261 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(12/10/08 5:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thanks, Rick Greenspan.I know many Hoosier fans count down the days until the current director of athletics is relieved of his duties by Indianapolis attorney Fred Glass in January due to the turbulent events of the Greenspan era. I, too, am looking forward to Greenspan’s departure, but he should be thanked for the improvements he made to IU athletics.The day Greenspan resigns will mark the end of one of the darkest eras in IU athletics and will finally allow closure for Hoosier fans divided by Greenspan’s leadership.The Kelvin Sampson fiasco will define the Greenspan era. There are still unanswered questions surrounding the man who ultimately made the decision to hire a coach under investigation by the NCAA, but Greenspan does deserve some of the blame.The hiring put the program in a bad light nationally, and the NCAA violations committed by Sampson at IU put the program in the worst position in its storied history.Greenspan was fortunate to get a mulligan on hiring a men’s basketball coach – a mulligan he took full advantage of by getting Tom Crean to rejuvenate the Hoosier basketball tradition.While Greenspan is to blame for some of the recent problems, I feel sorry for the disproportionate amount of bad luck he faced in his time in Bloomington. The hiring of Terry Hoeppner invigorated the Hoosier football program in a way few, if any, coaches in America could have. Unfortunately, Hoeppner never had a chance to finish what he started, and now the football program is at another crossroads.The decision to promote Bill Lynch to head coach is unpopular with fans, especially after the disappointing season after a bowl berth the previous year. Glass said he will retain Lynch, but it is unlikely the coach can survive another 3-9 season. What’s really unfortunate is that Greenspan has done a lot of good for the athletics department that has been forgotten by fans who are angered about the Sampson/Lynch hires.The financial situation was vastly improved by Greenspan and allowed for the expansion of athletics facilities, most notably the end zone expansion and the basketball practice facility.Modern collegiate athletics is a big business requiring continuous capital improvement. Greenspan is the first IU AD to understand this and did an outstanding job raising funds for facilities while the program was strapped with debt and numerous contracts from fired coaches.The AD also recognized how important football is to the athletics department. Greenspan has been a fixture at football practices, and the athletics department has put a big effort to get people in the seats. The future of the athletics department will depend in large part on how successful the football team is.Greenspan also did well by hiring coaches such as women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, baseball coach Tracy Smith and volleyball coach Sherry Dunbar. These three coaches have started to turn around unsuccessful programs and have brought excitement to the athletics department. Greenspan should be given credit for the hires.So, for the IU fans out there who will cheer Greenspan’s departure, please remember the good he did and how he has set up the athletics department for success under Glass.
(12/03/08 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thanksgiving week was very good to IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag and his team, as the Hoosiers notched two impressive home victories in the NCAA Tournament and received a commitment from one of the top high school soccer players in the nation.The commitment came from Zionsville, Ind., native Harrison Petts, who is ranked as the No. 5 high school junior player by the Web site www.TopDrawerSoccer.com. Petts chose the Hoosiers among several of the top programs in the nation and is another recruiting coup for Freitag.I have seen a lot of high school and youth club soccer in the past 15 years as a player and spectator, and in that time, I have not seen many (if any) players who have the natural scoring abilities of Petts (for full disclosure, I am friends with his family, and Petts sometimes practiced with my team when I played club soccer). He will bring that scoring ability to the Hoosiers, but unfortunately for Freitag, he cannot use Petts in the Hoosier attack until 2010.In 2008, however, the No. 6-seed Hoosiers have found a scoring touch of their own during the team’s 3-0 victory against Michigan in the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. It couldn’t come at a better time for IU, as the team has struggled to find the net this season, which cost the Hoosiers wins this season in games the team controlled.The win against the Wolverines sets up a quarterfinal matchup against No. 3-seed St. John’s – the third ranked opponent IU has played in three tournament games.Freitag prepared his veteran team for a deep tournament run with a difficult schedule this season that included games against 10 opponents – both in and out of conference – ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America top 25 at the end of the regular season. Including Big Ten Tournament results, the Hoosiers went 7-4-2 in those games.“We played a hard schedule for a reason,” Freitag said in a statement after the win against Michigan. “Sometimes this season we have faltered and made mistakes. But we have made a conscious effort this last part of the season to do better, and it shows.”The Hoosiers will face St. John’s on Saturday night in a rematch of the 2003 NCAA Championship game, which IU won 2-1 to capture the program’s sixth national title.The Red Storm is all that stands between the Hoosiers and the College Cup, but getting to college soccer’s version of the Final Four will be the biggest test of the season for Freitag’s team.Playing on the road is a natural disadvantage, especially when traveling to play a team with just two losses on the season. There is good news for the Hoosiers, though, when examining results against the three common opponents the two teams have this season. The Hoosiers are 2-0-1 against Louisville, Notre Dame and South Florida, while St. John’s is just 1-2-1 (the Red Storm played USF twice).Breaking down games against common opponents is fun for pundits and fans before the contest, but in the end, I don’t think those games matter too much.This IU team is hitting on all cylinders at the right time and will win this weekend. The combination of the Hoosiers’ experience and skill all around the pitch will be enough to send the program to another College Cup.
(11/26/08 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag is happy not to be dining with his family on Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving away from the family means Freitag’s team is still alive in its quest for the NCAA title, the eighth in program history.This year the team will dine on turkey, stuffing and all the other essential Thanksgiving foods at the Tudor Room in the IMU thanks to a 2-0 victory against Saint Louis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Tuesday night. The meal will come after a morning practice/walkthrough preparing for the team’s third round opponent, Michigan.Soccer and turkey – there is no other way Freitag would rather spend his Thanksgiving.“I’ve had more turkey dinners with the team than I have my family,” Freitag said. “That’s the way we want to keep it.”The Hoosiers had an overall strong performance from the entire line-up, but the play of junior defender Kevin Alston stood out from the rest of his teammates.With the Hoosiers leading 1-0 in the second half, Alston scored a header goal off a corner kick to seal the game for the Hoosiers.“There was one where they left me open, but on the next one they had a man on me,” Alston said. “The ball was played on the spot and it was just me and him.”In the process, the defender earned praised from his coach.“He flew in on that play,” Freitag said. "He exploded. He was good, he was like diving into the end zone on that one.”Minutes later Alston slid in front of a Saint Louis shot to keep the Billikens off the scoreboard. It was another solid performance this season for Alston, who was named first team All-Big Ten this season. The Silver Spring, Md. native was all over the field Tuesday night making dangerous runs into Saint Louis territory while holding down the Hoosier defense. The win sets up a rubber match with conference rival Michigan, who defeated the Hoosiers at Armstrong stadium earlier this season. The Wolverines are going to challenge the Hoosiers with a trio of talented forwards.“They are a talented team up front,” Freitag said. “They have three players up top that are as good as anyone in the country. These three guys can do things offensively. We will have to be good defensively.”While eating turkey and all the trimmings with his team on Thursday, Freitag will sit there confident this group of players can return the Hoosiers to the College Cup if they play their best.“They know now is the time to come together and focus,” Freitag. “This is our time right now.”
(11/25/08 10:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rick Greenspan saved his best performance for last.With just a little more than a month left in his tenure as IU Director of Athletics, Greenspan led the effort to prevent the men’s basketball program from additional significant penalties by the NCAA Committee on Infractions stemming from rules violations by former IU men’s coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff.Certainly the AD who hired Sampson shares part of the blame for the current state of the men’s basketball team, but with announcement that the program will receive just a three-year probation from the NCAA Greenspan should be applauded for his handling of the NCAA proceedings.Greenspan should (and has) taken a lot of the blame for this disastrous turn for the worst in the direction of the basketball team.Josephine Potuto, former chair of the Division I Committee on Infractions, said in a teleconference Tuesday, the University did not have the proper compliance system in place to deal with the self-imposed sanctions put on Sampson when he was hired from Oklahoma.How could this be?Taking a risk on Sampson in the first place was a gamble, but I find it incomprehensible that Greenspan did not have a proper increase in compliance procedures ready for when Sampson took over in March 2006.Though he shares the blame, Greenspan has to feel a bit better about his time at IU since his last major act of being the AD helped keep Hoosier fans from further suffering.And there could have been more suffering.Many of the questions during the teleconference focused on how the penalties could have been worse, including a post-season ban, further reductions in scholarships or forfeited games from last season.With the two previous games in Maui showing how much this current IU team under Tom Crean needs improvement, further penalties would have been extremely disheartening for the Hoosier fans.Though it took quite awhile, Greenspan and the athletics department did a good job in actually finding the infraction and then reporting the violation. This is something that could have been covered up with relative ease, but Greenspan and company did the right thing by admitting fault and cooperating with the Committee on Infractions.“(The University) certainly did what it needed to do, and it certainly worked in an effective and efficient matter.” Potuto said.While most fans won’t be sad to see Greenspan leave in January, he should be applauded for keeping the program from further punishment and embarrassment. And by doing so, allows Crean and his staff to be attempt to return IU basketball to prominence – a place the program has not be in years.
(11/19/08 5:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team should be happy with the draw it received in the NCAA Tournament on Monday.After a subpar regular season in which the Hoosiers failed to win the Big Ten regular season and the tournament title, this team has a real chance to make the program’s first College Cup appearance since 2004.A first-round bye means just three victories separate the IU men’s soccer team from Frisco, Texas, and could save this senior class from being the first class to graduate without making an appearance in college soccer’s version of the Final Four.Despite having six losses in the season, the Hoosiers earned the No. 6 overall seed on the strength of the team’s high RPI ranking, thanks in part to the particularly difficult schedule the team faced and the depth of talent in the Big Ten Conference.The Hoosiers could have had a higher seed if the team had beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament championship game last Sunday, but the team was unable to convert several scoring opportunities into goals.“Sometimes the better team doesn’t win,” IU head coach Mike Freitag told the Indiana Daily Student after the loss. “It is all about putting the ball in the net, and they did it and we didn’t.”For Freitag and the Hoosiers, the Michigan State game was another in a disturbing pattern of losses and ties where IU out-shoots the opponent and controls the tempo of the game, but comes up short in terms of finishing opportunities.This trend has haunted IU throughout the past three NCAA tournaments, where failed opportunities led to disappointing early-round losses at home to inferior competition. As good as the Hoosier defense can be, the scoring attack will have to be consistent for the team to make the 18th College Cup in program history.IU awaits the winner of the St. Louis and Drake match up in the second round. This should be a victory for the Hoosiers. The team can’t keep its current streak of upset tournament losses at Bill Armstrong Stadium, can it?If the seeds hold to the round of 16, IU would then play host to conference rival Michigan. The teams split their meetings this season, both with final scores of 1-0 – Michigan won the regular season contest in Bloomington while the Hoosiers won the rematch in the conference tournament.A win against the Wolverines would likely set up a quarterfinal date with No. 3 seed St. Johns, which the Hoosiers last played in the 2003 national championship game, winning 2-1 to capture the program’s sixth national title.IU would be a slight underdog playing on the road in a quarterfinal game against St. Johns, but an experienced Hoosier team could go into hostile territory and get the victory.The road is not easy, but this Hoosier team has the talent to make a run at the College Cup. Questions remain about whether the team can finish opportunities, whether the team can get out of the early rounds and how some of the young stars will react in a single-elimination format, but I have a feeling this team will pull things together and advance to the College Cup.
(11/12/08 5:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Even after he is dead, Bill Garrett always seems to be slighted.This time, the slighting came at the hands of the All University Committee on Names and its decision Monday to change the name of the Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center to the William L. Garrett/Ora L. Wildermuth Fieldhouse.For those of you who have missed the story, the committee reviewed the building’s name because several letters written by Wildermuth, a former president of the IU board of trustees, when racist and segregationist views became public.It is understandable why people would protest the naming of one of the most popular buildings on campus after a man who supported segregation. But Terry Clapacs, head of the committee and IU’s vice president and chief administrative officer, made a compelling argument to the Indiana Daily Student when asked about the decision. Clapacs said it is unfair to take comments made by Wildermuth and that the committee trusted the judgment of legendary IU President Herman B Wells, who served on the committee that suggested naming the building after Wildermuth.Clapacs makes a good argument, but putting Garrett’s name on the building with Wildermuth’s is another seemingly good gesture to Garrett that ends up being an insult.Garrett faced struggles his whole life, but he always had a positive attitude. As the first black player at IU, Garrett was subjected to racial slurs and segregation from his teammates in hotels and restaurants all across the country.He responded by becoming an All-American his senior year and one of the best players to ever suit up for the Hoosiers.Garrett was one of the first black players drafted in the NBA, but he never had the chance to play in the league because he was drafted into the Army. When he returned home, Garrett found out the Boston Celtics had cut him.His NBA dream never came true, but Garrett signed with the Harlem Globetrotters. He never adapted to the showman style of basketball the Globetrotters played, so Garrett retired from professional basketball to coach high school.Wildermuth was not a bad guy, but his ignorant views now seem pretty foolish. I don’t think we should punish his memory, but am I the only person who finds it odd that the new name is a combination of one man who was a segregationist and another who was instrumental in breaking down racial barriers the other fought to keep?When life was tough, Garrett was tougher. His courage and attitude are qualities for which to admire and strive. I am glad his name was put on a building – I just wish it were not with Wildermuth. Both men should be honored for their respective contributions to the University, but not together. It just doesn’t seem right. If I were in charge, I would put Garrett’s name on the fieldhouse and find another way to honor Wildermuth. Garrett broke down barriers in the fieldhouse, so it would be appropriate it be named for him. I’m sure there is something else that can be named for Wildermuth.While Wildermuth did many things to improve the University, Garrett broke the racial barrier in the most visible part of IU as a member of the basketball team. For that, Garrett does not deserve to be forever linked with someone who tried to prevent progress from being made at IU.
(11/11/08 5:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since enrolling at IU, I had my sights set on being accepted to the IU School of Law after graduation.I did everything possible to ensure I would get into the school, but I received a letter the day before graduation last May letting me know I was put on the wait list.After a summer of waiting (and kicking myself for applying in February), I found out in August I would not be accepted. Now I was charged with finding employment in one of the toughest job markets in recent years.Trying to land a job in Bloomington was difficult, but my mom came up with a great idea: becoming a substitute teacher at the Monroe County Community Schools Corporation.It was at my mom’s suggestion that I substituted at Lebanon Middle School in Lebanon, Ind., during breaks in college to make a little spending money. I always enjoyed being with students, so I figured it was worth a shot this year.Though I was disheartened by not getting into law school, taking a year off has been a rewarding experience that will make me a better law student and person.But substitute teaching is not as easy as one would think – rarely have the classes sat and watched videos all day, especially the elementary kids, with whom I spend the most time.Elementary school teachers expect their substitutes to continue with the daily schedule, so each day I have to think of ways to teach math, reading and other subjects to students who are many times not interested in learning. The teachers almost always leave great lesson plans, but they can’t predict in advance if kids are going to struggle with something. The non-teaching aspects of the job can be the most challenging, especially in the lower grades. The children are trying to learn social skills as much as academic subjects, so it is not uncommon for me to break up arguments or deal with hurt feelings.Some days I look forward to the final bell more than the students do, but typically I enjoy spending time with the students. In just a few hours, I find that I can connect with the kids, having fun while still completing the lessons of the day.Substitute teaching also has its fair share of memorable moments. I will always remember when a first-grade boy was escorted back to class by the hall monitor, who caught the boy trying to escape school by climbing out the bathroom window. To apologize, the boy colored a picture for me that still hangs in my bedroom.Substituting has been a good experience before heading back to school, and it has given me ample free time to catch up on the things I missed out while being a student. I’ve slept more this year than any time in my life, made some ground up on my never-ending reading list and have become the best Mario Kart Wii player in Bloomington.After 16 consecutive years of school, I was burned out the second semester of my senior year. When I start school next fall, my batteries will be fully charged for the three-year journey of law school. This break has also allowed me to look at other schools I didn’t think about applying to the first time around, although I still hope to call Bloomington home in case anyone from the admissions office is reading.Now that I am doing it, I would advocate taking a year off before heading to graduate school. You will become rested and won’t take for granted how fun and rewarding school really is.
(11/05/08 7:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I have to admit – when news broke last week that Fred Glass would be named the next Director of Athletics at IU, I was a bit skeptical.I had my sights on Oregon State athletics director Bob De Carolis to replace standing director Rick Greenspan, but after talking to former Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, I was convinced Glass was the right man for the job.Though I am a staunch conservative, I always admired Peterson’s (a Democrat) dedication to improve Indianapolis, especially when it came to bringing in world-class athletics events and improving facilities for the Pacers and Colts.So when Peterson sung the praises of Glass, crediting him with many of the athletics-related accomplishments during the Peterson administration, my opinion changed.Peterson said everything Glass has touched has been a success, citing his negotiation to keep the Colts in Indianapolis and leading the city’s failed bid for the 2011 Super Bowl, which laid the groundwork for a successful 2012 bid as two examples of Glass’ skills.“I don’t think people understand starting from scratch, starting from zero, what he was able to achieve,” Peterson said.Glass led the city’s bid, coming up with the idea to raise $25 million for the event funding before the presentation in front of NFL owners.“That was his idea so we can impress the owners and tell them we were a serious city. Indianapolis would be able to come up with the private funding,” Peterson said. “Ultimately that would be the same formula next year when Indianapolis was successful (in getting the 2012 Super Bowl bid).”Leading the Super Bowl bid was just one of several projects Glass spearheaded for his career. His jobs as a lawyer and political operative have given Glass extensive experience in fund-raising, negotiations and managing people – crucial aspects of an AD job.“When he said accidentally it may seem that he has been groomed for this job throughout his career, I would concur with that,” Peterson said. “His past preparation makes him ideally suited for this job position.”Hoosier fans hope so, as Glass is charged with improving fan morale, as the men’s basketball program is still recovering from NCAA violations committed by former coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff. Peterson cited Glass’ integrity as one of the main reasons he was the right fit for the job.“In this day, the complexity we are dealing with in intercollegiate athletics, integrity has to be a priority for any university,” Peterson said. “Picking someone with impeccable integrity and character sends the message to the NCAA and all those who care about Indiana University athletics.”More importantly, Peterson said, when the NCAA issue is settled, Glass has the right skills to lead IU athletics into the future.“This issue will pass,” Peterson said. “The questions to ask are who has the abilities, the judgment, the creativity and energy – all those things Fred brings to the table.”
(10/29/08 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The hiring of incoming Director of Athletics Fred Glass came as a surprise to many Hoosier fans, as the Indianapolis attorney has had no previous experience working for an intercollegiate athletics department.The safe hire for committee and IU President Michael McRobbie would have been an established athletics director like Oregon State’s Bob De Carolis, one of the three reported finalists.But in Glass, the University found a proven problem solver and fundraiser – two characteristics the athletics department desperately needs in its leader.This outside-the-box thinking again shows why McRobbie is a perfect fit to lead IU. I was initially disappointed in this hiring because I thought De Carolis should have been the man for the job. De Carolis has done great things at Oregon State from improving the football and baseball teams, upgrading the athletics facilities and making a savvy hire of new men’s basketball coach Craig Robinson, better known as Barack Obama’s brother-in-law. I have no doubt De Carolis would have been successful at IU, but at this challenging and important time for the athletic department, Glass brings rare skills that separated him from De Carolis and the other candidate, Scott Dolson.When asked what type of people he would bring into the department, Glass said he “drafts for talent, not position.” That was exactly the thought process McRobbie and the search committee must have used when selecting Glass.He has never held a position in an athletics department, but Glass has shown he has many talents through his work as a lawyer at Indianapolis law firm Baker & Daniels, political staff member and public servant. Glass has found success in every step of his professional life, but no job has required his talent more than the athletics director position at IU.On Jan. 2, 2009, Glass will inherit a department in transition and a fan base desperate for continuity and success. The two most prominent sports – football and men’s basketball – are likely to have losing seasons, and plenty of unanswered questions surround the programs.Some fans are calling for the firing of football coach Bill Lynch, but it is highly unlikely Glass will let Lynch go just one season after the coach led the Hoosiers to a bowl game and one of the best recruiting classes IU has seen in years.The incoming director said the right things about compliance and student achievement being his top goals. However, with one notable exception, the athletic department has been excellent at both compliance and student achievement. Increasing football revenue has to be priority No. 1 in the new administration.There is some work to be done with basketball, as the NCAA’s infraction ruling is still forthcoming, but men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has the program up and running. Glass’ biggest contribution might be the building of a new basketball arena, something Glass said at his introductory press conference is not in his plans for the short term.Glass’ profile on the Baker & Daniels Web site says he “works with his clients to seize opportunities and solve problems.”As a lifelong Hoosier fan, the athletics department will be the most important client with which Glass ever works. If he can show the same skill in decision making, coalition forming and problem solving as in his previous jobs, Glass will be a great hire for IU.
(10/22/08 3:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s about time.The men’s and women’s soccer teams turned in some of the best performances of the season last weekend, but it remains to be seen whether the teams can use these results to turn their campaigns around.IU women’s coach Mick Lyon and the Hoosiers face a near-impossible road to repeat last season’s round of 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Heading into the weekend, IU was 0-6 in conference play with games against in-state rival Purdue and No. 25 Illinois.With a tie against the Boilermakers and a victory against Illinois, Lyon and the Hoosiers earned their first four points of the conference season.More importantly, the team got a boost of confidence heading into the season’s final weeks.“Oh my god, I jumped in the air,” freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Campbell told the Indiana Daily Student after the Illinois game. “It was a great feeling. We’ve been looking for that all season, and it just finally happened.”The problem is these two games might have come a little too late in the season. The Hoosiers are currently in last place in the Big Ten. Only eight teams advance to the conference tournament, so IU will have to win both its conference games this weekend to have a chance to qualify for the tournament. Even with two wins, the team will likely need help from other teams to move into the top eight in the conference. Winning the conference tournament crown is the only way the Hoosiers can make the NCAA Tournament, as the team’s regular season record does not merit an at-large berth into the post season. For the men’s team and coach Mike Freitag, a 3-1 victory against No. 9 Notre Dame could be the spark that gets this talented collection of players to consistently put together complete performances.Freitag said after the victory he hopes his players remember the feeling of putting together a complete game in the remaining matchups.“It’s a game that shows the players have a feeling what’s it like to have to play a 90-minute game,” Freitag told the IDS. “It’s a feeling we’ve had in other games, but now we can’t forget it.”Nobody has ever doubted the talent on this team. Freitag has continued to bring in talented recruiting classes, including the current freshmen on this team. The team has just failed to capitalize on chances this season, which has led to a string of disappointing results over the past few weeks.Hoosier fans should be happy to see the team respond to disappointing losses with a big win against Notre Dame, but the team will need to keep turning in complete games to be a factor in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.Maybe it will be good the Hoosiers are flying a bit under the radar. IU will be an underdog at Bill Armstrong Stadium tonight for the second consecutive game as the No. 22 Hoosiers take on No. 14 Louisville. The team will need to come out and play against the Cardinals like it did against the Irish to get the win.“It’s weird to be on an IU soccer team that’s underrated,” senior forward Kevin Noschang said. “We were the underdog, and that’s never been the case, especially at home. We just wanted to show the country what we’re capable of.”If the team keeps showing the country what it’s capable of, the Hoosiers just might put together a College Cup run come December.
(10/15/08 3:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Athletics Department has had a rough past 12 months.Real rough.Things were much better for the IU faithful just a year ago on the week of Hoosier Hysteria. Former men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and the Hoosiers had high expectations heading into the season. Some even thought the duo of Eric Gordon and D.J. White could lead the team to the Final Four.Sampson had several blue-chip recruits in for Hoosier Hysteria – recruits he hoped to be the future of the program. All was well at Assembly Hall.Across the parking lot at Memorial Stadium, football coach Bill Lynch and the football team were in the midst of a successful season. After the heartbreaking death of former coach Terry Hoeppner, the team responded by earning it’s first bowl bid since 1993.The soccer programs also were playing well, as the always-strong men’s team won another Big Ten regular season title, while the women’s team advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.A Hoosier fan would think IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan would have been the happiest man in Bloomington last year during the Hoosier Hysteria festivities. That Hoosier fan would have been mistaken.Greenspan sat in Assembly Hall knowing what Hoosier fans would find out two days later – that the University was self-reporting Sampson and his staff to the NCAA for rules violations.Now that Greenspan will be gone at the end of the calendar year, the new AD will need to turn around an athletic department desperate for a fresh start.The demise of the basketball program has been well-chronicled, but the other two most visible programs of the athletic department – football and men’s soccer – have also suffered.The football team is 2-4 and looks as though it will not win another game this season. Not surprisingly, Memorial Stadium has fewer and fewer fans each game.Even the men’s soccer team has faltered this year. Midway through the season, the Hoosiers have not lived up to their lofty expectations, and they’ve fallen out of the top 25.With the three most visible programs of the department struggling, Greenspan’s successor will inherit an impatient fan base that needs comforting after years of sub-par performances.Hoosier nation expects a certain level of success from its teams, and the new AD will have to do everything in his or her power to satisfy these expectations. For basketball, nothing less than being a top program in the country is acceptable. In football, the fans expect a competitive team that contends for a bowl every year.The new AD will have to deliver winning programs in football and basketball, but perhaps even more importantly, they will have to inspire confidence in a deflated fan base.Love him or hate him, the Rick Greenspan era needs to come to an end. Hoosier fans everywhere need to be united, something even the popular hire of Tom Crean couldn’t accomplish.So please, search committee, please name a replacement soon, so the transition to a new era in Hoosier athletics – and the healing – can begin.
(10/08/08 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s time for the IU men’s soccer team to live up to its potential.After opening the Big Ten campaign with an exciting 3-2 overtime win against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers dropped two of three games before getting back on track with a 2-0 victory against Butler on Tuesday night.Soccer can be a fickle game because no matter how dominant a team is, unless that team can finish its scoring opportunities, the opponent will always be one goal away from pulling an upset.For the Hoosiers, it’s been the type of season where good play has not always translated to wins. The latest example was the team’s 1-0 loss to Michigan on Saturday night, the first loss to the Wolverines in program history. IU out-shot Michigan 20-9 last Saturday, but an early goal by the Wolverines was enough to clinch the upset.The Michigan game was just another in a line of disappointments this season for IU coach Mike Freitag and the Hoosiers. Missed shots and mental lapses on the defensive end have cost IU victories and have started to frustrate the players.“We’ve been using the word ‘potential’ all season,” senior captain Brad Ring told the IDS after the loss to Michigan. “But we’re past halfway through the season. “It’s time to turn that potential into something. We’ve got to start finding a way to get these wins.”The Hoosiers got a win last night against Butler without Ring, who served a one-game suspension for accumulating five yellow cards. The win was important for the players’ spirits, but there is still a lot of work to do this season.IU heads into this weekend’s visit to Michigan State with four remaining Big Ten games this season, including three road games. The Hoosiers are currently in a tie for fourth in the seven-team Big Ten conference, one game behind first-place Northwestern. It’s not time to panic, but the team needs to play with a sense of urgency.If the players live up to their potential, the Hoosiers should win their next three Big Ten games, setting up a game against Northwestern for a piece of, or an outright conference championship.Throw in non-conference games against Louisville, Kentucky and an in-state showdown with always-tough Notre Dame, and the Hoosiers have plenty of chances to show how good the team can be.Thankfully for Hoosier fans, Freitag has shown that he does not get caught up in the ebbs and flows of a season in his time as the program’s coach. At times, his quotes might seem cliche, but the coach genuinely has the attitude that he wants his team to get better each day and the results will come.For this year’s team, the most important thing could be chemistry. Mixing talented freshmen into an experienced lineup to find the best combination of players is key to any future success.Ring is right – it’s time for the team to start living up to its potential. With the talent, experience and leadership on the roster, it’s just a matter of time before things come together, hopefully before the team is out of contention in the Big Ten.
(10/01/08 4:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU student body is lucky to have Drew Allenspach, but it doesn’t deserve to have him.Allenspach, a senior on the IU men’s golf team, is the student representative on the search committee charged with finding a replacement for current Athletics Director Rick Greenspan.IU President Michael McRobbie appointed Allenspach to the committee to serve as a liasion between the other members and the students – a difficult job considering the low turnout at two open forums in the past two weeks.The low turnout (less than 10 people attended the forum on Sept. 24) was embarrassing. Students never pass on an opportunity to demand a student section at Assembly Hall or complain how the athletics department does not care about the students. To pass up an opportunity to be heard reinforces the stereotype that students are apathetic for the most part.The students might have a point – although anyone familiar with the student section situation understands why it cannot happen – but they lost a lot of clout by standing on the sidelines last week. Thankfully, in Allenspach, the students have a capable advocate who will make sure the students’ views are know by the committee.It’s easy to see why McRobbie chose Allenspach as the student representative. The Sugar Land, Texas, native is intelligent, as evidenced by his 4.0 GPA and his major in business with focuses in accounting and finance. More importantly, Allenspach has important skills that are crucial for the position.Allenspach was impressive at the forum, listening to ideas and writing them down to present at the next committee meeting. He fostered an atmosphere of participation by showing genuine interest in student input and even managed to learn everyone’s name.Perhaps the best asset Allenspach has is his added perspective. As a student-athlete, Allenspach represents two important constituencies on the search committee. He knows what student-athletes want from an athletics department, but he also understands what it means to be a student watching the basketball team from the 45th row at Assembly Hall.To top it off, Allenspach showed himself to be very knowledgeable about the department, and sports in general, at the forum.The search for this university’s next athletics director is too important to make a mistake. The problems facing the basketball program are well known, but the new athletics director will also have to continue to generate revenue like Greenspan to keep IU athletics competitive and up-to-date despite having weak football ticket sales.Replacing Greenspan will purge the department of the two most visible faces of IU athletics last year, when former men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff committed NCAA violations. The move is also part of a University-wide movement that has seen new faces in several prominent leadership positions in the past two years.The committee selected by McRobbie is full of solid appointments representing every group affected by the new hire. Students should feel well represented by Allenspach, as I believe he is committed to expressing the thoughts, wishes and needs of students.He is dedicated to the job. I hope the student body will follow his lead.
(09/24/08 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The biggest victory this year for IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag could come off the field.Freitag has had great success recruiting at IU and has a team capable of making the College Cup this season, but the fifth-year coach never stops planning for the future in hopes for a second NCAA championship as a Hoosier head coach.The latest recruiting targets are a pair of Indiana natives – A.J. Corrado and Harrison Petts.Juniors at Zionsville High School, the duo was part of the Carmel United Soccer Club that won the inaugural U.S. Development Academy U-16 National Championship last July, staking its claim as the best youth team in the country for its age group.Freitag should look at several players from the Carmel High School squad as it is full of talent, but the tandem of Corrado and Petts would fit nicely into the Hoosier system.Both players will be highly recruited and are already hearing from some of the top programs in the country. Add IU to that list of programs as the longtime friends made the trip down to Bloomington this weekend to watch the Hoosiers defeat Wisconsin 3-2 in overtime.Corrado and Petts would bring different skill sets to the Hoosiers, but the pair complements each other nicely on the field.A gritty and creative player, Corrado would be a perfect replacement in one of the center midfielder positions, as current IU junior midfielder Eric Alexander will just have graduated when Corrado is a freshman. Corrado showed he is not afraid of the spotlight by scoring the lone goal in the Academy Championship final – a game broadcast on ESPNU. His goal clinched the championship for Carmel, but Corrado’s biggest contribution to the game was how he controlled the pace and played solid defense down the stretch.Good goal-scorers are hard to come by, so getting a forward with the finishing touch of Petts would be a great pickup for Freitag.Petts has the rare ability to find the back of the net from anywhere around the penalty box. A member of the U-18 national team, Petts would be a perfect player to pair at the forward position with current IU freshman forward Will Bruin. The duo would be one of the most lethal scoring threats in the nation.While landing either Corrado or Petts would be a success for IU, the history between the two players would make signing both of them a huge coup for the Hoosiers. The players are just juniors, so there is a lot of time remaining in their recruitment. However, it is important that Freitag and the Hoosiers are already establishing relationships with the players and their families. IU will always get its fair share of top-notch recruits, but landing the duo of Corrado and Petts could be the groundwork needed for another championship for the storied IU soccer program.
(09/17/08 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mike Freitag is right – maybe losing to unranked Dartmouth is the best thing that could have happened to the IU men’s soccer team.The team entered the season highly ranked in every major poll, as Freitag has assembled one of the most talented group of players he has had in his five years as head coach at IU. Though talented, some of the younger members of the squad had not been through a tough loss that shows the makeup of the team under pressure. Ineffective offensive play along with defensive mistakes led to a 4-0 defeat to Dartmouth on Sept. 7. The first test of the team’s character was last weekend’s West Coast swing to play UCLA and San Diego.If last weekend’s 2-0 record is any indication, the Hoosiers have the mettle to bounce back from disappointing results.IU found the scoring touch that had been eluding them in the first two weekends of action, outscoring UCLA and San Diego by a combined 5-1.“It showed the character of the team to come back (after losing to Dartmouth),” Freitag told the IDS after a 2-1 victory against San Diego. “A lot of teams would fold after a loss like that one.”Hoosier fans should be happy with the fact the Hoosiers earned two victories, but what was more encouraging was the Cream and Crimson finding the back of the net five times in two games.Anchored by senior goalkeeper Chay Cain, junior defenders Ofori Sarkodie and Kevin Alston, the Hoosier defense is the rock of the team. Freitag, who played defense for IU under legendary coach Jerry Yeagley, has always had solid defensive teams, but his squads have struggled offensively at times.Finishing offensively is going to determine how successful this team is in the Big Ten, and more importantly, the NCAA Tournament. Freshman forward Will Bruin, a highly regarded forward from St. Louis, scored his first collegiate goal against UCLA and added another goal against San Diego.Bruin is going to have to continue producing goals, but he cannot be the sole offensive weapon for the Hoosiers. Other forwards need to step up in key situations. This is where the veteran leadership of senior forward Kevin Noschang could prove to be valuable to IU.Noschang, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year, got his first start of the season against San Diego after scoring in Friday’s match against UCLA. Noschang’s quickness and nose for the goal bring another dimension to the line-up. He is a good complement to Bruin, who plays a physical game because of his size.The senior also brings experience and leadership to the field, something the young players can model as the season continues.This team is certainly a work in progress, but if the Hoosiers can continue to build off their prior performance and find the back of the net, it could be a special year.
(09/10/08 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Things are not great for the Big Ten Conference right now.The conference is living up to the low expectations set by the national media in the first two weeks of the football season. So far, it looks as if the once-mighty league is picking up from its poor showing in last year’s bowl season with lackluster performances by Illinois and Michigan State in key inter-conference matchups. Expectations are also low on the hardwood, as the conference will likely get just four teams into the 2009 NCAA Tournament and will take its annual beating in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.Add in the ongoing battle between the Big Ten Network and various cable companies, one would think Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney would have enough on his plate. Well, there is room for at least one more problem. Delaney and the Big Ten brass in Chicago thought it would be a good idea to make Pizza Express, a favored Bloomington late-night pizza delivery service, stop using the conference’s name for its famous “Big Ten Bargain.”The Big Ten said in a cease-and-desist letter that Pizza Express was using the conference’s intellectual property and needed to change the name of the deal, which includes a pizza, breadsticks with dip and two drinks.While I think it’s important to protect intellectual property rights, I don’t see how this deal, which started more than 20 years ago when it cost $10 including tax, hurts the Big Ten. Doesn’t Delaney have bigger problems to fix? Here are three things Delaney should have tried to fix before going after Pizza Express:1. Adjust the conference football schedule: With the Big Ten football schedule ending in mid-November, teams have a long rest before a potential bowl matchup. Other conferences, most notably the SEC, end their regular season later and have a conference championship game. Last season, LSU had two more weeks of game experience than Ohio State, and it showed as the SEC champs defeated the Buckeyes for the second consecutive year for the national championship. The Big Ten needs to push back the season to be competitive in top bowl games each year.2. Adjust the conference basketball schedule: There was one game left off of the Hoosiers’ schedule released last week – a home date with rival Purdue. With only 18 conference games, there are two teams each conference school plays once. While I think the conference should go to a 20-game conference schedule, Delaney and company should at least guarantee that teams get to play their top two conference rivals twice each season, like the ACC does. Don’t all IU fans want to play Purdue and Illinois twice each season?3. Basketball officials: I have two words to describe the quality of the Big Ten’s officials – Ed Hightower. Frankly, the quality of officiating in the Big Ten has become a joke. Delaney needs to clean up the game and allow for teams to open up and play an exciting brand of basketball.Hopefully these changes get made, but I doubt they will. However, I do think there is a simple solution for you, Pizza Express: Change the name of the deal to the Big Eleven Bargain. Then, in case Delaney and the bigwigs ever decide to officially recognize Penn State, you’ll be the one issuing cease-and-desist orders.
(09/03/08 3:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The freshman class of 2008 boasts one of the highest average SAT scores in University history, but those scores are null in my book because the newest Hoosiers did not have to tackle the dreaded analogy section of that famed test. Here is one of the questions that surely would have been on last year’s exam had analogies still featured.George W. Bush : Barack Obama :: Rick Greenspan:_________.Time’s up. The answer: IU’s new director of athletics. Maybe these freshmen aren’t as smart as advertised.While Obama is not a lock to win the presidency, we are told he is the change this country needs from the broken policies of the Bush administration. Similarly, many Hoosier fans believe a change is needed after Greenspan’s reign over the athletic department.The Bush presidency and the Greenspan directorship are similar in several ways – particularly in how opponents view the two men.Each man had a defining decision that overshadowed everything else in his term – for Bush, the Iraq War; for Greenspan, the hiring of former men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.I’ll let the political columnists defend/criticize Bush, but judging Greenspan’s legacy solely on the Sampson hiring is a giant mistake. Greenspan inherited an athletic department deep in the red and two unpopular head coaches – Gerry DiNardo and Mike Davis – in the program’s major sports – football and basketball. A major rebuilding effort was needed.IU President Michael McRobbie kindly spent time at the IDS newsroom last Friday getting to know the fall staff and answering questions. When I had the opportunity, I asked McRobbie how important the hiring of the next AD is and what influential alumni are saying about the hiring and the legacy of Greenspan. Understandably, McRobbie stood by Greenspan, emphasizing his accomplishments and pointing out that alumni are fired up about the hiring of new men’s basketball coach Tom Crean.Besides hiring Crean, those accomplishments include major facilities upgrades – most notably the North Endzone Project at Memorial Stadium and the basketball practice facility – and the hiring of popular coaches Terry Hoeppner and Felisha Legette-Jack.When Hep passed away and Sampson resigned, Greenspan chose two quality replacements in football coach Bill Lynch and Crean, both of whom have excited the Hoosier fan base after years of disappointment from those two programs. Greenspan’s detractors overlook these accomplishments as they continue to hammer the AD for the Sampson hiring and the NCAA violations committed by the former coach and his staff. It’s obvious Greenspan made a hiring snafu when he brought Sampson to Bloomington, but he got a mulligan and hired the energetic Crean to rebuild the Hoosier basketball tradition.Greenspan’s legacy will be linked with Crean’s success/failure much like Bush’s ultimate legacy will be linked with the people of Iraq. Though the initial evaluations of each man’s performance are negative, the Greenspan and Bush legacies can vastly be improved with a sixth NCAA championship banner in Assembly Hall and a stable democracy in Iraq. Only time will tell if these lofty goals can be met.
(08/27/08 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s soccer team enters the 2008 season with high expectations, but the Hoosiers will only advance as far in the NCAA Tournament as their forwards can take the team.Fifth-year IU coach Mike Freitag’s squads have done well in the regular season but have failed to find the back of the net in crucial situations during the postseason ever since the Hoosiers won the 2004 NCAA title in Freitag’s first season. The Hoosiers are just 1-3 in tournament play in the three seasons following the program’s seventh national championship.The squad has not had a go-to forward since Jacob Peterson left for the MLS after the 2005 season, and the offense has suffered as a result. IU scored just 1.33 goals a game last season – outside the top 50 scoring offenses in the NCAA.For the Hoosiers to win title No. 8, the offense will have to be more consistent and prolific. If the preseason is any indication, the IU forwards should score more goals than previous years, as IU out-scored opponents 6-1 in two exhibition games this fall, getting goals from six different players.Inexperienced forwards and an always-difficult schedule have hurt the Hoosiers during the last few seasons. While the cream and crimson face another difficult campaign, those formerly inexperienced forwards have grown into more mature players.Junior Darren Yeagle returns healthy to the team this season after struggling though part of last season with an injury. Yeagle will reunite with senior forward Brian Ackley and try and recapture the magic from the 2006 season when the duo combined for 14 goals.Senior Kevin Noschang and sophomores Michael Roach and Neil Wilmarth will give Freitag several players with game experience at the forward position for the Hoosiers, but the coach’s most dangerous offensive weapon may be freshman Will Bruin.A two-time high school All-American, Bruin broke the DeSmet Jesuit High School scoring record held by former Hoosier star Pat Noonan. The Saint Louis native has made his impact already, notching an assist and taking a team-high six shots during the preseason. With several viable options at forward, Freitag will have the luxury of trying different combinations of players until the right mix emerges. This must put a smile on Freitag’s face, because the rest of the Hoosier team is stock-full of talent. The trio of senior goalkeeper Chay Cain and junior defenders Ofori Sarkodie and Kevin Alston anchor the IU defense while the strength of the Hoosiers is in the midfield. The flow of play will go though senior midfielder Brad Ring, who Freitag calls the “hub” of the team. Ring will contend for many national player of the year awards on the strength of his aggressive defense and playmaking abilities and will be joined in the midfield by All-Big Ten player Eric Alexander and several key role players.The No. 7 Hoosiers will be tested right away in this weekend’s Adidas/IU Credit Union Classic with games against Duke and No. 12 Akron. It will be the first chance to see what combinations Freitag puts up top and what type of expectations can be put on this team. If the team can find ways to score, the Hoosiers should advance much further in the NCAA Tournament than they have in recent years.
(08/04/08 12:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior field hockey goalkeeper Haley Exner and senior swimmer Ben Hesen were named the Indiana University Female and Male Athletes of the Year for 2007-08 by the IU Department of Athletics on Thursday.Exner was also the University’s female recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor, given annually to a student in the graduating class of each Big Ten school that demonstrates proficiency in scholarship and athletics.The San Diego native excelled as the Hoosier goalkeeper, being named first-team All-Big Ten the last three seasons in addition to being honored as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week six times in her career. Exner was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association West Region second team as a sophomore and to the first team her junior and senior seasons. Exner leaves as IU’s career leader in wins (38) and goals against average (1.54).IU field hockey coach Amy Robertson said that Exner helped bring the IU program to prominence, leading the Hoosiers to their only NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005.“Haley had a stellar career and she contributed greatly to helping establish the Indiana field hockey program as one of the nation’s elite, both on the field and in the classroom,” Robertson said in a statement. “She was a leader for us throughout her career, so this is a tremendous way for her to be recognized for all of her hard work.”Hesen captured the national title in the 100 meter backstroke at the 2008 NCAA Championships becoming the first Hoosier since Jim Montgomery to capture the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle in 1976.Hesen, a Jeffersonville, Ind. native, captured the NCAA title with a time of 44.72 seconds, nearly a second lower than his school record and the second-fastest time in NCAA history. The title completed an undefeated season for Hesen in the 100 meter backstroke. He also won Big Ten titles in the 100 meter backstroke, 200 meter backstroke and 100 fly, earning Big Ten Swimmer of the Year and Big Ten Swimmer of the Championship honors.IU swimming coach Ray Looze said the honor was a fitting end to Hesen’s successful career.“Ben is very deserving of this honor,” Looze said in a statement. “When he decided to attend IU he called me back four days after I visited his home on July 1 (the first permissible day to meet prospects in person). To this day he remains our earliest commitment. One particular moment of the past year comes to mind when thinking of Ben’s season. After winning the individual national title, he asked if the accomplishment would help the team. In a nutshell, that is Ben...always putting the team first.”
(08/04/08 12:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU head coach Mike Freitag signed another top-10 recruiting class this season as College Soccer News ranked the incoming Hoosier men’s soccer freshman class No. 3 in the nation in the publication’s eighth annual recruiting rankings.A pair of ACC schools – Maryland and defending national champion Wake Forest – took the top two spots in the rankings released July 31. The Hoosiers are the highest-ranked Big Ten team, with Northwestern as the only other conference foe ranked in the top-40. IU has been ranked in the top 10 each year College Soccer News has released recruiting rankings.Freitag continues to recruit Missouri hard as four members of the class – Will Bruin, Chris Haffner, Tommy Meyer and Luis Soffner – hail from the Saint Louis area. Meyer, Haffner and Soffner were all teammates at Saint Louis University High, while Bruin, Soffner and Haffner played together on the Scott-Gallagher club team.Ohio native Nick Belvins and Hoosier prep stars Joe Tolen and Tim Wylie round out the talented seven-man class. Blevins, Bruin and Meyer were all named National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas All-Americans this past season, while Haffner, Soffner, Tolen and Wylie were all-state picks.Freitag said when the players signed with the Hoosiers that he was pleased with the recruits he was able to attract to his team.“The 2008 Indiana University’s Men’s Soccer recruiting class reflects all that we look for in our recruiting efforts,” Freitag said in a statement. “To start, these seven young men are outstanding individuals who all are very dedicated and gifted in the classroom. They are all extremely talented and athletic soccer players.”A first-team all-state, Tolen was named to Indiana’s Super 16 in 2007 and led his team to the regional final for the best finish in school history. Wylie comes to Bloomington from Fort Wayne where as a member of Fort Wayne Carroll High School he was a first-team all-state selection.Blevins is considered by many to be the top player coming out of Ohio in 2008, earning the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Boys High School Scholar Athlete of the Year and Gatorade Ohio Boys Soccer Player of the Year titles.The amount of success the recruits have had will hopefully translate into more success at the collegiate level, Freitag said.“Lastly, and vitally important to our championship efforts, is the fact that they all possess the ‘winning fiber’ that has been the make up of so many quality players that have worn the IU jersey through the years.”