IU has always been a team that stresses team concepts.\nBut Tuesday was a day when great individual performances of the 2001-2002 season were recognized. Key IU players in this year's championship team found themselves among the conference best for different reasons.\nAs of Tuesday afternoon, sophomore forward Jared Jeffries had accomplished more than most Hoosiers dream possible over a four-year career. Jeffries was selected as conference player of the year by both the media and coaches, and he was unanimously voted to the All-Conference First Team by each organization. He was voted Freshman of the Year last season.\nI was selected to the Delhi Tournament All Star Team when I played "D" league baseball in grade school, and I thought that was a big deal.\n Hobbled by an ankle injury, Jeffries struggled late in the season, but his dominating play early in the year won the media and coach's praise. \nJunior guard Tom Coverdale was justly selected to conference second team after establishing himself as a gritty player with a soft touch and the ability to control a game's tempo.\n His story might be the most intriguing and inspiring of all this year's Hoosiers. Coverdale collected warm-up jerseys on the bench his freshman season playing behind Michael Lewis and A.J. Guyton. He played only 41 minutes all season scoring only 10 points, nine of them in a game against Buffalo.\nCoverdale has proven that being a high school standout gets you into practice, but determination gets you on the floor.\nSenior Dane Fife is only the second IU player to earn the Big Ten defensive player of the year honor in a league notorious for toughness, defense and low scores. IU is consistently at the top of the league in team defense, making it difficult for individuals to stand out. \nNot surprisingly, Fife's trademark defense has been tremendous all season but it's his offense that has come alive. He has led the team in scoring with 20 or more points in three games this season. His previous career high had been 15 points.
Season on the Brink\nI hate writing about it. I hate talking about it. I hate thinking about it. But I just can't act like it's not there.\nESPN takes its first shot at a motion picture Sunday, when it airs the much anticipated "Season on the Brink," the film based on former Indiana coach Bob Knight. Fitting that the total sports network would create a movie based on the man who invented the press conference highlight.\nIt seems the wounds are healing and the IU program is leaving Knight where he belongs, in the history books and memories of countless fans or critics. My only hope is that the movie is fair to the fans, critics, former players and especially coach Knight. \nPerhaps in a bizarre Hoosier juxtaposition, IU will find a way to win the conference tournament on the same day the man accredited with accelerating the school's basketball brilliance is detailed in front of the nation.
