On Earl, Rod and A.J.

Earl Calloway, Rod Wilmont and A.J. Ratliff sat on IU's bench for much of the second half during the Hoosiers' 54-51 loss to Duke University Tuesday night.\nCertainly, you'd expect at least some combination of these three to see the floor during crunch time in such a tough nonconference affair.\nSo was IU coach Kelvin Sampson sending a message to the trio?\n"Oh, there was a message," Sampson said Thursday afternoon.\n"I threw five guys out there to start the game, they didn't play very well," Sampson said. "You know, I just didn't see a lot of confidence with that group. ... We competed the second half. You look out there and you've got a walk-on and you've got two freshmen on your perimeter, but it doesn't matter. Those guys played good. That's what matters."\nSampson was referring to the likes of senior Errek Suhr and freshmen Joey Shaw and Armon Bassett. Each played in lieu of Calloway, Wilmont and Ratliff while they rode the pine in Sampson's proverbial doghouse.\nWhat does this all mean for the Hoosiers?\nFirst, let's get a few things straight: This team needs Earl Calloway on the floor. It needs Wilmont out there, too. And Ratliff's defense is essential to Hoosiers' success. \nDuring the NCAA Tournament last season, Calloway was nothing short of spectacular. Same goes for IU's Nov. 13 win against Lafayette College earlier this year. The senior guard scored 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting and had nine assists as well.\nHe's a scorer and leader. His quickness helps, too.\nWilmont is this team's spark plug. He's instant energy any time he's on the court. Rod is IU's Red Bull if you will. He's also a great three-point shooter and the team's most prolific scorer.\nRatliff's offensive prowess isn't quite that of Rod's or Earl's (although the potential seems to be there), but his wingspan gives him an advantage over most opponents he guards.\nAll three need to be an integral part of this team if the Hoosiers expect to be successful this season.\nSome have raised concerns on the Basketblog (by the way, thanks to all that made the live blog a success during the IU-Duke game) that Sampson's philosophy of pulling his players out of a game when they commit mistakes is detrimental to the team. If a player is constantly worrying about screwing up and getting yanked from the game, he'll be too preoccupied with looking over his shoulder at Sampson to play relaxed.\nThe first-year coach seemed to quell that notion Thursday afternoon during a press conference.\n"Making mistakes isn't a crime. It's OK to make mistakes," Sampson said. "But don't repeat it. That's the message you send these kids. And don't get mad at them because they didn't play good. I can't do that. That doesn't help anybody. I spent most of the day yesterday ... Earl came by, Rod came by. They wanna know, 'Coach, what can I do?' You know that's their attitude. They wanna help the team."\nSampson said that all three of them (Calloway, Wilmont and Ratliff) are kids of high character and will respond to his "message."\nSampson also said he expects Calloway to play a lot better in IU's Saturday night matchup with the University of North Carolina-Charlotte at Assembly Hall. \nOnce Calloway, Wilmont and Ratliff start to minimize these mistakes and get back to where they need to be -- and Suhr, Shaw and Bassett continue to impress -- Sampson will have a lot more depth at the guard position. \nThat's a good thing. Options are nice.\nBut first, the trio must respond to their coach's message. Will it happen Saturday night against Charlotte?\nMaybe, maybe not.\nWhenever it does happen, this team will be a lot better for it.