End game

The IU basketball family needs to unite. And Mike Davis says he can't do it.\nAt the end of a turbulent, rumor-filled week, IU coach Mike Davis made his resignation official Thursday, confirming reports that he had arranged a contract buyout with IU President Adam Herbert earlier in the week. \nAny speculation about Davis' status as IU's head basketball coach was settled at the press conference, as Herbert, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan and the embattled but upbeat coach took to the podium in Assembly Hall's basketball press room. \n"I just felt like it was time for the former players, the fans, the alumni and anyone who loves Indiana basketball to be a part of Indiana basketball again," Davis said. "This is a great day for Indiana basketball. Trust me, it is." \nDavis will stay on for the rest of the season, he announced, but will step down at the end of the year.\nThe coach explained that he has known for most of the year he was not the man to return IU basketball to the NCAA's elite level. \n"Walking out the night of the Duke game was a sign for me that this is what this program should be like every night," Davis said, referring to the Nov. 30, 2005, game when IU fans organized a "white-out" and created a rowdy atmosphere to welcome the nation's No. 1 team. "That is something we need every night, and I feel like I can't get that done."\nHerbert delivered the afternoon's opening statement, praising Davis for his gifts to IU despite the difficult situation he inherited. \n"In becoming the basketball coach here in Bloomington, Coach Davis assumed one of the most difficult challenges any coach can accept -- following a legendary predecessor," Herbert said. "He has responded to these challenges with character, graciousness, concern for the welfare of his players and a determination to raise our program into the ranks of the very best in the nation."\nThursday, Davis blamed the team's recent slide on himself; namely, how rumors surrounding his job status confused and distracted his players. \nIU senior guard Marshall Strickland agreed with Davis' assessment, claiming that understanding the situation was best for the team -- a group still in the hunt for an NCAA tournament berth. \n"Now we can move on," Strickland said. "We still have our goals in mind."\nWhile the players will look to close out the regular season's final stretch -- a five-game run that starts with Sunday's game at Illinois -- Greenspan said he would begin his search for Davis' successor. \n"We will work collaboratively to conclude this year in the most positive and productive manner possible," Greenspan said. "I will seek the advice and counsel of a great many. I will scour the country and eventually bring recommended candidates forward to the president." \nGreenspan added that he did not expect to name a candidate until after this year's Final Four.\nDavis, a former IU assistant, was thrust into the limelight after the firing of former coach Bob Knight in 2000. Named immediately as interim head coach, Davis excelled in his first three years at the helm, leading IU to three straight 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2002 national championship game. \nBut Davis was never fully embraced by the IU faithful, and his job status overshadowed his program-building efforts at every turn. \nDavis said Thursday that he never planned on staying in Bloomington for the long haul, and showed a sense of perspective about his meteoric rise to the head coaching spot at one of the nation's proudest programs.\n"I was the assistant basketball coach that has never been a head basketball coach, and my first job is Indiana University," Davis said. "I've said before -- it is unbelievable. If you wrote a movie and that happened, there is no way that an assistant coach could do all of those things and be a head coach at this type of program."\nFan complaints have raged to an all-time high this season, as the Hoosiers began the year with national praise and high expectations, only to suffer a dramatic losing slide. IU has dropped six of its last seven games, and has gradually seen its consistent top-25 ranking and projected NCAA tournament seed fade. \nDavis was the undeniable center of attention Thursday, and he blamed only himself for his departure. He thanked IU fans for the opportunity to direct a program he loves. \n"I just want all of the Indiana fans to know that the things I say are taken out of context sometimes, but I don't say anything with a malice of heart," Davis said. "I speak from my heart, and I want what is best for this basketball program. It is time for Indiana basketball to move forward"