It isn’t news that things aren’t going well over at Assembly Hall.
Fingers are being pointed in more directions than the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz could handle as everyone is at odds on many different aspects of the scandal.
So, let’s break this all down toget her.
Firstly, IU Basketball Coach Tom Crean has lost common ground with his team.
It doesn’t take a basketball analyst to see there is discontent between Crean and his players when it comes to relationships off the court, and this event has only proven this.
It’s frequently speculated that it’s common for Crean to end his personal relationships with the players as soon as the recruitment process ends. This leaves them with four years of non-personal interaction and makes it challenging to respect him at the level that is necessary. If the players did have respect for Crean, or really a sense of respect at all, they wouldn’t have gone out drinking and partying the night before a public ?scrimmage.
Which brings us to the next point: This group of players is far too comfortable.
It’s frustrating to see a group of highly privileged individuals take so much for granted on a consistent basis. With 13 players on scholarship, there is at least $325,000 of free education being provided. That’s not to mention the honor of getting to play basketball at a Division I university in one of the most historic and prestigious basketball programs in the nation.
Long story short, the players are provided a free high-quality education and a good amount of national fame and recognition with n othing required in return but the dedication and time investment in playing basketball for this school, and they don’t give it.
Giving up the ability to consistently party on the weekend is the one sacrifice, if you can even call it that, that these players have to make, and they’ve made it perfectly clear they don’t accept it.
However, can you blame them?
Before that statement is taken out of its intended context, let’s break it down for what it really means. Students at IU pride themselves on the national reputation we all have obtained for our partying. We like to say we rage on a different level than any other school in the ?country.
Partying is the culture here on campus, no matter where you live or who you are. Whether you enjoy it and partake in it or not, it’s consistently around you and it’s all too easy to join in. That being the case, it’s only fair to consider the fact that maybe these players don’t see it as strange to be out drinking the night before a basketball event because so many of their peers are out there doing the exact same thing.
The sympathy stops there, though, as we take into consideration that there’s $325,000 at stake. Minimum.
There has to be more intelligence, more respect and more maturity from not just the players but the coaching staff, as well.
If the players feel comfortable enough to blatantly defy rules, regulations and common sense, that comes from a hierarchy full of trouble.
And the players have to start taking responsibility for themselves and understand the gravity of the situation, the privilege and the rarity of getting to be in the position they are.
But the past is past, and it’s time to move on. People make mistakes, and crucifying them fo r it won ’t rectify the issue.
So as the team and staff do their part to better the regrettable situation at Assembly Hall, let’s do our part by filling the stands in the Hall next game and show support for what still is the best school, basketball program and team in the nation. Go, Hoosiers.
