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(04/03/12 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was his turn.Under a veil of darkness, spotlights darted across Branch McCracken Court, where smoke enveloped a familiar figure in red warm-ups.A recording of announcer Gus Johnson came through the loud speakers.“A junior from Oxon Hill, Md., No. 3, MOOOOOO CREEEEEEK”Maurice Creek took a breath, lifted his crutches and made the “walk” toward center court at Hoosier Hysteria 2011, flanked on either side by IU cheerleaders.The reported crowd of 16,100 roared as Johnson’s signature voice gave way to the Jay-Z song “Who Gon’ Stop Me.”I can’t stop ... stop ... stop ... Creek has never played a full season in his IU career. Injury forced him to sit out this year, as the Hoosiers made an unexpected run into the NCAA Tournament. But he persists, trying to contribute in any way he can, while working to make his return. Who gonna stop me, huh?Reaching the point where some of his teammates tried to show off their dance moves, Creek planted his healthy right leg and rhythmically swayed in place — perhaps an attempt to not seem too out of place.Throughout it all, the junior IU guard had a playful smile plastered on his face below black, square-framed glasses.That night, Creek made sure the crutches were the only evidence of his struggle. Bloomington, Oct. 12, 2011Not again.Creek’s freshman year, it was a broken left patella (knee cap) against Bryant 12 games in that sidelined him for the rest of the season.Sophomore year, a stress fracture (small crack) in his right patella forced Creek to sit out IU’s 14 remaining contests.And now, at a press conference, Creek and IU Coach Tom Crean sat behind microphones to announce that the broken — then repaired — guard had again had his season ended.This time, a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg was the culprit. This time, he wouldn’t even get to don a jersey for the season opener.It marked his third major injury in 22 months.“It’s God’s will,” Creek said that day. “He’s given me strength every day. (My teammates) give me strength every day to fight this adversity. They are going to stick by me 100 percent, and I am going to be with them 100 percent. At the end of the day, this is my family. God is part of my family. My family is part of my family. Hoosier Nation is part of my family. That is who is giving me the strength to get through these adversities.”Creek was one of the highlights of Crean’s 2009 recruiting class, a four-star guard out of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia — his fourth institution in a five-year high-school career (he took a prep year at Hargrave).In Bloomington, Creek quickly became one of the highlights of the Hoosiers’ offense, averaging 16.4 points through 12 games, including a 31-point performance against No. 4 Kentucky.But following his injury freshman year, Creek would never be the same.The 6-foot-5-inch guard’s point average was cut in half during his sophomore campaign, as Creek’s field goal percentage dropped 14 percent.With 1:43 left in IU’s game against Michigan on Jan. 15, 2011, in Bloomington, then-freshman guard Victor Oladipo found Creek for a layup to put the Hoosiers up 71-57.He hasn’t recorded a point since.Portland, Ore., March 14, 2012Creek ran to the foul line, caught a pass and hoisted a jumper.Miss.The rehabbing guard with toothpick legs got back in line and ran to the charity stripe at the Rose-Garden Arena in Portland, Ore.Off the mark again.The Hoosiers had an open practice the day before their first NCAA Tournament game, a matchup against New Mexico State.And there he was. Clad in a red penny draped over his gray T-shirt, Creek participated in team drills for the first time known to the media. It was the same name and face that impressed Kentucky Coach John Calipari two seasons ago, but the man had changed. His will and passion were still there, but his body — the vehicle by which he fulfills his dreams — had not returned to what it once was.In the next drill, Creek shot from beyond the arc, where he hit 44.8 percent of his shots freshman year. He cocked his head to the side, as if to try to will the ball into the hoop, but it clanked off the rim, and Creek longingly looked as the ball bounced away.He jogged back, got a high-five from Oladipo and mouthed, “Damn.”Creek has been working tirelessly.Fans and reporters might not be there to see it, but Creek makes the commitment every day to make his return. At 11:24 p.m. March 5, he tweeted a picture of a machine display that tracks shots made and attempted. That night, the screen read 409 shots taken and 369 shots made — 90 percent.“By the way,” he tweeted two minutes later. “(Those were) all threes.”It’s all working toward what Creek hopes will be a reemergence next season.“I’m actually getting stronger everyday,” he said. “Just taking it one step at a time, not trying to rush anything and be ready for next year.”But what is he looking forward to the most?“Just being Maurice Creek again.”Bloomington, March 11, 2012The day had finally arrived.It had been inevitable for a couple months now that the Hoosiers would be going to the NCAA Tournament. This day, in the Henke Hall of Champions within Memorial Stadium’s North End Zone, the dream would become a reality.Creek sat with freshman guard Remy Abell to his left and sophomore forward Jeff Howard to his right. Those at the private watch party waited with the rest of Hoosier Nation across the globe as jittery feet danced and eyeballs darted across a projection screen set to CBS.After waiting for four long years, the Hoosiers heard their name after just six teams were announced.With a pair of bad knees and a torn Achilles tendon, Creek sprung up with the rest of his team in celebration.“I knew we could reach this point,” Creek said that Sunday in March. “Everybody just had to envision that this would be the year, this is the year, that we prove to everybody that we are that team. Why not us?”It was bittersweet. The Hoosiers were going to the NCAA Tournament after a remarkable turnaround season, but Creek, as he had all year, would merely be watching.“To be honest, I still can’t believe it,” Creek said of going to the Big Dance. “Time just flew past, and it’s crazy that we can see our name on our screen and say, ‘Dang, we’re really going to the Dance.’ A big smile came over my face, and I can’t wait to go to Portland.”Portland, Ore., March 17, 2012Oladipo was struggling — badly.The sophomore guard was falling victim to VCU’s trademark HAVOC defense in the Hoosiers’ second game of the NCAA Tournament.Time after time, Oladipo fell back into the same mistakes that plagued him freshman year, when he averaged a turnover every 13 minutes.He, along with the rest of the IU backcourt, were continually losing control of the ball, accumulating 22 turnovers by game’s end. But it was Oladipo who stuck out enough to cause a veteran sportswriter to dub him “The Human Turnover.”The Upper Marlboro, Md., native had committed five turnovers, and there were still about 12 minutes of game time left.Oladipo needed guidance.He looked in the direction of the Indiana bench, but it wasn’t the assistant coaches he was seeking. Rather, Oladipo looked to the teacher — the brother — who was sitting directly behind the IU coaches, in the second row of the Hoosiers’ fan section.There, among a sea of team members’ family, friends and assorted fans was Creek.“It was pretty hard (to sit there), but they knew where to find me,” Creek said. “When they needed guidance, they looked up to where I was and I told them what I could from up there. That’s just what a teammate is all about. We help them out from every angle that we can, and that’s what I did.”Due to NCAA regulations regarding how many players a team may have on its bench, guards Taylor Wayer, Raphael Smith and Creek had to sit in the stands.“I can remember when Vic lost the ball one time and he looked up at me, and I just told him to cuff (control) the ball,” Creek said following IU’s 63-61 victory against VCU. “As he started cuffing the ball, he got to the rim very easily, and nobody took it away from him. He got to the rim on the last play and got fouled, and if you look at the replay, it shows him cuffing the ball.”Oladipo did not commit another turnover following the 11:40 mark of the second half. With 46 seconds to go in the game and IU down 61-60, the speedy 6-foot-5-inch guard sliced into the lane, put up a contested layup, got fouled and made the and-one free throw to tie the game.One Will Sheehey midrange jumper later, the Hoosiers were headed to their first Sweet 16 in a decade.Atlanta, March 23, 2012“LET’S GO!” Creek shouted.Calipari needed a timeout. A layup from junior forward Christian Watford with 3:58 left in the first half put the Hoosiers up two for their first lead of this Sweet 16 matchup since the 17:23 mark.Creek had never been farther from the Hoosiers than this. His designated spot was in the IU cheering section located across from the Kentucky bench.“Why don’t you go with two hands? Two hands, Tom!” he said as senior forward Tom Pritchard missed a one-handed slam with 2:11 left in the first half.Creek was still watching, still coaching, but a part of him had to realize that even his best efforts could only do so much to help the Hoosiers and Oladipo, that fellow Marylander whom he had helped recruit.With 10:26 left in the game, Creek buried his face in his hand as Oladipo picked up his fourth foul. The starting guard had scored all of his 15 points by then, and just like that, about six minutes later, Oladipo fouled out.Creek slammed his hands on the black guardrail in front of him, stood up and began to walk away. He could hardly stand to watch Oladipo walk to a seat on the sidelines, a spot Creek has become all too familiar with during the past three years.“It’s pretty hard,” Creek said of watching Oladipo get in foul trouble. “I know it was even harder for him, and it’s crazy how first you’re playing and then, the next thing you know, you’re on the bench sitting and watching.”Creek reached the second step of the stairs to exit the bleachers when Smith stopped him, and Creek buried his head in his shoulder.With Oladipo out of the game, Kentucky increased its lead. Creek watched helplessly. He stood for much of the remainder of the contest, holding out hope for another comeback, but with 45 seconds left, Wildcat freshman center Anthony Davis hit a pair of free throws to put UK up 100-88.Creek threw his IU jacket to the ground, collapsed into his chair and dropped his head, resting his spread arms on his knees.The final horn sounded, and Creek stood motionless, staring at the IU bench.The hypotheticals were endless.What if Oladipo hadn’t picked up that fifth foul? What if he, Creek, hadn’t torn his Achilles and had been able to be on that floor?Fans began gathering their things and heading toward the exits. An entranced Creek kept staring straight ahead until Wayer tapped him on the shoulder.He began making his way to join his teammates in the locker room.Perhaps next year would be different.***“Why are you writing a story on Maurice Creek?” a fellow student journalist covering IU hoops at a competing news outlet asked me in Atlanta. “He might not even play next season.”It was a valid question.After all, America champions winners. History doesn’t remember injured athletes who never had the opportunity to peak.But Creek’s story — one which is far from finished — deserves to be told. In him, I see internal strength and a drive that can send him wherever he wants to go in life, on or off the hardwood.As I spoke with Creek more and more throughout the NCAA Tournament, I began to see him everywhere I went.A mother stepping onto a public train in Portland. With plain, old clothes, she pushed her handicapped son’s motorized chair up the train’s ramp. He couldn’t have been more than 9 years old.A bathroom attendant in the Charlotte, N.C., airport. An elderly black man with kind eyes who spends his day in the men’s restroom, sweeping the floor and greeting every patron. A tip jar filled with $1 bills and a smattering of loose change is the fruit of a hard day’s work.These are individuals who persist and make the best of the hands they’re dealt despite hardships that they can’t control.“As we said so many times to him, his mother said to him. ‘God doesn’t give you anything that you can’t handle.’ And I think Maurice is living proof of that,” Crean said.I can’t stop.“He’s never going to stop until he reaches his dream,” Oladipo said. “I know Mo, and I know his mentality. I know he wishes everyday he was playing, and I wish everyday he was playing, too. He’s been through so much, and he deserves everything.”Who’s gonna stop me, huh?“I feel like that song makes me stronger every day, and it’s the epitome of what I stand for,” Creek said. “No injury is going to stop me from playing this game, and no injury is going to keep me back from my career. I’m making sure everybody, from the trainers to the players to the coaches, know that these three injuries aren’t going to make my career.”— azaleon@indiana.edu
(03/26/12 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fouls committed2011 — 21.4 per game2012 — 17.5 per game3-point percentage2011 — .3462012 — .431Field goal percentage2011 — .4612012 — .492Free Throws attempted2011 — 19.8 per game2012 — 23.8 per gameFree Throw percentage2011 — 72.6 percent2012 — 76.3 percentAssists2011 — 12.3 per game2012 — 13.5 per gamePoints per game2011 — 69.62012 — 77.3
(03/24/12 12:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>ATLANTA -- Let me tell you a story.It’s a story involving 17 young men, their head coach, his three assistants and a staff to support them.Together, they would become one, shock the nation, restore faith to a historic basketball program and share in one of the most unforgettable experiences of their lives — all in the course of 36 games crammed into 4.5 months.“This team is unbelievable,” junior forward Derek Elston said. “This team is one big family. We’ll get at each other, we’ll go at each other every day, but it’s all in good heart. These guys have worked so hard all year and to fall short like we did today, it just hurts.”An incredible journey ended Friday, as the fourth-seeded Hoosiers fell 102-90 to No.1 Kentucky in the Sweet 16.“It was unbelievable, what this group of guys has accomplished,” Elston said. “We really thought we should be headed to New Orleans. Obviously that didn’t happen, but these guys still feel like that was our goal.”They were never supposed to be this good.Unranked in every preseason poll, IU was bringing back all but one player from an ugly 12-20 season, in addition to a three-man recruiting class highlighted by the anointed savior of the program, Cody Zeller.It was supposed to be enough for a mere step in the right direction. Good enough for the National Invitational Tournament and maybe — just maybe — a return to the Big Dance.The schedule came out and outside of an always-brutal Big Ten schedule, the biggest tests looked to be Butler, NC State, Notre Dame and the sure loss to Kentucky.Indiana would finish its nonconference regular season schedule 13-0. In the Big Ten, Coach Crean’s squad finished fifth with an 11-7 conference record, two games back of first place.For the first time in the program’s history, the Hoosiers defeated three top-5 teams in a single season.“Coming into it, I don’t think people thought we were going to be as good as we were,” sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “We knew we were going to be good, but sometimes I don’t think we knew we were going to be as good as we were.”It was the element of surprise.That is what made this team special. That is what made this team memorable. That is what made the 2011-2012 Hoosiers so enjoyable to watch.Every week, every game was a new adventure. You just never knew if the Hoosiers would make you fall in love with them, as they did in wins against the Big Ten’s best, or leave you crestfallen in puzzling defeats against Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa.In hindsight, expectations were so low — and justifiably realistic — for the Hoosiers to start the year, that this entire season has been one big surpassed expectation.How did this happen? Sure, Zeller made a huge difference, but every player improved and showed the country that IU could return to greatness with the pieces it already had.What changed all of a sudden?“The togetherness,” Oladipo answered. “The togetherness of this team is amazing. I’m not saying other teams in the past weren’t as together, but this team right here — we’re inseparable. We’ve just grown so much together. We love each other to death.”Senior forward Kory Barnett said putting in the hours ultimately paid dividends.“All along, we knew that we were the hardest working team,” Barnett said. “Many people doubted us, maybe the media was against us, but as a team, we knew we worked harder than anybody else in the entire nation. We expected to be the last ones standing because the hardest workers should be there, but it’s not always that way.”No, Friday, the story didn’t have a fairytale ending.In a college basketball world becoming increasingly polluted with student-athletes playing a season in college that acts as a one-year stepping stone to big bucks in the NBA, the Hoosiers were a story you could get behind.This was a group of young men, battered and beaten by three years of losing and injuries, who were genuinely playing for the name on the front of the jersey. Except for their star freshman, whose future remains full of opportunities, these Hoosiers has no intention of leaving school because, frankly, they weren’t talented enough to leave.But that’s what made their climb all the more compelling.“There's no doubt that there's some great lessons for our team all year long, but the biggest one is that the more that you stick with it, the harder you work, the more extra you do, the more you persevere, great things can happen,” Crean said Thursday.After losing to Kentucky, sophomore forward Will Sheehey sat on a chair in front of his locker, located in a far corner. His back leaned forward and simply stared into the plain grey wall to his left.The answers wouldn’t be there.There he couldn’t find out why the Hoosiers had scored more points against Kentucky then any other team has this season … and still lost.Or why IU gave up 102 points to a team that normally averages 77. The only team that came close to scoring that many points on the Hoosiers was Iowa, which racked up 89 in a loss.Even more perplexing, how did the Wildcats knock down 35-of-37 free throws, the highest percentage (94.6) in an NCAA Tournament game for any team with at least 30 foul shot attempts?Sheehey or any of the other Hoosiers in that locker room, who shared welled-up eyes matching the red of their jerseys, wouldn’t be able to find any easy answers about what had just occurred in the Georgia Dome.The short-term was hazy, but what this group had done in the long run, was crystal clear.“We were the foundation,” Barnett said. “For the rest of my life, we’re always going to have that — that we were the foundation that was set here for Coach Crean, for this team and hopefully for the future for many banners and wins to come. To be those five, we were blessed. It didn’t always seem that way, but I’m proud of all these guys. I’m proud of what we’ve done. I’m proud of what we’ve given.”Next season, IU will be more talented. They’ll go from frequently picked-against underdog, to a probable top-10 preseason ranking. Winning will be expected, and because of that, it just won’t be the same.“We might do better next year, but you always remember this team and what we’ve done to bring this program back,” Elston said. The media is often charged with conjuring up a name by which history can refer to memorable teams or seasons, but this time, I think our work has already been done for us.“I think it will be the resurrection season,” Elston said. “I think that might be the title it ends up going down in.”
(03/23/12 3:13am)
It’s March, and anything can happen. Not one perfect bracket has been filled out this year.
(03/19/12 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Virginia Commonwealth Coach Shaka Smart took a seat next to me on press row in Portland, Ore.The Hoosiers were battling New Mexico State in the second half, and junior guard Jordan Hulls pulled up for a pure jumper, two of his game-high 22 points.“Wow,” I muttered under my breath, but loud enough so the up-and-coming coach could hear.“Yeah,” Smart responded. “He can really shoot the lights out.”For the small amount of time left in the game, we exchanged small observations. And by we, I mean I contently listened and agreed when he spoke, as to not risk saying something stupid — an inevitability when I normally open my mouth.As the game wound down, I finally attempted to contribute to the conversation.“Yeah, I guess it all comes down to survive and advance,” I said.Smart, who would ironically lose on that same court in two days, agreed.“Exactly,” he said.That’s what being in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament means. From now until the end of the season, throw out the regular season defeats that should have never happened ... ahem, looking at you, 70-69 loss at Nebraska. Throw out the conference awards that never came to fruition — Crean isn’t Big Ten Coach of the Year? Really?In the season that really matters, the Hoosiers are 2-0.Think I’m downplaying the regular season too much?Ask the Michigan seniors how they feel right now. Sure, they won a share of the Big Ten regular season crown for the first time since 1986, a great accomplishment for a great team.But you know what the Wolverines, including co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year Trey Burke, are doing right now? Watching the Big Dance from home because they lost in the first round to 13th-seeded Ohio.Ah yes, the mighty Bobcats out of the MAC, who lost to teams such as Bowling Green (16-16), Toledo (19-17) and Eastern Michigan (14-18).I can only speak for myself, but I’d take a Sweet 16 berth and run in the NCAA Tournament over a three-way tie for the Big Ten Championship any day.“Did we have days where we wondered if we would get to this point?” IU Coach Tom Crean said Saturday following the Hoosiers’ victory against VCU. “I would look back at this and say that there were a lot of disappointments, but nobody in our program that’s with us to this point ever got discouraged. And there’s a huge difference between disappointment and discouragement.”There’s just something about getting past the Big Dance’s opening weekend.The first two rounds are hard and fast: arrive, practice, play, win, a day in between for preparation, play again and then go home with either a final period or comma in your season’s story.After IU edged out a win Saturday, sophomore forward Will Sheehey, who hit the eventual game-winning shot with 12.7 seconds left, said advancing to the Sweet 16 is a big step toward bringing the Hoosiers back into the national picture."I know everyone watches March Madness and whatnot,” he said. “We might do it a lot for the fans, but really it’s for our guys in this program. We have seniors on the squad, Verdell (Jones III), who can’t play with us, but we play for those guys, and they’ve been through it all.”After senior guard Jones went down with a career-ending ACL tear against Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, I was worried.I was worried how this IU team would respond, whether they would fold minus a senior leader or rise to the occasion and overcome adversity.Well, after a convincing 79-66 win against New Mexico State and a valiant comeback to advance past VCU, it’s clear the Hoosiers have answered the call.“It’s been a constant grind for us ever since the end of last year,” said junior forward Christian Watford, who has averaged 15 points in the NCAA Tournament. “We’ve been working hard, and we did a great job with adversity, and it feels great to be in this position.”It’s March Madness.On Friday, Norfolk State beat popular Final Four pick Missouri, and, not to be outdone, Lehigh defeated Duke in another 15-2 upset.I officially have no idea what the hell is going on in this tournament anymore.It doesn’t matter what seed you are: Any given team on any given day can go down.Next up for the Hoosiers is a rematch with Kentucky on Friday.And who knows? Maybe the glass slipper goes well with candy stripes.— azaleon@indiana.edu
(03/18/12 11:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>PORTLAND, Ore. -- Where were you when ___?The question is reserved for only the most marquee moments in a person’s lifetime.Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated? When the Twin Towers fell? When your child said its first words?We place little bookmarks in our heads when something happens that will change our lives forever.“It was a Thursday, I believe,” IU Coach Tom Crean said as he tried to recall the day he learned freshman forward Cody Zeller had decided to play for the Hoosiers. “I'd gone to get some breakfast and I made a call to his father. And it was, on my part, it was somewhat emotional. I said I don't know how this is going to turn out, I know I hope it turns out.”I would say things have turned out pretty well for the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year, who scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in IU’s 63-61 victory against VCU Saturday.“I was at a Mexican restaurant in Tipton with a bunch of my friends for lunch,” said freshman guard Austin Etherington, who was the first member of this season’s freshman class to commit to IU and helped spearhead the effort to recruit Zeller. “He texted me right before he made the announcement.”Meanwhile, about 95 miles south of Tipton, the Hoosiers were about to start practice in Bloomington when Zeller, wearing a plain grey UnderArmour sweatshirt, stepped up to a podium at Washington High School’s Hatchet House and broadcasted his college decision on camera.“I was sitting in a locker room, watching it on a computer before practice,” senior guard Matt Roth said. “It was a cool moment, but at the same time we knew at that point in time, there was nothing that was going to change until he got here. It was a big moment for the program.”Junior forward Derek Elston remembered the good news waning into a less than desirable practice, which occurred just two days before IU’s regular season opener against Howard.“I was on the court and Coach Crean was walking through — we had just started practice — and Coach Crean or Kory (Barnett) said he committed,” Elston said. “Coach Crean was happy as ever. It was actually one of the toughest practices we had been through just because he knew Cody was coming next year.”I was in the back row of a public relations class lecture in Ernie Pyle Hall, watching the decision on my laptop with a friend. Each of us with listened with an ear bud, as Zeller uttered two letters — “IU” — that would drastically change the course of Indiana basketball.We all remember Thursday, November 11, 2010 because of the basketball player, and the person, that Crean was able to nab from North Carolina and Butler.Maybe it wasn’t as clear then what Zeller could do on the box score and — perhaps more importantly — in the win column. But now that the Hoosiers have advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in a decade, there is no doubt that Zeller has been one of the biggest catalysts to IU’s present and future success.“The opportunities for him are endless,” Elston said. “We knew Cody was going to be a huge part of this team coming in. I don’t know if anybody though he was going to have this big of an impact.”Three wins over top-five ranked teams, finishing in the top half of the Big Ten, making a run into the NCAA Tournament (heck, even being selected for the damn thing), garnering one of the best recruiting classes in the nation for next year –none of it happens if Zeller says another school’s name that Thursday.That’s not to discredit the Hoosiers who have improved vastly this season because this magical run has not been a one-man show.But the numbers show why the addition of Zeller has been so crucial.Zeller is leading the Hoosiers in points and rebounds this year, averaging 15.5 and 6.5 per game, respectively. Against New Mexico State Thursday, he had a team high in assists (4), rebounds (6) and set a NCAA Tournament record for Big Ten players with six steals. And again Saturday, it was Zeller stepping up when the Hoosiers needed him the most, scoring four of IU’s nine points in the final 2:55 to seal a comeback win.“We gave [Zeller] the ball and we cleared out and we told him, ‘get us in the bonus and get some buckets for us,’” senior forward Christian Watford said of the teams’ strategy towards the end of Saturday’s win.In the Hoosiers’ two NCAA Tournament victories, Zeller has averaged nearly a double-double with 15 points and 9.5 rebounds a game.“It means a lot,” Zeller said. “This is why I came here, to play in big games like this. Everybody dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament and close games like that, making the steps toward the National Championship and it’s definitely been a fun year for me.”Until tonight, I had never written a column on Cody Zeller.Sure, he has had huge performances, but those feats just never took me by surprise. I like to look for the player who comes out of nowhere to make a big difference for their team. But Zeller keying an IU victory by scoring in double figures? That’s not news –he’s scored at least 10 points in 31 of 35 games this season.And the fact that Hoosier Nation and I expect this level of consistency and actually receive it from a freshman is incredible.Zeller’s success this early in his college career not only draws the ire of frustrated opponents, but excitement for the future from those watching him.“He’s just so determined to getter better at every aspect of his game,” Roth said. “That’s not something that should surprise you at this level, but a kid as talented as him and the diversity that he wants to add to his game, it’s unbelievable.”The coach who faced Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State, Kansas and Butler in the NCAA Tournament last year shared a comparison that speaks volumes.“He's as good as any big kid that we've played in the three years I've been at VCU,” Rams Coach Shaka Smart said Friday. “And the scary thing is he's only a freshman. His future is extremely bright. He's going to do terrific things at Indiana and beyond.”Cody Zeller stepped to the foul line to shoot two free throws with 1:31 to go until another signature, but not surprising, Shaka Smart-authored upset.The Hoosiers were down 61-57. A spirited VCU Pep Band stationed behind the basket ferociously chanted “miss, miss, miss,” pointing at the 6-foot-11 freshman. The weight of an entire basketball program and its fans rested up Zeller’s shoulders, as it has all year.The 19-year-old kid from Washington, Ind., who seamlessly juggles endless media attention, the heavy workload for a directly admitted student at the Kelley School of Business and the experience of being a freshman in college, did what he has been doing all season:He did not disappoint.
(03/17/12 2:56am)
Tonight the Hoosiers will take on a VCU team unlike any foe they have
faced in conference play. The Rams pride themselves on a defense that
has recorded the most steals in Division I, including the eight they
forced in a 62-59 win against Wichita State Thursday.
(03/16/12 8:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>PORTLAND, Ore. -- With the clock showing straight zeros and his team victorious, IU Coach Tom Crean walked out onto the court at Rose-Garden Arena.He looked into a section of red, the bright lights reflecting off his glasses, and was able to look back – albeit briefly.“I think when I look up at the crowd and catch a glimpse of my family, our families, I've got some good friends here, Tony La Russa and Dick Strong, I catch a glimpse of them and I think then it hits you just for a brief moment that this is really, really special,” Crean said. “It really is. We've been through so much to get to this point that it's hard to spend a lot of time reflecting on it.”Read the headlines.Syracuse forward Fab Melo is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because of poor academics.As first-year Missouri Coach Frank Haith leads his second-seeded Tigers deeper into March, three of his former student-athletes at Miami have served suspensions for being caught in the web left by booster Nevin Shapiro.A recent Sports Illustrated article collected testimonies from former UCLA players and staff members that suggest coach Ben Howland has created an atmosphere void of discipline leading to drug and alcohol use.Kentucky Coach John Calipari’s Wildcats are the favorites to win it all this year with a trio of freshman unlikely to stay in school and earn a college degree.There’s winning, and then there’s winning the right way – the Indiana way.IU’s 79-66 victory over New Mexico State Thursday was a solidifying reminder for me that Crean, whose contract still has six years left on it, is the man to heal Indiana basketball.Healing is what this program needed.I’m not sure IU basketball will ever be “back.” “Back” to me implies dominance that only the second-winningest coach in NCAA Division I history could bring. Those years of success, while maintaining morality, are gone from college basketball and I don’t think they will ever return for any program.No, the Hoosiers didn’t need to be “back,” they needed to be healed.The school, fan base and team needed somebody to take a chance on an ill program decayed by uncharacteristic cheating. Doing things the Indiana way came first and the winning could wait.“We've all learned a great deal,” Crean said. “Everybody is better. It didn't seem like it at the time, but everybody is better for what we had to endure.”Crean has run a clean program in which his student-athletes are graduating and staying out of trouble.These priorities are laid out first and foremost in his contract.Right there, in Article II, Section A, entitled “General Duties and Responsibilities.”Item No.1, “Loyalty and Best Efforts”: The Employee shall act with honesty and sportsmanship at all times. The Employee recognizes that his actions are a direct reflection on the University, its athletic program and other individuals associated with the University, and he shall represent the University with honor and dignity…”Immediately after follows a hefty second item entitled, “Rules Compliance.”There is no mention of banners, All-Americans or five-star recruits.Yes, IU’s wins this season are big, but the lasting foundation Crean has built might be even more paramount. The fourth-year head coach has implemented a system and a culture that brings in and develops young men –something that will be much more valuable in life than a jump shot.“I look at Verdell Jones and I look at the selflessness of him,” Crean said. “Looking at all he's done as a player and all the points he scored to be like a coach for me tonight, for us tonight, and to be talking to Remy and Jordan and to be emphatic with things that he sees. I can reflect on that.”I fear the allegations will continue to mar the pristine reputations of blueblood basketball programs in the coming years.And for that, it was sort of a blessing in disguise for IU to receive such a violent wake-up call four years ago.The X-ray that revealed a cancer within the IU basketball program allowed the University to extract it before things got worse. Now, the Hoosiers have gone through the recovery period and appear to be healed.We’ll measure him by his success in the record books, but what Crean has done for this program extends far beyond the final score.
(03/15/12 4:57am)
New Mexico State really has nothing to lose. It's the classic NCAA
Tournament storyline of big-time program plays favorite to little known
school playing with a chip on its shoulder.
(03/12/12 5:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I-N-D-I-A-N-A.The letters appeared next to a “4” on a large projection screen Sunday in the Henke Hall of Champions, located in Memorial Stadium’s North End Zone. One IU basketball family took in the Selection Sunday announcement with differing perspectives.The head coach was already familiar with the experience. IU Coach Tom Crean had led Marquette to five NCAA Tournament appearances. There, it had become commonplace to get to the Big Dance – perhaps for Crean it was an expected honor that he had grown numb to. “When you're there, like we were at Marquette the last three years, you kind of almost take it for granted and I didn't want to miss that,” he said.But this year was different. This season, Crean was taking a squad projected by many to hit their glass ceiling at the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), to not just the Bubble of an NCAA Tournament berth, but making it a certainty.He was helping give a group of young men their first chance to head to the Big Dance, the chance to fulfill a dream. “Every one of them, no matter what age they started watching, they remember [the selection show] and now they will always have this to remember,” Crean said.For now and the rest of their lives, these Hoosiers will always have that moment. The instant they heard their school’s name announced, a reaction that was filmed and broadcast nationally, is a memory nobody will ever be able to take away from them. “I just said 'Thank you God,'” freshman guard Remy Abell said. “I'm lucky to be part of this team. It shows that hard works pays off. We've worked so hard to get to this point, and it feels great."But making the Tournament is not enough. Yes, this is a great accomplishment and, as I emphasized, one to remember forever. However, forever is a long ways away. For the present, these student-athletes know they have a game to win and a tournament to conquer.This is not the end of the journey. Rather, it could be the beginning of one. I’ve seen this IU team play at its best. I know what it’s capable of and I know it can do better than just making the Big Dance.If the Hoosiers lose in the first round it will be a disappointment. It’ll cap an incredible ride with an underwhelming finish. I have come to expect more from the Hoosiers and know they can advance past the first round, advancing past the second round and … well, let’s just keep it there for now. Sunday night’s viewing party was a cause for celebration. Monday morning will be a return to working towards a mission.“"It's a great feeling, it's one we'll probably reflect upon a lot more when the season's over,” Crean said. “But right now it's still very much a work mode."
(03/09/12 11:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On to Selection Sunday.The Hoosiers ran into one of two Big Ten teams it has not beaten this season and lost in a way nobody expected, as IU fell 79-71 against Wisconsin.It concludes a Big Ten Tournament in which IU lost a senior leader and picked up a win against Penn State that will hardly be a blip on their NCAA Tournament resume.So much for home, sweet home.IU Coach Tom Crean’s team leaves Indianapolis having lost much more than it gained.But an adage comes to mind, an adage that junior guard Jordan Hulls has said enough times this season to rival his made free throws total.“One game at a time.”The Hoosiers aren’t looking back.In the past three years, this loss would have marked the end of the season. But there’s still basketball to be played, and IU still has basketball left in them.Wisconsin senior guard Rob Wilson just lit up the Hoosiers for 30 points on 11-16 shooting from the field and 7-of-10 shooting from long range. Some of those baskets were wide open, some were not.“That wasn’t luck,” Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan said. “He was open.”A lot of Badgers must have been open, as Wisconsin shot 13-of-26 from beyond the arc, including 54.5 percent from three in the second half.Lesson: Close out on shooters more quickly and don’t allow one player to single-handedly destroy your zone from the perimeter. Oh, and if possible, make sure an opposing player who averages 3.1 points per game doesn’t sell his soul to hit the same amount of 3-pointers against you, that he accumulated his sophomore year.“We played hard,” freshman guard Jordan Hulls said. “But we have to play a lot smarter.”Use this shortcoming to learn and move on.There’s a reason Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team IU has gone 0-2 against this season.Jared Berggren, Wisconsin’s physical 6-foot-11, 230-pound forward limited IU freshman forward to seven points and three rebounds in the Hoosiers’ loss in Madison. Friday, Zeller tied a team-high with 17 points, but grabbed a single rebound, while Berggren countered with 16 points and nine boards.Lesson: Your leading scorer does not matchup well with the Badgers, hope that a rematch with Wisconsin does not happen in the NCAA Tournament and move on.An encouraging sign for the Hoosiers that had to somehow find its way into this column was the play of freshman guard Remy Abell.Without IU senior guard Verdell Jones, who is lost for the year with an ACL tear suffered Thursday against Penn State, Abell needed to step forward as the Hoosiers new, first guard option off the bench. Friday, he played 15 minutes with no turnovers, shot 2-of-3 from the field and grabbed a pair of rebounds.Jones’ absence prompted Hulls to recite another adage that he said the team has used all season, “next man up.”It’s about adapting to the circumstances, no matter how big or small the adversity is.Next up for the Hoosiers is the NCAA Tournament.On Sunday, Crean and his team will learn where they are destined to play in the first round of the Big Dance.“You have to earn your way in that door,” Crean said. “That is a tough door to get in. The room gets a little smaller once you get in, and that’s where you don’t want to beat yourself.”It’s time to look toward the ultimate goal.IU still doesn’t have a Big Ten Tournament Title, but I don’ think Assembly Hall would hang individual banners for those.The Wisconsin loss is in the past.
(03/09/12 4:54am)
What formula should the Hoosiers follow for a Big Ten victory?
(03/09/12 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Not the wheelchair.Screaming in agony, his right leg useless, Verdell Jones III had one request. Not that wheelchair.With 5:46 to go in the first half, the senior guard was leading a fast break down the court when Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall stepped up to defend him. Jones stopped at the foul line, and with his left foot planted, rose up with the ball and immediately felt pain.The ball bounced innocently beside him as Jones held his right knee with his right hand and used his left to support the fall. His face showed his pain.Jones helplessly laid down for three years as the opposition walked all over him and the Hoosiers.This time, though, he couldn’t get up.“When a guy like that, who does so much for your team, goes down like that, it’s real heartbreaking,” freshman guard Austin Etherington said. “He’s an amazing brother to all of us.”Alone on the court, Jones curled up in a ball, holding his injured knee until the team trainers arrived to assist him. The crowd — made up mostly of IU fans — watched in silence. A wheelchair was brought out, its empty seat beckoning the fallen senior to finally retire.Jones sat up, a small sign of life that brought cheers from the crowd.Etherington and senior forward Kory Barnett rushed to help their fallen brother.“Once I saw him go down, it wasn’t a question,” Barnett said. “I wanted to go out there and help him and pick him up.”With one arm draped over Barnett to his right, and the other over Etherington to his left, Jones hobbled off the court, careful to not put pressure on his right side.The foreboding wheelchair waited for him in the tunnel.“He didn’t really say anything,” Etherington said of Jones. “He just said he didn’t want to be in the wheelchair. He didn’t want a wheelchair. He wanted to go off the court on his own.”Maybe Jones wasn’t doing what was best for him. Maybe he was being stubborn. But he was being the man who has gotten him to this point in an embattled college career.“It’s a sign of toughness,” Etherington said.As Jones was toughing out what is officially being called a right knee sprain the rest of his “brothers” and their paternal figure were sharing his pain.“It’s tough,” Barnett said. “Just as a senior, being with him as a roommate for three years, I love the kid. I’ve seen him go through so much. He’s matured so much, and to go down like that in a game like this — we’re just praying for him.”IU Coach Tom Crean doesn’t cry.He didn’t after upsetting the No. 1 team in the country, and he didn’t throughout a six-win season.But following Thursday’s game, in a postgame interview with the Big Ten Network, Crean’s emotions came out.While talking about being stagnant in the second half during the interview, you could hear the pain starting to creep up into Crean’s throat, as he spoke about Jones and his prognosis.“It’s not good,” he said.The IU coach continued at the postgame press conference.“Just watching him in pain, that’s hard,” Crean said. “It’s like there’s no worse feeling than when your own children are sick or hurt, and it’s really a lot like that when you coach.”The Hoosiers are wandering into unchartered territory.Never before in the Crean era have they won a postseason game, and now IU is poised to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament before tackling its first NCAA Tournament berth with Crean at the helm.And unfortunately, I think this journey will be without a healthy Jones.No official word has been given on his injury or return beyond that the injury is a sprained right knee — a ligament tear by definition.But seeing the suffering on Jones’ face and his inability to walk, I think he has played his last game in an Indiana uniform.The Hoosiers will not continue this climb without their senior leader, as I’m sure he will still be a presence on the sidelines.But it won’t be the same without the depth and leadership on the court.“I could feel it, when he’s not in there,” Crean said.Jones eventually succumbed to the wheelchair, sitting in it as he entered the tunnel and Etherington and Barnett returned to the court.“It’s unbelievably painful for him and his family,” Barnett said. “How hard he’s fought, it’s not fair.”In his last season, Jones is finally on a team that has a legitimate chance to cut down the nets.But even if the Hoosiers reach that point, Jones might not even be able to walk up the ladder to get to them.
(03/08/12 4:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WHO Penn State (12-19, 4-14)WHAT First-round game of the Big Ten TournamentWHEN About 2 p.m. todayWHERE Bankers Life FieldhouseHOW Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson, Shon Morris, Lisa Byington), IU Radio Network, live audio on IUHoosiers.comScouting Penn StateHead coach Patrick Chambers, first seasonLeading scorer Junior guard Tim Frazier, 18.6 ppgLeading rebounder Junior guard Tim Frazier, 4.8 rpgBest win against Purdue, 65-45Worst loss against Lafayette, 61-57What they do well Not sure if this counts, but Tim Frazier. Frazier is the second-leading scorer in the Big Ten as well as the conference’s assist leader, averaging 6.3 per game.What needs work Field goal percentage. The Nittany Lions’ 39.4 shooting percentage is the worst in the Big Ten and 328th among 344 Division I schools.Projected startersIndianaG Jordan Hulls 11.1 points per gameG Victor Oladipo 11.2F Will Sheehey 8.7F Christian Watford 11.8F Cody Zeller 15.4Penn StateG Jermaine Marshall 10.9 points per gameG Tim Frazier 18.6G Matt Glover 2.8F Ross Travis 4.4F Jon Graham 4.0My takeThis game is IU’s to lose. By defeating Purdue, the Hoosiers earned fifth place in the Big Ten and a matchup with the last place Nittany Lions in the first round of the conference tournament.IU has never won the Big Ten Tournament since its creation in 1998. The first step toward conquering that feat starts this afternoon against a transitioning Penn State squad that gave the Hoosiers a scare in January. Had it not been for IU junior guard Jordan Hulls and senior guard Matt Roth shooting a combined 12-15 from beyond the arc, the Hoosiers might have been given their worst loss of the season. Despite a halftime deficit in the second matchup, IU predictably cruised in Bloomington 73-54.This Penn State team reflects its new head coach, Pat Chambers. The Nittany Lions are scrappy, play with a lot of emotion and like being the aggressor. Coincidentally, they have committed the most fouls of any Big Ten team.But it all comes back to All-Big Ten selection Tim Frazier. The junior guard has scored 30 percent of Penn State’s average points per game this season and has scored in double figures in 21-straight games dating back to Dec. 7, 2011.Although IU has had a nasty habit of playing down to inferior opponents with losses against Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota, a pro-IU crowd in attendance should help the Hoosiers cruise to a victory.
(03/07/12 5:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In one of the most surprising regular seasons of all time, which of IU’s 24 wins sticks out the most? Below, five of those wins are ranked not by which were most important to the Hoosiers’ tournament résumé, but by which meant the most to the program and the season.1. University of Kentucky 12/10/2011This is how we knew this season would be different. It’s hard to believe IU would have gone on this magical run if Watford’s shot rimmed out. At the time, the Hoosiers were unranked and had a week to prepare for a Kentucky game that had a different feel to it because this time, there was actually a chance IU could upset the No. 1 team in the country.Sure enough, five Hoosiers scored in double figures while National Player of the Year candidate Anthony Davis was limited to just six points as IU handed the Wildcats their only loss of the regular season.2. At Purdue 2/4/2012On the surface, a 20th-ranked IU squad beating a mediocre Purdue team does not merit this No. 2 ranking. But this was about beating a team they are expected to beat.IU’s 78-61 win at Purdue was one of the major indicators that Hoosier basketball was back to normal. It was IU Coach Tom Crean’s first win against the Boilermakers, sealed a sweep of basketball programs in Indiana and proved the Hoosiers could win on the road in the Big Ten after dropping four straight conference road contests leading up to that point — IU’s first win in Mackey Arena since 2006.3. At North Carolina State University 11/30/2011Before IU beat any ranked team, before the NCAA Tournament was an inevitable reality, there was the victory at NC State. I didn’t fully understand the importance of this win until interviewing the IU seniors, who, in separate interviews, almost all agreed this win was when they knew this season would be different.The Wolfpack was IU’s first real test, as the Hoosiers faced a major conference school far from the confines of Assembly Hall. Down by five with 6:36 remaining in a tight game, IU fought back and hung onto a slim lead to close out the game — something Crean’s past three teams would not have been able to do.4. Michigan State University 2/28/2012This win proved there was still some fuel left in the tank.Did I say some fuel? I meant a lot more fuel.The high of the Purdue win was fading, and the Hoosiers had not recorded a win against a ranked opponent since beating Michigan on Jan. 5 — 15 games ago. I was skeptical the same team that beat Kentucky and OSU could appear.Well, the Hoosiers answered the call, snapping the then-No. 5 Spartans’ seven-game win streak, crushing Michigan State by 15 points. This team had not lost a step and was poised to make a run into March.5. Ohio State University 12/31/2011Was the monumental win against Kentucky a fluke?After a deflating loss at Michigan State, which gave IU it’s first loss of the season, the Hoosiers had to face then-No. 2 Ohio State on New Year’s Eve at home. The students would not be in Assembly Hall, and the Buckeyes looked to be one of the best teams in the country.Well, the Hoosiers proved they were for real with a 74-70 victory on top of a 17-point performance from junior guard Jordan Hulls. IU was just 14 games into its seasons and had already defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.
(03/05/12 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I flung open the Assembly Hall doors and ran inside.A stocked trophy case and wall of illustrated IU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees lay before me, but at that moment, they were secondary to what I heard going on inside.The sound of bouncing basketballs, whistles and barking head coaches grew louder as I approached a pair of closed, big, black doors.It was my first time in Bloomington, when I was on my campus visit during the winter of 2007.I had seen IU games on television, read about the mystique within this historic building, and now I was here, and right behind those doors was an actual Indiana basketball practice.I pulled on the doors. Locked.Determined, I ran up that crimson rubber ramp and was again denied, a lock and chains on the door mocking me.Again, the sounds of basketball history teased me, telling me that I’d need to enroll at IU in the fall to get into this Hallowed Hall of college hoops.There was a game being played in that arena Sunday — an 85-74 IU victory against Purdue — that seemed to be over all too quickly.For myself, five IU basketball players and the seniors in the stands, it was our last game as students in Assembly Hall.I tried to watch every play in slow motion, a desperate and fruitless attempt to make the game last longer. Every Matt Roth 3-pointer, Cody Zeller dunk and Jordan Hulls assist.I didn’t want it to end.But it did.The final buzzer sounded, and just like that, four years of Indiana basketball in Assembly Hall were gone, and I could never get them back.Sure, I hope to one day return to this magical place as an alumnus and watch basketball in its purest form from the “old people” sections of Assembly Hall.But who will stand with me? Who else will belt out the chorus of “Sweet Caroline” or shout “LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT! RIGHT!” as an opponent makes his way to a seat on the bench?“SIT DOWNNNN!”When I find my seat, Gumby won’t be to the left of me and Buzz Lightyear to the right.Not being able to be in the student section is one thing, but the reality that I won’t be at every home game next season is another.No more Martha the Mop Lady, no more Chuck Crabb letting me know, “It’s Indiana basketball time.” When U2’s “Where the Streets have No Name” comes on the radio or my iPod, it just won’t be the same. No more “William Tell Overture” played by the pure sound of the Big Red Basketball Band — something no set of speakers can replace.For many years, I’ll probably be watching the Hoosiers play while in my candy stripe pants from a couch at home.But it won’t be the same. You can’t just watch Indiana basketball. You have to experience it.I’ve been to other Big Ten venues, and there is something about Assembly Hall.After I’m done writing this column, I’m going to make the short walk from the Assembly Hall pressroom to Branch McCracken Court. I’ll probably walk up to one of the seats I once occupied as a student in the past three years and sit, look out onto the floor and replay all the memories I saw take place, like when Tijan Jobe was carried onto the court on a surfboard by his teammates freshman year at Hoosier Hysteria or when Maurice Creek’s teammates stared in horror as the freshman guard went down, grabbing his knee against Bryant my sophomore year.I’ll want to stay in that seat forever.But at some point, the lights in Assembly Hall will turn off, and I’ll have to make my way home.When the door closes behind me, it won’t be a lock and chains keeping me out this time. It’ll be the clock.— azaleon@indiana.edu
(03/05/12 4:54am)
Columnist Avi Zaleon shares his thoughts on which teams have the most to gain and the most to lose during the Big Ten Tournament.
(03/02/12 5:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Part IV of IVVerdell Jones III knew it all along.The victories, the return and the redemption — it would all happen at some point.“I saw the vision that Coach (Tom) Crean had,” he said. “I saw where this program could go from the time I was coming in. I saw us working hard every day, so I knew that it had to change. I knew that we were going to win sooner or later. There’s just no way if you work that hard every day and put in the sacrifices that we did, it would continue to be the same.”Jones III and the IU seniors have paid their dues. Now they’re seeing the results.No longer the doormat of the Big Ten and their rivals, the Hoosiers have defeated the top three teams in the conference this season, in addition to perennial rivals Kentucky, Illinois and Purdue.“The past three years, everybody took their jabs at us,” Jones said. “‘Indiana’s down, let’s kick ‘em while they’re down,’ and this year, we’re getting a little payback.”In their freshman year, these seniors were spanked by 18 points in Rupp Arena.The following season, John Wall and the ‘Cats put on a show for the crowd at Assembly Hall on their way to 17-point win.Kentucky wiped its feet on the Hoosiers in last year’s installment of the annual rivalry to the tune of a 19-point victory.Jones said he remembers the losses being worse than they were, but I’m sure the revenge was just that much sweeter.“It’s supposed to be the best team that Calipari’s had,” he said. “For us to beat them and compete with Ohio State and beat Michigan State, who’s supposed to be a Final Four team this year, it just feels good to finally beat the teams that we haven’t been able to beat.”Do not dare define this senior class by its struggles.True, this season is an incredible story because of the unprecedented improvement that has occurred. If the night is darkest just before the dawn, then the Hoosiers went to sleep in an underwater cave before rising to the morning sun.But what makes this group memorable is the winning this season.“I think the stories and experiences we went through are going to be there, but if I’m going to show film five, 10 years down the road, obviously I’m going to gravitate back to the things we’ve achieved this year,” senior guard Matt Roth said.The three seasons of losing add context to the Hoosiers’ magical run this year, but even without considering the bad times, this team has still been flat-out good.No other IU squad in the history of the program has beaten three top-5 teams in the regular season.Think about that. All the championships, Knight, McCracken, the All-Americans, nobody has ever accomplished that feat. And for this squad to do so as underdogs each time? Wow.Even with these signature victories, Jones said he still laments the losses, the ones against Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota that shouldn’t have happened.“We’ve worked too hard to lose games like we have,” he said. “I think the most sickening part is after we lose, you’re thinking back on the game, ‘Man, if I just did this, if I just did that,’ we could been 25-5 or whatever. The losses are more disheartening now than they have been before.”Winning might be the most addictive drug for the Hoosiers. For three years, IU could only get the occasional fix, the soft stuff that shouldn’t even give you that high, like wins at home against Minnesota and Iowa.But now they’ve moved on to the real bad stuff — Kentucky, Ohio State, Michigan State and one of the ultimate highs you have to go out of state for, the NCAA Tournament.“I think we’ll be fine,” Jones said of the Hoosiers’ inevitable NCAA Tournament berth. “We never expected this, so we have nothing to lose, really.”I’m tired of writing about the past, lamenting the losses and crying about spilled milk. That’s why Jones’ personal struggles and complicated relationship with fans and media isn’t mentioned after this period.It’s time to look forward and put the past where it belongs.Before you is a winning team on the brink of making a run in the NCAA Tournament. The five seniors built a foundation, but that foundation only gains meaning when the house built on it is as pristine as the foundation is strong.“If you’re part of the group that helps rebuild something like this,” Jones said, “you’ll be remembered forever.”
(03/02/12 5:00am)
Even though IU is now securely in the NCAA Tournament, there is still a
lot to play for Sunday. First and foremost, it is the chance to give
these five seniors a win in their last game at Assembly Hall.
(03/01/12 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tom Crean was shorter than expected.That is what surprised senior forward Tom Pritchard the most on his first day at IU.Not the scandal that rocked the foundations of Indiana basketball to spawn an unprecedented rebuilding project. Not that the squad he would be playing on was bringing back a combined average of just 12.8 minutes and 1.6 points per game from the prior season in Kyle Taber and Brett Finklemeier.“I got (to IU), and he was a lot smaller than I had thought when I looked him up in videos and stuff,” Pritchard said. “That was probably the biggest surprise.”It was perhaps the greatest example of positive thinking — or perhaps blissful ignorance — I had ever heard.But that kind of mindset has helped Pritchard persevere through three years of basketball hell and come out clean on the other side.“I don’t read any newspaper articles or anything,” Pritchard said. “My mom reads that stuff all the time, and she tries to tell me, and I’m like, ‘I’m not having it.’”During Pritchard’s first three seasons, maybe this was for the best.A three-star recruit coming out of Westlake, Ohio, Pritchard was going to be the starting big man in Crean’s first season as IU head coach. Not one of the big men — the only big man. Granted, there was Taber, Tijan Jobe and Broderick Lewis, but trust me when I tell you Pritchard, undersized to combat other Big Ten centers, had virtually no depth behind him.After the 2008 Hoosier Hysteria, then-IDS columnist Zachary Osterman shared his forecast of the IU frontcourt after seeing the first practice.“The inside game could be a bit of an issue,” Osterman wrote in a column. “But I think we knew that already.”In his freshman year, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound bruiser got off to a promising start. Pritchard was the only Hoosier that year to start all 31 games. He averaged 9.7 points per game and was eighth in the Big Ten with 6.4 rebounds per game. That season, he recorded five double-doubles. They would be his last.Pritchard’s sophomore and junior campaigns saw dips in his minutes, points, blocks and rebounds. The calvary had arrived in Bloomington, and Pritchard was reduced to being defined by a single stat — the foul.In his sophomore year, Pritchard averaged the sixth-most minutes per game on the team but compiled the most fouls with 98. The next season, Pritchard again played the sixth-most minutes per game and still committed the most personal fouls.Through the losing, the criticism and the tough times, Pritchard has never stopped pushing through the adversity.“My parents were always there, win or lose,” he said. “They’ve really helped me through everything and teaching me to just keep working.”It wasn’t just Pritchard who was struggling.Guard Maurice Creek suffered a pair of season-ending injuries, guard Jeremiah Rivers — who transferred from Georgetown — did not pan out the way some had hoped and an underwhelming 2010 campaign caused grumbles from an impatient sect of the Hoosier fan base.Indiana’s coming back, they were told, but when? “I remember our freshman year not a lot of people were talking to us, not a lot of people were going to the games, but we still worked hard,” Pritchard said. “One of our things was trying to get every one back to IU.”It was always about persevering to break through a wall of doubt to reach an unknown reward for all the sacrifice.“There’s always a reason you go through adversity, and some days are worse than others, but at the end of the day, you knew that we were moving forward and making progress,” senior guard Matt Roth said.So when did the Hoosiers break through that wall? Many, including Pritchard, said they believe it came Nov. 30, 2011, when IU traveled to NC State and picked up the first ACC/Big Ten Challenge victory of the Crean era.“The road win at NC State, that felt awesome because we were down six or seven with eight minutes to go, and all of our seniors are thinking, ‘We’ve been here before, and we’ve never been able to make anything of it,’” Pritchard said, referring to the inability to close out games. “But we looked past that and told ourselves this was a new year, and all the guys this year really persevered, and we ended up winning that game.”Now this team and its deserving seniors have seen their hard work pay off in the form of one of the most surprising seasons in IU basketball history. Pritchard has become a fan favorite and has eased into his role as a reserve, utilizing his rebounding and defensive skills.But what if things were different? What if then-IU Coach Kelvin Sampson decided to put his cell phone back in his pocket and the subsequent collapse of the program never occurred?“That would have been the easy way,” senior guard Daniel Moore said. “It probably would have been easier and nicer, but I truly believe that the reason that we’re at where we are at right now is because of the hard times we’ve had over the last three years. What we were has made us who we are now.”