Strickland selected to men's basketball tour\nIU junior guard Marshall Strickland has been selected to represent the Big Ten in the conference's Foreign Tour. This year the team expects to play five games in France and Italy between August 10-20. \nStrickland, an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection after last season, will be joined by players from all 11 Big Ten schools and will be coached by Ed DeChellis of Penn State.\n"This is a great honor for Marshall, and I know he is going to make the most of it," IU coach Mike Davis said. "He has worked really hard this summer, and he has matured during his time here at Indiana. Marshall and Bracey Wright are going to be two of our team leaders this year, and if they both have the chance to play overseas this summer, that helps both of those guys individually, as well as our entire program." \nWright is one of 16 finalists for a spot on the 12-man 2004 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team roster.\nStrickland finished last season averaging 10.8 points per game, good enough for second on the team, and will lead a very young Foreign Tour roster.
IU basketball camp headed to Fort Wayne\nIU coach Mike Davis and Hoosier players will conduct a camp for boys and girls entering grades 2 through 8, Aug. 9-12 at Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. \nDuring the four-day camp, IU players and members of the coaching staff will give instruction. The camp focuses on the fundamentals of basketball while emphasizing teamwork and competition in a fun environment. The camp costs $100 and includes a camp T-shirt.\n"Indiana basketball receives great support throughout the state, and we appreciate it," Davis said. "It's always good to give back to the community, and we would like to do more of that. This camp is a great start, and it should be a lot of fun."
Athletics change in retail operation\nWith the new athletics director search still underway, the current interim director refuses to wait idly by and continues to make changes to alleviate the department's budget problems.\nThe IU Bookstore will now operate Indiana Athletics Varsity Shop Merchandising, IU Athletics Director Terry Clapacs announced. Beginning in August, the IU Bookstore will assume all facets of the current Varsity Shop merchandising operation, which includes retail outlets at the Court Level Shop in Assembly Hall and the Baseline Shop on Kirkwood Avenue, plus event sales, catalog, Internet, telephone and all other retail sales.\nClapacs said this four-year agreement provides several business advantages for Hoosier athletics.\n"We are always looking at ways to continually integrate the athletics department with the entire campus, and this decision certainly helps that goal," Clapacs said. "The IU Bookstore has undergone considerable growth in the last few years, and we look forward to a long and healthy partnership with them."\nAccording to the new agreement, the Varsity Shop will continue to serve as "the official retailers for IU Athletics' gear and apparel." The department's main goal in reaching the agreement is to try to significantly enhance the athletics department revenue. The athletics department is guaranteed an annual commission of $375,000, which is based on current sales, and the commission could increase if sales increase over the next four years.\nIn addition, as part of the transition, all warehouse inventory will be purchased directly from the athletics department.
Hoosiers blanked in Olympic Trials\nThe IU track team's season came to a end Sunday, as none of IU's athletes were in contention for Olympic bids.\nFreshman sprinter David Neville provided the highest finish for all IU competitors, reaching the quarterfinals of the 200-meters. However, he missed qualifying for the semifinals by two places with a time of 20.85 seconds. Neville also missed the 400-meter final by a small margin, as his 45.69 mark left him one spot shy. \nJunior Aarik Wilson, NCAA runner-up and considered IU's strongest prospect for Athens, was plagued by foul jumps and finished 14th in qualifying for the triple jump finals, which took 12 athletes. \nFormer Hoosier star Danielle Carruthers provided the best result for an IU alumnus as she finished fourth in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Her mark of 12.62 missed a tie for third by one-hundredth of a second. However, her mark will provide the opportunity to extend her season on the European track circuit. She currently ranks fifth in the world, and since she has achieved the Olympic 'A' standard, Carruthers is on deck to compete in Athens if one of the top three finishers is unable to compete for any reason and may have a chance at the 4x100-meter relay pool.\nAlso, it was announced that IU will host the third annual NCAA Outdoor Track Regional next season.
