whether it’s hiring or firing,” Glass said.Even though Glass said he defers to IU’s head coaches when it comes to personnel decisions, he said he thinks Wilson made the right choice.Despite Glass’ approval of Wilson’s changes, Friday is still an emotional day for those involved in the IU football program. “It’s a hard day,” Glass said. “Nobody likes to fire anybody. I don’t think that’s ever been Kevin’s role before so I’m sure it was a hard day for him.” He said Mallory and Fabris are good guys but at this time, he thinks IU football needed to go in a new direction.“Nobody takes any glee in that, especially with two people who are as fine of people and fine of coaches as Jon Fabris and Doug Mallory,” Glass said.Follow football reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry
(01/10/14 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Following IU’s 73-56 loss to No. 5 Michigan State at home on Saturday, IU Coach Tom Crean delivered a call to action to freshman forward Noah Vonleh. It was loud and clear; Crean wants Vonleh to have more authority in the paint.“There’s no doubt he’s got to become a more demanding presence,” Crean said. “He works too hard on his game, he’s too good a person, he’s got to be a demanding presence and become downright a little selfish. I hate using that term but…that’s what he’s got to be around the paint.”After posting four consecutive double-doubles to start the season, Vonleh’s points and rebounds have declined. The Haverhill, Mass. native has frequently been in foul trouble and in the Hoosiers’ losses, he has averaged 2.6 fewer points and 3.1 fewer rebounds per game than his season averages. The Hoosiers (10-5, 0-2) will have an average height advantage of 1.2 inches per player in their game at Penn State (9-7, 0-3) on Saturday, providing Vonleh with an opportunity to be the demanding presence that Crean wants him to be. According to Ken Pomeroy’s advanced college basketball statistics, the Nittany Lions’ most common lineup over the past five games, which Coach Pat Chambers used roughly 20 percent of the time in that span, features a frontcourt of 6-foot-6 Ross Travis, 6-foot-7 Brandon Taylor and 6-foot-9 Donovan Jack. If Chambers continues to employ that popular combination on Saturday, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Vonleh will have a significant size advantage down low. Penn State’s track record shows that its frontcourt is vulnerable. In Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions have lost the rebounding battle by an average of 10 rebounds per game. “We’ve got to do a better job of making sure we’re getting putbacks,” Crean said after the Michigan State loss. “We’ve got to find easy baskets, whether they’re post-ups, whether they’re through the lane, whether they’re offensive rebounds, or frankly, whether they’re free throws, so those are things that are really, really important.”IU grabs nearly 42 percent of all available offensive rebounds, which is the sixth-best offensive rebound percentage in the country, and Vonleh is the main reason why the Hoosiers excel at crashing the boards. The freshman’s offensive rebound percentage is 13.4 percent. Vonleh, who averages more than six free throw attempts per game, will match up against the foul–prone Jack, who commits 6.7 fouls per 40 minutes. The freshman has achieved some of his highest point totals of the season on nights when he makes repeated trips to the charity stripe. He converted 13-of-16 free throws against Syracuse and he made 10-of-12 at Illinois. Pomeroy projects IU to lose 76-75 and free throw shooting often decides the outcome of close games. As the Hoosiers look to avoid a three-game losing streak, a mark IU has avoided since Jan. 18, 2012, Crean wants his players to take the next step in their development.“We just need to play. We need to understand time and score, not play just going up and down the court but really understanding what the game is bringing,” he said. “The more you play, the more you learn that.”On paper, Saturday’s matchup calls for an understanding that the game will provide an opportunity for Vonleh to be a dominant force in the paint.Statistics courtesy of kenpom.com.Follow men’s basketball reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.
(01/09/14 8:47pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before last February, Florida native Delroy Baker had never traveled beyond the state of Georgia. And he wouldn’t have had to in order to play college football at a high level. Baker received offers from Florida, Florida International, Florida State, Miami (FL), South Florida, and the University of Central Florida. Baker said when he mentioned going to IU to Florida Coach Will Muschamp, Muschamp asked the offensive tackle why he didn’t want to stay in his home state.“It’s like no, I want to get out and see the world,” Baker said emphatically at IU’s media availability to introduce the Hoosiers’ six mid-year enrollees. “I’d never gone anywhere else so it’s great to come out and see the world. Of course being in the Big Ten, I’ll get to see all of the Midwest eventually and I like the Midwest. It’s real good here, relaxed, beautiful, (and it has) all four seasons.”Baker is one of three offensive linemen among IU football’s six mid-year enrollees but he is the only one of the three to come to Bloomington straight from high school. He spent his first three years of high school at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla. before transferring to Admiral Farragut in St. Petersburg. IU Coach Kevin Wilson said Baker’s high school coach, “a great mentor for him,” switched schools and Baker transferred. Wilson said the Florida High School Athletic Association ruled Baker ineligible for his senior season due to a “recruiting deal,” since he was a senior transferring to a private school. In Wilson’s eyes, not playing in 2013 did not hurt Baker. He said the offensive tackle did a great job practicing with his coach last fall.When describing Baker, Wilson made sure to mention that many schools recruited him heavily.“Here’s a guy that has SEC and ACC offers,” he said. “Came up here to camp, fell in love with it. (He) has a chance to be a true tackle and that’s been the hardest thing to recruit, the long, athletic guys who can play tackle.”Despite his 6-foot-6, 290-pound frame, Baker has work to do before next season rolls around. He said football “will pretty much be my job now” and he’s treating it like one. He wants to add between 25 and 30 pounds in the offseason.“I need to get in the weight room pronto,” he said. “Not only is the weightlifting part important to me but I also want to be able when I get bigger to move still very well. I want to be able to still move like I’m 290, 270 (pounds) so the running part is really important to me too.”For Baker, the opportunity to have an entire semester of lifting and conditioning under his belt before the rest of the freshmen arrive in Bloomington in June made the decision to enroll in January a no-brainer.“It was easy actually,” he said. “Like, I dropped everything.”Despite people warning him that it was “premature” for him to enroll a semester early, Baker views it as a great opportunity. He described the transition for a senior in high school becoming a freshman in college as “you’re at the top of your game compared to everyone else” and “in June, that’s when you’re at the bottom.”In just his second day of college, Baker is confident in his position on the team.“Honestly I see myself at two-deep right now with Jason Spriggs in front,” he said. “I really want the intensity, I really need it to be honest. I wanna get in competition, get it rolling.”Baker said he was the first of IU’s 2014 commits to say that 2013 was a building year. Wilson said he plans for a 25-player 2014 recruiting class (the maximum amount, by rule) and Baker believes that with IU’s newest additions, the Hoosiers will make a bowl game next season. “It was a goal last year but this is a promise this year,” he said.From there, Baker wants to help lead IU to a top 25 ranking and eventually a Big Ten Championship. Baker, ranked the 33rd-best offensive tackle in the 2014 recruiting class by ESPN, could have chosen to never cross the Georgia state border to play college football.He had offers from three schools that finished in the top 10 of the final AP Top 25 poll and he’s well aware of it.“Instead of starting at Florida, starting at the top, I’d rather come here and make a difference on campus,” Baker said. “That’s part of the reason why I committed. I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a difference.”The three-star recruit who was insulated in SEC and ACC territory for most of his life said he has begun to appreciate what’s it’s like to play in the Big Ten. “Watching the Bucket Game, I see all the emotions, the intensity and it’s like ‘This is it,’” Baker said. “This is where it needs to be. Winning that Bucket—I wasn’t even there and I was enjoying it—you don’t understand, that got me going. I was ready to go play.”Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.