Crean’s ‘Kamikaze Kids’

My high school coach couldn’t cure my inadequacies (I was short and slow), but he sure could coach basketball. Ball movement was his trademark. 

After 60-some years, I can still almost hear him say, “Pass the ball! Pass the ball like it’s a hot potato. No matter that the pass isn’t always progressive. No defense-man or zone can move as fast as that ball moved quick.”

That advice is still valid. It’s too bad that our IU team has seldom heeded it. We Hoosier fans are losing patience with our halting half-court offense.

Too often we see a player at mid-court dribbling away precious seconds on the shot clock. We end up settling for a hurried shot as time runs out. Pass the ball!
Coach Crean’s “Kamikaze Kids” do show promise in between their dribble-drives into holes that don’t exist.

But there are things that need to change at half court. Our players need to adopt a passing mentality as if they could do it in their sleep. If not, next year will likely bear the same result as this year.
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Jerry Gregory, IU Alumnus