Dan Dakich ignored D.J. White. \nThere were five minutes left in IU’s 72-69 win against Ohio State, and White, who had been battling a stomach virus and the flu over the past couple weeks, signaled for a breather. \n“I just ignored him,” said Dakich, interim coach of the IU men’s basketball team. “I just looked away. I said that to him (Thursday). He goes ‘I knew you saw me. I knew you did.’ But he was hurting.”\nWhite received two IVs after Tuesday’s game against Ohio State and two IVs after last Saturday’s win against Northwestern. \nWhite said he was really drained toward the end of IU’s win against the Buckeyes, but didn’t blame Dakich for keeping him on the floor. \n“We joked about it,” White said during a press conference Thursday. “I was exhausted. I was cramped. I had a cramp in, I think it was my right leg. It was just pulsating and it was hurting. I couldn’t even jump.”\nThe team took Wednesday off and had a light practice Thursday. Dakich and White said the rest should help White recover from his illness before IU travels to Michigan State on Sunday.
D.J. taking Sampson’s resignation the hardest\nFor White, Sampson’s resignation is the second coaching change he’s experienced since arriving in 2004.\nDakich said he thought White, IU’s senior captain and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, was taking the situation harder than any other player “because he’s been through this before.”\n“D.J.’s such a caring guy; he cares about people, circumstances, his teammates, himself and he’s been through it,” Dakich said. “He knows what happens to families.”\nWhite said he still talks to Sampson from time to time.\n“It is one of those things that you grow from and you look back and say, ‘Things in life happen,’” White said. “It’s just part of the journey.”
Gordon struggles\nIU’s leading scorer, freshman guard Eric Gordon, has been in a shooting slump for the past few games. \nDakich said he didn’t believe Gordon was playing poorly. \n“A lot of freshmen hit walls, but not great ones,” Dakich said. “I don’t think he has.”\nThe last time Gordon shot better than 33 percent from the field was in IU’s 80-61 win against Michigan State on Feb. 16. Despite his shooting woes, Gordon has tallied double-digit point totals in every contest since the game against the Spartans. \nDakich said he’s been impressed with Gordon’s contributions, and he pointed to the Ohio State game as evidence. \n“He’s a great player,” Dakich said. “Six rebounds, made some free throws at the end. I’m guessing he sold a little popcorn, probably taught the dance team a few steps. I don’t know, he probably did it all.”
Coaches hit recruiting trail\nDespite the uncertainty surrounding the head coaching position, Dakich said he and assistant coach Ray McCallum went on a recruiting trip Wednesday. \nDakich had been previously barred from recruiting – he inherited sanctions that were assigned to assistant coach Rob Senderoff before he left the program. Since Dakich’s promotion, the sanctions have been reassigned.\nDakich said he and McCallum focused their efforts on the four players that signed letters of intent to play for the Hoosiers next year – Devin Ebanks, Terrell Holloway, Tom Pritchard and Matt Roth. \n“We’re talking to them about Indiana University and the reasons they came here and just let them know the program is on good footing right now,” Dakich said. “We’ve had a great response.”\nDakich said he and IU football coach Bill Lynch have exchanged e-mails about each other’s situation. Lynch’s future was uncertain during last season after filling in for the late Terry Hoeppner.
Taber gets his opportunity\nEver since Kyle Taber made his first start during IU’s 75-63 win against Northwestern on Feb. 3, the junior forward has seen a lot of playing time. \nDakich said Taber’s increased minutes are a direct result of his work ethic. Dakich recalled one time when he saw Taber working on the elliptical machine in the film room. \n“I told him, I said ‘Kyle, if you don’t get an opportunity, I will kiss your bare backside on downtown Kirkwood,’” Dakich said. “‘That’s how sure I am that you’re going to get an opportunity in this whole deal.’ He looked at me, and it was looking kind of tenuous for a while. And it wasn’t really something that I wanted to do. So the night before (his start against Northwestern) … I texted him after our meeting and I said ‘I’m just so glad I don’t have to do what I said I was going to because that would have been no fun for either of us.’”
