Column: Curt Miller changed IU's culture
In just two seasons, Curt Miller took a lowly, six-win women’s basketball program and turned it into one of the final four remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
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In just two seasons, Curt Miller took a lowly, six-win women’s basketball program and turned it into one of the final four remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
During the closing stages of Friday’s Brickyard Grand Prix, Joao Barbosa kept radioing into his team asking whether or not his Corvette DP had enough fuel to finish the race.
Curt Miller, after leading the IU women’s basketball team to their winningest season in program history last season, will resign from his coaching duties citing personal health and family reasons, IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced today.
When NASCAR made its debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway 20 years ago, Tony Stewart thought it was a crime.
Noah Vonleh’s welcome to the NBA didn’t go exactly as planned.
IU junior running back Tevin Coleman was named to the preseason watch list for the 2014 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Thursday morning.
IU senior wide receiver Shane Wynn was named to his second preseason award watch list Tuesday.
Who says you can’t go home?
When sophomore Cutters rider Wes Bates found a post in Facebook group asking if anyone was interested in riding a bicycle across the country , his interest was immediately peaked.
IU senior center Collin Rahrig was named to the Rimington Trophy Fall Watch list, the Rimington Trophy Committee announced Tuesday. Since 2000, the Rimington Trophy has been awarded to the nation’s most outstanding center.
IU Coach Kevin Wilson added a pair of players to his roster Friday that could have an immediate impact on the Hoosiers.
Chicago Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein is trying to be a better Billy Beane than Billy Beane.
After visiting IU last week, Crete Monee (Illinois) High School senior-to-be Omari Stringer announced on Twitter that he committed to the Hoosiers Monday afternoon.
So, the United States men’s national team survived the dreaded “Group of Death” and has advanced to play Belgium in the first knockout stage of the World Cup.
Noblesville offensive guard Brandon Knight made visits to both IU and Purdue in the days leading up to his college commitment.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lucy Li is 11 years old. She’s in the sixth grade. And her 5-foot-1 frame is almost as tall as the driver she swings.But she would probably kick your butt on the golf course.Li caused quite the commotion at Pinehurst No. 2 this week. It would be hard not to draw attention when an 11-year-old girl qualifies for a U.S. Open after shooting rounds of 74 and 68 in a qualifier.But before Li even took a swing in the U.S. Open, Stacy Lewis took it upon herself to take a shot at her young competitor, saying that if Li was her kid she wouldn’t allow her to play in the U.S. Open qualifier at 11.Her reasoning seemed plausible. Li’s score must have been a fluke. Surely she would crack under the pressure of television cameras constantly following her every move. Certainly she would disrespect her competitors, embarrass herself, miss the cut by 50 shots and ruin the holy game of golf because she’s too young, right?Wrong. Not even close.Li did miss the cut after shooting 16 over in her first two rounds, but she proved she belonged in that field.The true beauty of the U.S. Open is in its name — it’s open. If you have the proper handicap and you play your way in, you get to play. Li did. No questions asked. The scorecard doesn’t lie and you can’t take that away from her.When she got to the U.S. Open, she played like anything but an 11-year-old. She set an example all golfers, young and old, should follow both on and off the course.In her first round, Li made a triple bogey, which would have caused me to get pissy and curse under my breath, especially when on national television. It seemed like the wheels would fall off, she’d record an even higher number and have a meltdown with ESPN capturing every second of it.But Li had a different plan.She responded with a par and a birdie, going about her day like all was good in the world and quickly putting a few bad shots behind.In her post-round press conference — during which she stood on a box to see over the podium and reach the microphone — Li spoke about her patience on the course. She pointed out after her first round that she was only one over on 15 holes, but she needed to stay in the fairway and avoid the big numbers in the future.That’s the kind of explanation I’d expect out of a tour professional, not a sixth grader who conducted her entire press conference while eating an ice cream bar.Lucy Li is what makes golf beautiful, and she isn’t going away. Golf doesn’t care how old you are, your race, your income, your intelligence or anything about you at all. It will break your heart, chew you up and spit you out whether you’re Lucy Li, Michelle Wie, Stacy Lewis or myself.Numbers on a scorecard are the only numbers that really mean anything. Age is just a number, and Lucy Li is just another golfer. She just happens to be an 11-year-old who was about three bad holes away from playing on the weekend of a U.S. Open.So don’t rain on her parade, Stacy Lewis. Lucy Li earned her spot in the field, and she proved she belonged.sbeishui@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The World Cup is a bit of an awkward time for the American sports fan.The entire world is fixated on watching 32 teams representing 32 countries play soccer. But in the U.S., soccer isn’t exactly riveting television like it is virtually everywhere else.That makes watching the World Cup a bit weird. It’s awkward.But even the casual American sports fan should realize the World Cup is worth watching. With all the football jargon, the rules, pageantry and obsession by fans outside of the U.S., the World Cup can be a bit intimidating.But don’t let a lack of expert knowledge stop you, casual American sports fan. You too can enjoy the beautiful game of football.And although U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann — who yes, is a German coaching the Americans — said winning the World Cup is “not realistic,” the U.S. has a chance to make some noise in Brazil.Full disclosure: the odds of winning aren’t good.But although the U.S. drew into the dreaded “Group of Death” with Ghana, Portugal and Germany, there is a chance to get out of group play if the Americans play out of their minds.Unfortunately for the U.S., the American team is in a bit of a transition phase with Klinsmann bringing his first group of Americans to the World Cup, and talent is still a lingering question. The stars and stripes won’t be represented by a world superstar that strikes fear into the heart of the competition.Instead, the roster is filled with a mix of very good players, either homegrown or holding dual citizenship, who are probably sick of hearing how Americans can’t play soccer.The latest FIFA World Rankings has the U.S. ranked No. 13 in the world. In the most recent World Cup, Uruguay was ranked No. 16 and would advance to the consolation game, ultimately finishing fourth. In 2002, host team South Korea also finished fourth after being ranked No. 40.Soccer is a funny game. It wouldn’t be completely unheard of for the U.S. to get hot. Good goalkeeping can carry a team through a tournament, and 35-year-old Tim Howard has the talent and experience to make up for a shaky U.S. defensive line.That defensive line actually looked rather firm in the American’s final tune-up game against Nigeria. Goals will come for the U.S., but the key will be for the defense to make as few mistakes as possible and to be able to cover for itself when one player slips.Beating No. 2 Germany is going to be nearly impossible. The United States will need to beat out Ghana and an ailing Portugal in order to move out of the group stage.Today’s opening match against Ghana is a must win. Three points from a beatable Ghanian team that has eliminated the Americans from the past two World Cups wouldn’t secure a date in the second round, but it would definitely make the games against Portugal and Germany must-see TV.Since the U.S. Open is finished and the U.S. and Ghana kick off at 6 p.m. Monday, now is the time to put on your Jozy Altidore jersey, hang up a flag and start calling soccer “football.” It’s time, America. And the world is watching.sbeishui@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU junior quarterback Tre Roberson — who was expected to compete for a starting job in the upcoming season — plans to transfer, IU Coach Kevin Wilson announced Wednesday.“We appreciate and thank Tre for his contributions to our football program both on and off the field,” Wilson said in a release from the team. “He is an outstanding player and a great young man. We wish him well as he moves forward with his career.”Roberson was the first Hoosier to ever start at quarterback as a true freshman, as he got the nod in five starts and appeared in nine games in 2011.In total, he started 11 games during his career.His 59.7 percent completion percentage is the third highest in program history.Roberson ends his time as a Hoosier with 2,433 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 982 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.Shortly after IU Athletics made its official announcement, Roberson took to Twitter to thank his supporters.“I want to thank Hoosier nation for all the support the last 3 years I’m going to miss my teammates more than anything I love them all,” Roberson tweeted.After a successful freshman year in which he earned a starting spot, Roberson suffered a major setback his sophomore year when he broke his leg during a game against Massachusetts Sept. 8, 2012.He was granted a redshirt, but in his place Cam Coffman — who transferred after the 2013 season to Wyoming — and Nate Sudfeld combined to help IU to a Big Ten best 311.2 passing yards per game.Coffman and Sudfeld’s success paved the way for a three-man quarterback battle to start in 2013 that inevitably saw Sudfeld and Roberson split time.The two started all 12 games but had mixed results throughout IU’s 5-7 season.Despite Roberson having a higher quarterback efficiency rating, Sudfeld had the edge, as he passed for six more touchdowns during the year. Sudfeld averaged 210.2 passing yards per game, which was more than double Roberson’s 94 passing yards per game. Roberson did, however, have the ability to make plays on the ground.He averaged 35.2 rushing yards per game, while Sudfeld averaged negative 2.8 yards per game on the ground.Wilson was not afraid to play the hot hand with the two quarterbacks throughout the season, and he rarely established a true No. 1 quarterback.While Sudfeld passed for more yards and touchdowns, his and Roberson’s completion percentages were nearly identical, separated by only .1 percent.Roberson finished his redshirt sophomore year with a completion percentage of 60.1 percent while throwing for a career-high 1,128 yards and 15 touchdowns.With Roberson and Sudfeld sharing time, IU broke program records in points per game, total yards, touchdowns, passing touchdowns and first downs.With Roberson’s announced transfer, IU’s depth chart is down to two scholarship quarterbacks in Sudfeld and freshman Zander Diamont.Class of 2015 quarterback Tommy Stevens also committed to the Hoosiers this past week, but he will not join the team until the 2015 season.In Roberson’s final game as a Hoosier against Purdue, he threw for six touchdowns, which tied a program record.He led IU to a 56-36 win to earn the Old Oaken Bucket.Roberson was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in the effort, but that would prove to be the final time he would don an IU jersey in a regular season game.“I want to thank the coaching staff, my teammates and Indiana University for all of their support over the last three years,” Roberson said in the release. “My time in Bloomington will always hold a special place in my heart. I wish everyone at IU all the best as I move on to the next chapter in my life.”
by sam beishuizen
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For newly committed three-star quarterback Tommy Stevens, football wasn’t the most important factor in selecting a college.It was only a piece of the puzzle.The Decatur Central High School senior-to-be knew he wanted to major in business. Comfort with his teammates and coaching staff was also near the top of his priority list. And he wanted a chance to compete for playing time early in his collegiate career.After he sorted through his 14 football scholarship offers, he decided IU provided the most complete picture.“When it came down to it, all the pieces fit,” Stevens said. “I couldn’t tell you one bad thing about IU.”The 6-foot-3, 196-pound recruit is the No. 15 nationally ranked quarterback in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com. The dual-threat recruit passed for 1,596 yards and 13 touchdowns in his junior season in high school. He also rushed for 785 yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns. He averaged 7.2 yards per rush as a junior.Stevens said he is excited about playing in IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s fast-paced, no-huddle offense. He’s already no stranger to moving the ball quickly. Rivals.com lists his 40-yard dash time at 4.65 seconds, which helped him pace a Decatur Central offense that averaged 46.5 points per game this past season.Because of his familiarity with running an explosive offense, Stevens said he expects to fit well with a high-octane Hoosier offense that ranked ninth in the country with an average of 508.5 yards of total offense per game.“It’s definitely a good offense and one of the best in the country,” Stevens said. “It’s basically a quarterback’s dream to play in, essentially making all the decisions. I couldn’t see it any other way.”Juniors Nate Sudfeld and Tre Roberson split time at quarterback in the past season at the helm of the Hoosier offense. Stevens has spent time talking to both, but mostly with Sudfeld who has offered him advice on how to move an offense and what it means to be an IU quarterback.By the time Stevens is on campus, Sudfeld and Roberson will be seniors. He said the chance to compete for a starting job early in his time at IU while still getting the chance to learn from the upperclassmen was key in making his decision.But the person Stevens has become closest to has been soon-to-be freshman Dominique Booth. Stevens joked that Booth “tore us up” in a sectional game between Booth’s Pike High School and Stevens’s Decatur Central two years ago.“Dom’s been really more of a career interest for me, telling me what to look for,” Stevens said. “I mean, he tried to get me to Indiana of course, but he has told me to look out for things — what’s right, what’s wrong. Basically just helping me out.”Both Booth and Stevens are Indianapolis natives and have been key in-state signs for Wilson and the IU program. They join 2014 signee Donovan Clark and 2015’s Jacob Robinson as top-20 in-state Hoosier commitments ranked by Rivals.com.Now that Stevens has committed, he said he hopes to join Booth in helping recruit other talented high school players from across the state. What separates schools like Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten is their ability to sign the top players from within the state, and then move out to the rest of the country, Stevens said.He said he thinks he can help attract in-state talent to help IU become more like the perennial Big Ten powers.“These bigger schools ... make sure they take care of their state,” Stevens said. “I think that’s what we’re hoping to start making IU. We get our state first and then start moving a little bit farther.”Stevens also had offers from Big Ten rivals Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. But he said he will be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder when playing other Big Ten teams that passed on him.“Some of these other schools that are in the Big Ten didn’t really think that I was good enough,” he said. “So I want to stay and hopefully beat them a couple times.”But between now and then, Stevens has one final year of high school to work on his game before arriving in Bloomington.He has been working on improving throwing the ball and becoming a more consistent passer. With only one year left at Decatur and his commitment out of the way, he said he wants to be the best teammate he can possibly be as a senior leader.But once the lights go out on his final year of high school, his attention will turn to his IU team and trying to be the right piece of the puzzle in the Hoosier offense.“It’s crazy,” Steves said. “It goes by crazy quick,” Stevens said. “A lot of stress has been released. I’m happy to be finished with recruiting and happy to start building this class.”