Column: What you might’ve missed

Everyone, even the most serious addicts among ESPN junkies, needs a break from the “armchair quarterback” position sometime. And spring break fills that role perfectly.

While we were spread across the country, partaking in a plethora of festivities, it was a big week for current and future IU athletes. With the spring sports calendar now in full swing, here’s a recap of what happened across the Hoosier sports landscape, as well as what to watch for in the coming weeks.

Cody Latimer named WHIO-TV’s Athlete of the Week

The 2011 Hoosier football signee and Jefferson Township High School (Dayton, Ohio) senior is making noise this spring on the hardwood.
Latimer averages a double-double with 14.8 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. He joins Jay McCants and Shane Wynn as the 2011 IU wide receiver commits.
“He’s a very unselfish young man, and I think all the kids look up to him,” Jefferson Township assistant basketball coach Mark Parker said during an interview with WHIO-TV. “He doesn’t think he’s above everybody else because of the phenomenal athlete he is.”

What to Watch For:

Latimer could find his way if IU football coach Kevin Wilson implements a pro-style (or spread) attack, as the first-year head
coach has said his offensive scheme will adapt to its personnel. If Latimer does see the field, he will add to a deep and experienced receiving core, including sophomores Kofi Hughes and Duwyce Wilson, as well as senior Damarlo Belcher.

IU wrestling finishes 25th at NCAAs

The All-American campaigns of graduate student Ricky Alcala and junior Matt Powless helped earn the Hoosier wrestlers a 25th place finish at the NCAA Championships last weekend in Philadelphia.

Alcala defeated Spencer Myers of Maryland in a 5-4 decision to finish fifth in the heavyweight category. Powless, on the other hand, finished seventh in the 197-pound weight class and is the school’s first ever All-American recipient in that class.

Bloomington natives Paul Young and Kurt Kinser finished their collegiate careers at NCAAs alongside Alcala and Powless.

“Kurt and Paul had great careers, and Matt and Ricky becoming All-Americans was a great cap to the season,” IU coach Duane Goldman said. “Everyone showed a lot of heart and wrestled well.”

Goldman has taken the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championships 19 times in his 19 years as head coach.

What to Watch For:

This one is easy. Watch for IU finishing better at the NCAA Championships next season. The Hoosiers lose only two of the four that competed this weekend to graduation.

Dickerson wins Big Ten Player of the Week

Junior outfielder Alex Dickerson won his first weekly award of the 2011 season and the fourth of his career this past week. The 2010 Big Ten Player of the Year tallied nine RBI and hit .393 during the Hoosiers’ trip to Florida.

During the stretch, IU went 5-3 and played three 10-inning games. Dickerson hit a game-winning home run against UMass on March 16 in the 10th inning.

IU will make its way around the state this week, as the team travels to Ball State on Wednesday and have a home-and-away series against Evansville this weekend.

What to Watch For:

Despite a slow start, Dickerson’s recent success this season has Hoosier fans drooling at the possibility of another Big Ten triple-crown season. The junior already leads the Big Ten in home runs with four and is coming off of a spring break stand that bred a .786 slugging percentage.

— ftherber@indiana.edu