Welcome to Indiana basketball

Congratulations – you have chosen to attend IU, home of one of the top five college basketball programs of all time. Few schools have the tradition and excitement surrounding their basketball teams that we do in Bloomington. Here is a quick introduction to IU basketball with numbers:

5 – number of NCAA championships the Hoosiers have won. Only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (7) have more titles.

8 – number of Final Four appearances for the Hoosiers, seventh-most all-time.

20 – number of Big Ten regular-season championships. Only rival Purdue (21) has more. When your friends from the north bring up this point, remind them that only national championships matter.

These accomplishments have made IU synonymous with top-flight college basketball, but it is the unique traditions of Hoosier basketball that make being an IU fan truly special. You will soon pick up on these.

Players’ names are not on the back of the jerseys because no person, including legendary former coach Bob Knight, is bigger than this program. Our team wears candy-stripe warm-up pants circa 1970. They may seem funny at first, but half of you reading this column will own a pair by graduation. At your first game, you may think it’s weird that everyone in the stadium gets on their feet, claps in unison while the band plays the William Tell Overture and sings the IU fight song. By your second game, you’ll keep staring at the clock waiting for that famous time-out.

IU basketball unites the community: Students, professors and Bloomington residents from various backgrounds come together each November to cheer for the beloved Cream and Crimson. You will soon be swept up in Hoosier Hysteria and learn the storied history of the program – the 1976 undefeated season, Knight’s fiery antics and countless players who made an impact on the team. You will be proud to be a Hoosier.

However, the program is currently in disarray. Last February, Kelvin Sampson resigned as the Hoosiers’ coach following an announcement that he and his staff may have committed major recruiting violations by making impermissible phone calls. Former Hoosier player and assistant coach Dan Dakich assumed the head coaching responsibilities as the once promising season ended in a disappointing first round loss in the NCAA tournament.

The relationship between Dakich and the players, who felt betrayed by the University for forcing out Sampson, was tenuous at best. Dakich dismissed two players from the team, and rumors of major academic problems surrounded the program. Months of uncertainty ended when Marquette University head coach Tom Crean was hired as the new head coach April 1.

The changes with the team did not stop once Crean became head coach. The new Hoosier coach kicked another player off the team and upheld the dismissals of the two players. Another player decided to transfer, leaving only four returning players for the 2008-2009 team.

Crean has filled the gaps in the roster with a five-man recruiting class headlined by top-150 players Nick Williams and Verdell Jones, both guards. Two walk-ons from the Hoosier state will give the team some depth.

As of May, one big question remains unanswered: Will the University receive any additional punishment from the NCAA? You should be able to find out the answer to this question easily, but for now the immediate future is quite uncertain for the Hoosiers.

This could be a tough season for Hoosier fans. As the roster stands now, there will be more losses than wins for IU during your freshman year. Don’t worry, because IU basketball will always be a part of college basketball royalty. Our banners may be dusty, but notice, there are five of them. Hopefully Crean will lead the program to championship No. 6, but have no doubt that he will have IU contending for Big Ten championships and Final Four appearances in a few years.

When asked why he would leave a top-ranked team at Marquette, his response showed why Indiana basketball is so special: “If anybody asks me why, it’s Indiana,” Crean said. “It’s Indiana, and that is the bottom line. That is the premise we’re going to work on here. I grew up in Michigan and spent the last nine years in Wisconsin, but I know what the state of Indiana holds.”

Enjoy your time here at IU cheering on the Hoosiers. Some of my most memorable experiences came at Assembly Hall. I hope the same for you, because starting today, you are part of something special – Indiana University basketball.

And if any of your friends from other schools ask why you are wearing those hideous candy-stripe pants, your answer is simple.

It’s Indiana.