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(06/05/08 3:13am)
Hoosier fans will be reaching for their programs when basketball season tips off in November.\nOnly three players – sophomore walk-on guard Brett Finkelmeier, sophomore guard Jordan Crawford and senior forward Kyle Taber – will return from the 2007-2008 team after a series of well-documented shake-ups resulted in a coaching change for the Hoosiers.\nThe trio of returning players will be joined by 10 newcomers – seven scholarship players and three walk-ons – to complete the 2008-2009 Hoosier roster.\nChanges were expected after the resignation of former head coach Kelvin Sampson and the hiring of new IU coach Tom Crean, but few people could have guessed the complete roster overhaul that has taken place the past few weeks.\nSeniors Adam Ahlfeld, Mike White, Lance Stemler and D.J. White graduated. Freshman All-American guard Eric Gordon declared for the NBA draft. Those losses were expected, but the changes did not end there.\nFreshman center Eli Holman informed Crean he intended to transfer just days after the end of the semester.\nCrean did not allow junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis and sophomore guard Armon Bassett to return to the program after the pair was thrown off the team for violating team rules by interim head coach Dan Dakich. Additionally, Crean dismissed forward DeAndre Thomas.\n“We fully expect our student-athletes to accept the responsibilities academically, athletically and socially that come with representing one of the top programs in college basketball history,” Crean said in a statement after dismissing Thomas from the team.\nFinally, last week Crean dismissed freshman forward Brandon McGee, leaving just three players from last year’s team on the roster.\n“Our coaching and support staff tried to make this work out, but we felt that there were some basic standard operating procedures that were not being met,” Crean said in a statement.\nIn addition to the dismissals, the two highest-rated recruits headed to Bloomington opted to leave the program and head to other schools.\nCrean wasted little time in putting together an incoming class of seven players in the last months of the recruiting season.\nThe new coach first convinced the two remaining recruits from Sampson’s class – forward Tom Pitchard and shooting guard Matt Roth – to stay committed to the Hoosiers.\nNext, junior college point guard and Indianapolis native Devin Dumes chose IU over Ohio State. The next day, shooting guard Nick Williams, ranked as the No. 146 recruit according to recruiting service Rivals.com, committed to Crean, who had recruited Williams while serving as head coach at Marquette.\nCrean solidified his backcourt for next season by adding point guard Verdell Jones, ranked No. 127 by rivals, who choose the Hoosiers over Big Ten rival Minnesota.\nUnexpectedly, junior college center Tijan Jobe committed to IU. Jobe seemed to be the final piece of the recruiting puzzle until forward Emmanuel Negedu, ranked No. 40 by Rivals, got his release from Arizona, re-opening his recruitment. The Hoosiers are one of four schools vying for Negedu’s services.\nSo many roster changes in such a short amount of time could confuse even the most diehard Hoosier fans.\n“I follow the team very closely,” recent graduate Clayton Glover said. “But I’ve had a difficult time keeping up with all the new additions Coach Crean has made.”\nThose changes were necessary Crean said to build a foundation to return IU to its winning ways.\n“Before you build a team, you need to develop a family,” Crean said in a statement when he dismissed Thomas from the team. “We will go through the learning process, feel some growing pains and experience some bumps in the road along the way. We need the Hoosier Nation to rally around this program as we go through these stages.”
(05/29/08 3:34pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Congratulations – you have chosen to attend IU, home of one of the top five college basketball programs of all time. Few schools have the tradition and excitement surrounding their basketball teams that we do in Bloomington. Here is a quick introduction to IU basketball with numbers:5 – number of NCAA championships the Hoosiers have won. Only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (7) have more titles.8 – number of Final Four appearances for the Hoosiers, seventh-most all-time.20 – number of Big Ten regular-season championships. Only rival Purdue (21) has more. When your friends from the north bring up this point, remind them that only national championships matter.These accomplishments have made IU synonymous with top-flight college basketball, but it is the unique traditions of Hoosier basketball that make being an IU fan truly special. You will soon pick up on these.Players’ names are not on the back of the jerseys because no person, including legendary former coach Bob Knight, is bigger than this program. Our team wears candy-stripe warm-up pants circa 1970. They may seem funny at first, but half of you reading this column will own a pair by graduation. At your first game, you may think it’s weird that everyone in the stadium gets on their feet, claps in unison while the band plays the William Tell Overture and sings the IU fight song. By your second game, you’ll keep staring at the clock waiting for that famous time-out.IU basketball unites the community: Students, professors and Bloomington residents from various backgrounds come together each November to cheer for the beloved Cream and Crimson. You will soon be swept up in Hoosier Hysteria and learn the storied history of the program – the 1976 undefeated season, Knight’s fiery antics and countless players who made an impact on the team. You will be proud to be a Hoosier.However, the program is currently in disarray. Last February, Kelvin Sampson resigned as the Hoosiers’ coach following an announcement that he and his staff may have committed major recruiting violations by making impermissible phone calls. Former Hoosier player and assistant coach Dan Dakich assumed the head coaching responsibilities as the once promising season ended in a disappointing first round loss in the NCAA tournament.The relationship between Dakich and the players, who felt betrayed by the University for forcing out Sampson, was tenuous at best. Dakich dismissed two players from the team, and rumors of major academic problems surrounded the program. Months of uncertainty ended when Marquette University head coach Tom Crean was hired as the new head coach April 1.The changes with the team did not stop once Crean became head coach. The new Hoosier coach kicked another player off the team and upheld the dismissals of the two players. Another player decided to transfer, leaving only four returning players for the 2008-2009 team.Crean has filled the gaps in the roster with a five-man recruiting class headlined by top-150 players Nick Williams and Verdell Jones, both guards. Two walk-ons from the Hoosier state will give the team some depth.As of May, one big question remains unanswered: Will the University receive any additional punishment from the NCAA? You should be able to find out the answer to this question easily, but for now the immediate future is quite uncertain for the Hoosiers.This could be a tough season for Hoosier fans. As the roster stands now, there will be more losses than wins for IU during your freshman year. Don’t worry, because IU basketball will always be a part of college basketball royalty. Our banners may be dusty, but notice, there are five of them. Hopefully Crean will lead the program to championship No. 6, but have no doubt that he will have IU contending for Big Ten championships and Final Four appearances in a few years.When asked why he would leave a top-ranked team at Marquette, his response showed why Indiana basketball is so special: “If anybody asks me why, it’s Indiana,” Crean said. “It’s Indiana, and that is the bottom line. That is the premise we’re going to work on here. I grew up in Michigan and spent the last nine years in Wisconsin, but I know what the state of Indiana holds.”Enjoy your time here at IU cheering on the Hoosiers. Some of my most memorable experiences came at Assembly Hall. I hope the same for you, because starting today, you are part of something special – Indiana University basketball.And if any of your friends from other schools ask why you are wearing those hideous candy-stripe pants, your answer is simple.It’s Indiana.
(05/22/08 1:55am)
One day after giving a verbal commitment to IU, Bloomington native Jordan Hulls held a press conference to make the official announcement that he will be a Hoosier starting in the 2009-2010 season.\nHulls, a junior point guard from Bloomington High School South, said playing in his hometown drew him to IU.\n“I used to watch IU all the time when Coach Knight was here,” Hulls said. “When he left, they fell off the map for me. I am excited because I know all the tradition they have.”\nWhile the 6-foot guard was becoming a hot prospect on the national recruiting scene, Hulls said he felt most comfortable with IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.\n“I am really excited about my decision,” Hulls said.\nHulls went Tuesday night to Assembly Hall to give Crean his verbal commitment. The new Hoosier head coach was ecstatic to have Hulls join the program.\n“He was really excited, which made me fell really good knowing that,” Hulls said. “He just gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the program with open arms.”\nHulls averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game for Bloomington South last season, where he played both the point guard and shooting guard positions. When he transitions to the college game, Hulls said his primary role will be to run the offense as a point guard.\n“Me being a true point guard is huge for coach Crean,” Hulls said. “I don’t necessarily need to score to be effective.”\nThe Bloomington native saw his stock rise this spring during AAU events with Indiana Elite. Hulls had received interest from Purdue, Stanford and Duke because of improved play during this time. \n“He has helped his game develop, and colleges around the country have noticed that the last two weeks,” Bloomington South coach J.R. Holmes said.\nThe toughest part of choosing IU was telling the other coaches, especially Purdue coach Matt Painter. Purdue had been recruiting Hulls for some time before officially extending a scholarship offer earlier this month.\n“It was really tough to say no to Coach Painter at Purdue because I’ve gotten to know them for two years now,” Hulls said.\nHolmes said Hulls’ improved driving ability showed coaches he could be a player at the highest level. His play with the Indiana Elite team gives Hulls the chance to play with a number of Division I players, including 2009-10 commit Bobby Capobianco.\nThrough his play with Indiana Elite, Hulls was able to secure an offer from Crean. After several meetings at Assembly Hall, Hulls knew he wanted to join the upstart Hoosier program.\n“He told me, I don’t care who else calls, I want to go there (IU),” Holmes said. “Then I told him, we are done then.”
(05/14/08 1:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU responded Monday to the NCAA's notice of allegations surrounding former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff. The response comes just weeks before a scheduled June 14 hearing to determine the final punishments to the program.IU agreed with the NCAA on all five major violations outlined in a Feb. 8 report in response to the University’s self-reported infractions by Sampson and his staff. However, the University said in the 756 page response released to the public Monday that the self-imposed punishments are sufficient for the infractions.“Indiana University continues to view this matter very seriously and believes the significant self-imposed sanctions and corrective actions remain appropriate and sufficient to respond to the violations that occurred and to send a strong message that complete commitment to NCAA compliance is expected and required of all coaches and staff,” the report said.The five major allegations stem from actions taken by Sampson and his staff while the program was under NCAA probation for impermissible phone calls made by Sampson while he was coaching at Oklahoma. When he took the IU job in April 2006, the University imposed restrictions to comply with the NCAA ruling at Oklahoma.According to the report, allegations No. 1 and No. 2 pertain to improper phone calls that violated either the NCAA sanctions on Sampson or on general NCAA rules outlining the number of times a prospective student-athlete, his parents or coaches can be contacted by a coaching staff.These two allegations specify that Sampson and former assistant coaches Rob Senderoff and Jeff Meyer exceeded the number of calls to potential student-athletes. Additionally, Sampson and Senderoff participated in improper three-way calls which violated the NCAA sanctions carried over from Oklahoma. Three members of last year’s team were among those who received improper phone calls, but their names were redacted from the report.Allegations No. 3 and No. 4 have to do with Sampson and Senderoff’s testimony to IU and NCAA investigators, specifically knowingly disobeying NCAA rules and then misleading the investigation.“After careful and thorough analysis of the documentary evidence and interview statements, the University determined that it is reasonable to conclude there is sufficient information and evidence to support the majority of the specific information alleged, as well as the general charges regarding each individual,” the report said.Allegation No. 5 is impermissible contact with future Hoosier and current Tipton High School junior Derek Elston. Sampson offered Elston a scholarship while the player was attending the IU elite camp last summer, which is against NCAA rules. Additionally, Elston was improperly given a T-shirt and drawstring backpack by the IU staff. Elston’s coach reimbursed the University for the cost of the items.Sampson also responded to the NCAA Committee on Infractions and will be at the NCAA hearing on June 14.“I cannot adequately describe in words how stunned I was to learn from Mr. Greenspan later that summer that the compliance office’s review of my staff’s phone records had revealed possible violations,” Sampson wrote Monday to the NCAA Committee on Infractions in a letter obtained by www.cbssportsline.com. The University next outlined the self-imposed penalties, including reduced phone calls, fewer recruiting days off campus and fewer official visits, which are University-paid trips for recruits to come to Bloomington.These restrictions were modified after Tom Crean became the new Hoosier head coach April 1. Crean has been allowed 10 days to recruit off-campus and the program will be allowed two official visits – measures the University felt were necessary because of the coaching change, according to the report.“The University believes that, although these limited adjustments provide necessary relief for the current men’s basketball coaching staff, all of whom were completely uninvolved in the violations, they do not alter the strength of the initial penalties in any material way, particularly since the phone call restrictions remain intact,” the report said.The report was the last step before the NCAA Committee on Infractions meets with the University on June 14. Crean is scheduled to attend the hearing, but has told reporters various times that he is unsure of what role, if any, he will play in the hearing. About a month after the June hearing, the committee will release its findings and levy any additional punishment if it sees fit.
(05/14/08 1:19pm)
IU responded Monday to the NCAA's notice of allegations surrounding former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff. The response comes just weeks before a scheduled June 14 hearing to determine the final punishments to the program.\nIU agreed with the NCAA on all five major violations outlined in a Feb. 8 report in response to the University’s self-reported infractions by Sampson and his staff. However, the University said in the 756 page response released to the public Monday that the self-imposed punishments are sufficient for the infractions.\n“Indiana University continues to view this matter very seriously and believes the significant self-imposed sanctions and corrective actions remain appropriate and sufficient to respond to the violations that occurred and to send a strong message that complete commitment to NCAA compliance is expected and required of all coaches and staff,” the report said.\nThe five major allegations stem from actions taken by Sampson and his staff while the program was under NCAA probation for impermissible phone calls made by Sampson while he was coaching at Oklahoma. When he took the IU job in April 2006, the University imposed restrictions to comply with the NCAA ruling at Oklahoma.\nAccording to the report, allegations No. 1 and No. 2 pertain to improper phone calls that violated either the NCAA sanctions on Sampson or on general NCAA rules outlining the number of times a prospective student-athlete, his parents or coaches can be contacted by a coaching staff.\nThese two allegations specify that Sampson and former assistant coaches Rob Senderoff and Jeff Meyer exceeded the number of calls to potential student-athletes. Additionally, Sampson and Senderoff participated in improper three-way calls which violated the NCAA sanctions carried over from Oklahoma. \nThree members of last year’s team were among those who received improper phone calls, but their names were redacted from the report.\nAllegations No. 3 and No. 4 have to do with Sampson and Senderoff’s testimony to IU and NCAA investigators, specifically knowingly disobeying NCAA rules and then misleading the investigation.\n“After careful and thorough analysis of the documentary evidence and interview statements, the University determined that it is reasonable to conclude there is sufficient information and evidence to support the majority of the specific information alleged, as well as the general charges regarding each individual,” the report said.\nAllegation No. 5 is impermissible contact with future Hoosier and current Tipton High School junior Derek Elston. Sampson offered Elston a scholarship while the player was attending the IU elite camp last summer, which is against NCAA rules. Additionally, Elston was improperly given a T-shirt and drawstring backpack by the IU staff. Elston’s coach reimbursed the University for the cost of the items.\nSampson also responded to the NCAA Committee on Infractions and will be at the NCAA hearing on June 14.\n“I cannot adequately describe in words how stunned I was to learn from Mr. Greenspan later that summer that the compliance office’s review of my staff’s phone records had revealed possible violations,” Sampson wrote Monday to the NCAA Committee on Infractions in a letter obtained by www.cbssportsline.com. \nThe University next outlined the self-imposed penalties, including reduced phone calls, fewer recruiting days off campus and fewer official visits, which are University-paid trips for recruits to come to Bloomington.\nThese restrictions were modified after Tom Crean became the new Hoosier head coach April 1. Crean has been allowed 10 days to recruit off-campus and the program will be allowed two official visits – measures the University felt were necessary because of the coaching change, according to the report.\n“The University believes that, although these limited adjustments provide necessary relief for the current men’s basketball coaching staff, all of whom were completely uninvolved in the violations, they do not alter the strength of the initial penalties in any material way, particularly since the phone call restrictions remain intact,” the report said.\nThe report was the last step before the NCAA Committee on Infractions meets with the University on June 14. Crean is scheduled to attend the hearing, but has told reporters various times that he is unsure of what role, if any, he will play in the hearing. About a month after the June hearing, the committee will release its findings and levy any additional punishment if it sees fit.
(05/05/08 2:44am)
After a tumultuous off-season, the roster of the IU men’s basketball team just got smaller.\nLast Friday, new Hoosier coach Tom Crean denied the reinstatement requests of sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis and dismissed junior forward DeAndre Thomas from the program. In total, four members of last year’s team left the team last week as freshman center Eli Holman decided to transfer Thursday.\nThe dismissals should put an end to one of the most tumultuous seasons in the history of IU basketball. In total, with graduation, NBA departures and dismissals, 10 players will not return next season.\nAlthough there may be difficulties in the coming season, the decisions were in the best interest of the long-term future of the program, Crean said in \na statement.\n“Before you build a team, you need to develop a family,” Crean said in a statement. “We will go through the learning process, feel some growing pains and experience some bumps in the road along the way. We need the Hoosier Nation to rally around this program as we go through these stages.”\nBassett and Ellis were dismissed from the team by former interim coach Dan Dakich for skipping a morning running session the players were to attend as punishment for missing a team meeting. The release did not give a specific reason for dismissing Thomas from the team.\nHolman decided to transfer on Thursday. In a meeting with Crean, Holman lost his temper and threw a potted plant against the wall. Police were called to Assembly Hall, but no arrests were made.\nHolman released a statement through IU director of media relations J.D. Campbell apologizing to Crean and Hoosier fans.\n“Last night and this morning I had the opportunity to apologize to Coach Crean and today I would like to extend that to everyone involved in the program for allowing my frustrations to get the best of me,” Holman said in a statement. “I appreciate everything Indiana University and Coach Crean have done for me and I hope nothing but the best for the program of the future.”\nNone of the players have made their future plans public.\nCrean said that he wants players who respect wearing the Indiana jersey, even if the team’s success next season is limited.\n“Our staff if going to ensure that anyone who attends this University and wears the Indiana uniform will make this privilege among their highest priorities and not treat the opportunity as an entitlement,” Crean said in \na statement.\nThe four remaining Hoosiers – freshmen Jordan Crawford, Brandon McGee and Brett Finkelmeier and senior Kyle Taber – will be joined by a four-man recruiting class and two walk-ons next season.\nRegardless of who is on the team, Crean said that there will be high expectations on and off the court.\n“We fully expect our student-athletes to accept the responsibilities academically, athletically and socially that come with representing one of the top programs in college basketball history,” Crean said in a statement.
(05/05/08 2:11am)
D.J. White is just two months away from achieving a life-long dream: to play in the NBA.\nThe NBA Draft will take place June 26 in New York City, but White has been preparing since the end of the NCAA tournament. White is flying to Phoenix today to work out with a personal trainer his agent hired. White said he is ready to get away and focus on the transition from the college game to the NBA.\n“I like to be away and isolated because this is the biggest time of my life,” White said. “I’ve waited for this all my life.”\nLeading up to the draft, White will attend private workouts with several NBA teams and will meet with general managers and coaches. It is a new experience for White, who said he turns to his parents for advice and includes them in every meeting and decision-making process.\nFor more specific NBA advice, White said he consults former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson, now an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks.\n“I still talk to coach Sampson sometimes,” White said. “He’s in that league now, so he knows a little bit more about it.”\nDraft-projecting Web site www.nbadraft.net has White going as the first pick in the second round, No. 31 overall. White said he has heard he could go anywhere from No. 18 to No. 35. \nA high number of underclassmen have declared for the draft, but White is still confident he can prove to teams that he is worth drafting.\n“It’s still early,” White said. “A lot of people can take their names out. A lot of people have declared early, but I feel confident in myself to be among the best of them. I don’t look at that.”\nWhite would have been projected higher, but he stands at just 6’8”, which makes him an undersized post player in the NBA. White said he isn’t concerned about his height, pointing to several undersized NBA players who have succeeded in the post.\n“It’s been proven that guys who aren’t 6’11” have been fine in the NBA,” White said. “I really don’t think height has anything to do with it.”\nWhite said he expects to play a supporting role when he starts out as he adjusts to the style of the NBA.\n“I figure to be a role player,” White said. “I don’t think I’ll be coming in and starting right away, but I think I can come in and contribute in a number of ways.”
(05/02/08 3:38am)
D.J. White will distinguish himself Saturday from many of his fellow blue-chip recruits from the class of 2004, and it won’t be on the hardwood. \nWhite will graduate with a degree in general studies with minors in African-American studies and criminal justice, a rare feat for a top-flight prospect coming out of high school. Only three of the top-15 recruits from the class of 2004 – White, Oregon guard Malik Hairston and Kentucky guard Joe Crawford – spent four years in college.\nWhite first earned headlines in the Hoosier state when he was the crown jewel of a top-5 recruiting class for former Hoosier coach Mike Davis in 2004. While White has obvious talent on the hardwood, his lack of size for a power forward has always been a concern when moving toward the NBA. Analysts were torn during White’s senior year in high school on whether he would leave college early for the NBA.\n“That kind of player’s stay in college may not be long,” recruiting analyst Mike Pegram wrote in 2004. “But D.J. could be a four-year guy.”\nWhite ended up being a four-year player, but his career was anything but typical. White and walk-ons Adam Ahlfeld and Kyle Taber were the only three players from the seven-man freshmen class of 2004 to suit up for the final game of the season against Arkansas.\nFirst, Lucas Steijn transferred to John A. Logan Junior College after the 2004-2005 season. Next, James Hardy quit the team in 2005 to concentrate on football. Hardy entered this year’s NFL draft and was chosen in the second round with the No. 41 pick by the Buffalo Bills. Robert Vaden followed Davis to the University of Alabama-Birmingham after the coach resigned following the 2005-2006 season. This season, A.J. Ratliff left the team Feb. 12 for “personal issues.”\nWhite had an up-and-down first three years of his career. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in his rookie campaign, but sat out most of his sophomore season because of a foot injury. White’s career blossomed under former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson as the Alabama native became the unquestioned leader of the Hoosiers this past season.\n“This is D.J. White’s team,” Sampson said in a statement prior to the season.\nWhite responded to his leadership responsibility as he turned in his best season in Bloomington, earning both Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American honors despite the turmoil facing the program off the court. The decision to stay in school one more year has helped White’s draft status and allowed him to pick up several awards.\n“It is a tremendous honor to be named the best player in a league that has so many great players in it,” White said in a statement after being named Big Ten Player of the Year. “I want to thank my teammates, coaches and family for helping me obtain this personal goal.”\nEver since he was a senior in high school, D.J. White has been considered a future NBA player. Recruiting service www.rivals.com ranked White as the No. 15 prospect in the class of 2004 — a ranking higher than current NBA players LaMarcus Aldridge, Shawne Williams and Rajon Rondo.\nThe All-American forward is slated to be the first pick of the second round by the draft-projecting Web site www.nbadraft.net.\nWhile the Hoosier faithful will miss White, he will always be remembered as the guiding force during some of the darkest days of IU basketball in the aftermath of Sampson’s resignation stemming from allegations of NCAA violations.\n“Of all the great players, and there have been a zillion at IU, I have never seen a better combination of player, person and hard-working guy than the legend D.J. White,” former interim coach Dan Dakich said on Senior Night.
(04/22/08 3:32am)
IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean nabbed his second guard for 2008 in as many days Monday when Alabama native Nick Williams agreed to join the Hoosiers next season.\nWilliams joins Indianapolis native and junior college transfer Devan Dumes as the future of IU’s backcourt. The question is, when will that future begin?\nWith the ongoing saga surrounding the dismissal of Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, what do the additions of Williams and Dumes mean for the Hoosiers next season? Will the new duo replace Bassett and Ellis, or supplement them?\nRegardless of who is on the roster next season, Williams should see a lot of playing time. Recruiting services have Williams ranked as high as No. 35 overall in the class of 2008, according to an IU press release. If his talent lives up to his ranking, Williams will earn his time on the court next season. The 6-foot-5 guard should add a physical presence to the Hoosiers’ backcourt and is comfortable playing in the post.\nHow Dumes fits in with the team next season is more of a question. Dumes, a combo guard, is in the Bassett mold. He shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc at Vincennes University (Ind.) last season, but IU desperately needs a pass-first point guard. If he cannot run point for IU, he most likely won’t steal much playing time from Bassett or freshman guard Jordan Crawford.\nSo this brings us back to the question on every Hoosier fan’s mind: Will Bassett and Ellis return? Right now, I would bet on Bassett returning and Ellis remaining off the team. Here’s why:\nCrean has a pre-existing relationship with Bassett, from when the former Marquette coach recruited the Terre Haute native. Bassett wants to be back on the team, and in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student earlier this month, Crean said he had been talking to Bassett.\nAnother favorable sign for Bassett’s return is the fact that Dumes told Mike Pegram, from Peegs.com, that he talked briefly with Bassett while pondering his decision.\nIt seems to me that if Bassett finishes the semester with good grades, he will be on the team next season.\nEllis’ situation is a little murkier. Cream told the IDS he briefly talked with Ellis and was still trying to start a relationship with the incoming senior. Other than that, there has been no update from Crean or Ellis.\nMy biggest concern in the Bassett-Ellis dilemma is that Crean might not treat the two players fairly. Just because Bassett has a good relationship with Crean doesn’t mean he should be back on the team. Putting the two players on a zero-tolerance policy would improve the team next season, but more importantly, it would give the two players a chance to continue their education and earn a college degree. In the end, college athletics should be about learning how to be an adult and getting an education.\nHoosier fans should be happy for the additions, but if Bassett and Ellis are not in IU uniforms next season, it could spell trouble in the win-loss column. Hopefully, Crean does not think about winning and losing when making this decision. If so, he will set a bad precedent in his first summer as head coach.
(04/18/08 11:15am)
IU head coach Tom Crean named two assistant coaches to his staff Thursday.\nCrean tabbed two of his former assistants at Marquette, Tim Buckley and Bennie Seltzer, to join him in Bloomington. They will help Crean in rebuilding the reputation of the IU program after alleged NCAA violations and possible academic problems with players.\nThe two coaches will be valuable assets in both recruiting and developing players on and off the court, Crean said in a statement released Thursday.\n“I believed that I had one of the best coaching staffs in the country at Marquette, and I’m honored to have Tim and Bennie as part of the Hoosier basketball family,” Crean said in the statement. “These gentlemen are two of the hardest working and most loyal individuals I have known and their insight, abilities and experiences will be a great asset for our student-athletes.”\nThe new coaches will begin recruiting duties right away as the NCAA is in the first week of a month-long signing period for recruits. With sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis still off the team, the Hoosiers only have seven of their scholarship players on board for next season. Teams are allowed a maximum of 13 scholarship players per year.\nBuckley will return to the Hoosier state after spending the last two seasons at Marquette. Buckley was the head coach of Ball State from 2000 to 2006, where he compiled a record of 143-139. Under Buckley, the Cardinals won the Mid-American Conference West Division in 2002 and advanced to play in the postseason NIT.\nThe new Hoosier assistant also has experience coaching in the Big Ten, as Buckley served as an assistant coach at Wisconsin during the 1993-1994 season and as an assistant for former Hoosier player Steve Alford at Iowa during the 2006 to 2007 season.\nBuckley said he cherishes the opportunity to be a part of Indiana basketball.\n“My family and I are very excited to return to the state of Indiana,” Buckley said in the statement. “Indiana University offers one of the most tradition-rich basketball experiences you can imagine, and I am thrilled to be a part of Coach Crean’s staff and look forward to adding to the great history that exists at IU.”\nSeltzer spent the last two seasons at Marquette after serving nine seasons under former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson at Oklahoma. Seltzer was on Sampson’s staff at Oklahoma when the program violated NCAA rules for making impermissible phone calls. Seltzer was not implicated in the scandal.\nSeltzer met Sampson in 1989 when he was a freshman player at Washington State where Sampson was head coach.\nSeltzer said in the release that he is excited to rejoin Crean and Buckley.\n“Indiana is one of the most storied programs in the country, and our family is energized by this new chapter in our lives,” Seltzer said in the statement. “I’m excited to be a part of the path that Coach Crean is setting for the future at Indiana and look forward to this opportunity.”
(04/17/08 6:59pm)
IU head coach Tom Crean named two assistant coaches to his staff Thursday.\nCrean tabbed two of his former assistants at Marquette, Tim Buckley and Bennie Seltzer, to join the new Hoosier head coach in Bloomington. They will help Crean in rebuilding the reputation of the IU program after alleged NCAA violations and possible academic problems with players.\nThe two coaches will be valuable assets in both recruiting and developing players on and off the court, Crean said in a statement released Thursday.\n“I believed that I had one of the best coaching staff’s in the country at Marquette and I’m honored to have Tim and Bennie as part of the Hoosier basketball family,” Crean said in the statement. “These gentlemen are two of the hardest working and most loyal individuals I have known and their insight, abilities and experiences will be a great asset for our student-athletes.”\nThe new coaches will begin recruiting duties right away as the NCAA is in the first week of a month-long signing period for recruits.
(04/16/08 4:14am)
Former Hoosier assistant coach Rob Senderoff is returning to Kent State.\nSenderoff, who was an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes from 2002-2006, resigned from former coach Kelvin Sampson’s staff last October after a University investigation found that Senderoff made impermissible phone calls to recruits as an assistant coach for the Hoosiers.\nThe Golden Flashes are excited to welcome back Senderoff, who will join new head coach Geno Ford.\n“We are pleased to have Rob rejoin our staff under Coach Ford,” Athletic Director Laing Kennedy said in a statement. “I look forward to what he brings to our program and the positive impact he will have with our student-athletes both on and off the court.”\nKennedy told The Associated Press that Senderoff will be involved in recruiting for Kent State and will not be under any restrictions. Although Senderoff resigned from IU and was not fired, the NCAA said the assistant coach initiated impermissible three-way phone calls, lied to IU’s compliance staff and to NCAA investigators.\nSampson resigned in February after the release of the NCAA report, receiving a $750,000 buyout from IU.\nDespite his alleged NCAA infractions, Kent State is comfortable with Senderoff taking over recruiting responsibilities.\n“We wouldn’t have moved forward if we didn’t feel good about it,” Kennedy told The Associated Press.\nSenderoff is the second former member of the Hoosier coaching staff to get a new job in the last few days. Ray McCallum, who served both years under Sampson at IU, was hired as the head coach at Detroit. A former head coach at Ball State, McCallum is looking forward to being a head coach again.\n“This is a tremendous day. (University of Detroit-Michigan) has a great basketball tradition, and I’m glad to be part of the next chapter,” McCallum said in a statement. “I have recruited in the area throughout my coaching career and I know the passion for basketball Detroit fans do possess. I’m very pleased that the UDM administration has chosen me for this position.”\nSenderoff has been praised by many coaches, including Sampson, as a great basketball mind and a future head coach candidate. Besides his recruiting ties to New York, Senderoff is a noted developer of post players.\n“I asked people who they think is a great young guy in this area and the name I kept hearing was Rob Senderoff,” Sampson said in a statement when he hired Senderoff in May 2006. “I think Rob is going to be a great addition to our staff. He’s young, energetic and really good with people. He is going to be an outstanding head coach one of these days.”\nFord, who took over the Kent State program after former coach Jim Christian left for Texas Christian University, said he was happy to add an experienced assistant in Senderoff.\n“We are really lucky to get someone with Rob’s quality and experience on our staff,” Ford said in a statement. “He is (a) proven national recruiter and an excellent on the floor coach that brought five guys on our current roster to Kent State. His familiarity with the program gives him credibility with the players.”\nFor Senderoff, this will be an opportunity to start over and clean up his reputation after the NCAA allegations.\n“I’m excited to be back at Kent State,” Senderoff said in a statement. “I appreciate Coach Ford, Athletic Director Laing Kennedy and the University administration for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to continuing the success and tradition of the program.”
(04/09/08 7:48am)
Rebuilding a storied program is not easy – just ask the new coach of the IU men’s basketball team, Tom Crean.\nCrean received several calls and texts during an interview with the Indiana Daily Student on Tuesday morning. Each time the phone vibrated, Crean eagerly checked who was trying to contact him as he is limited in how many times he can contact a recruit because of sanctions levied against former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson.\nThe rebuilding job is not going to be easy, Crean said, but he is looking forward to the challenge.\n“That’s why I have to have my phone with me 24-7 \nliterally, because if you miss a call right now with the sanctions we are under from the previous staff, we can’t return it,” Crean said. “Recruiting is going to be 24-7. When I lay down at night, it’s there.”\nRecruiting has taken on extra importance this off-season as Crean is trying to assemble a team for next season. The Hoosiers had four seniors graduate and recently kicked sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jarmarcus Ellis off the team for violating team rules.\nCrean has not yet decided if he wants to reinstate Bassett and Ellis, which would overturn the decision of former interim coach Dan Dakich. Crean has only met with Bassett and said a decision is not necessarily going to be made soon.\n“No, I don’t have a timetable,” Crean said. “Absolutely not.”\nThe Bassett and Ellis situation is not the only problem facing the program as concerns have surfaced over the last few days about academic problems within the team.\n“There are some things that I am not real happy with right now,” Crean said. “I am not real happy with our academic situation right now, but I think that is on the players.”\nPutting together a coaching staff is as important right now as recruiting players Crean said, adding that he expected to name a few coaches during this week. The new staff will first try and persuade two former Hoosier signees, forward Devin Ebanks and point guard Terrell Holloway, to re-commit to the University.\nIf the two players do not return, then the staff will have to move in a different direction. The picture gets more complicated when factoring in the decision facing current Hoosiers to stay or transfer to another school. Either way, the team has to be able to adjust to the circumstances, Crean said.\n“We are active,” Crean said. “The plan has to be ongoing, adjustable, flexible. Not make rash decisions on anything and take in all the information we can get.”\nNext, Crean must focus on the 2009 recruiting class this summer. With one signee so far, Crean has somewhat of a foundation to the summer recruiting period – even if he is hampered by sanctions.\n“I think at Indiana that we are going to be able to recruit some people that can come in here and play,” Crean said. “What I don’t want to do is to get people who are going to slow us down. I don’t want to turn us into a team that plays half-court basketball.”
(04/03/08 4:08pm)
The University held a press conference Wednesday announcing Tom Crean as the 28th men’s basketball coach in IU history.\nAfter weeks of speculation of who the next Hoosier coach would be, news broke Tuesday night that Crean would leave Marquette to take over for Kelvin Sampson, who resigned this season in the midst of NCAA allegations.\nDuring his tenure at Marquette, Crean built the program back to its winning ways of the 1970s. The new Hoosier coach said he never expected to leave Milwaukee, but when former South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler contacted Crean on the behalf of the University, Crean said he had to jump at the opportunity to go to Bloomington.\n“If anybody asks me why, it’s Indiana,” Crean said. “It’s Indiana, and that is the bottom line. That is the premise we’re going to work on here. I grew up in Michigan and spent the last nine years in Wisconsin, but I know what the state of Indiana holds.”\nCrean grew up following Big Ten basketball, especially the 1976 National Championship Hoosier squad. The new coach expressed his desire to learn all there is to know about the Hoosier tradition and history. His knowledge of the program is already strong, as he rattled off names such as Calbert Cheaney, Damon Bailey and Pat Graham.\nMost importantly, Crean said, he is hoping to reach out to former IU coach Bob Knight. One of the first coaching clinics Crean attended was conducted by Knight, and it was an experience that was important for a young coach, Crean said.\nCrean said he has talked to St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa, a mutual friend of Knight and Crean, about contacting the former Hoosier coaching legend.\n“I certainly want to reach out to Coach Knight as soon as I can,” Crean said. “I want to make sure I make the attempt to tell him how proud I am to take the seat he had and turned it into a Hall of Fame career.”\nCrean said he is going to use the Hoosier tradition to reach out to recruits and return the program to championship form.\n“I’m going to look for people that are going to understand why we wear the candy-stripe pants,” Crean said. “People that understand what that uniform stands for, why it says Indiana on the front.”\nIU President Michael McRobbie was unable to attend the press conference but issued a statement about the hire.\n“Coach Crean has had great success on the court but he is also known for his community involvement and his commitment to the academic success of his players,” McRobbie said in the statement. “I am very pleased to welcome him to Indiana.”\nCrean was joined by his wife, Joani, the sister of former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and his three children – \ndaughters Megan, 12, and Ainsley, 2, and son Riley, 8. Family is important to Crean and is an important part of his teams.\n“I have to start with family, because that’s what I just walked into,” Crean said. “You have to understand how important family is to me. I’ve walked into a tradition that I’ve had great feelings for since I was very young.”\nBecause of his family values, the decision to leave Marquette was a difficult one, Crean said. In particular, saying goodbye to his players was one of the most difficult things he’s had to do in his life, he said.\n“I had their heart, and they had mine,” Crean said.\nBut in the end, the chance to coach at IU was too appealing to Crean. He said he consulted with several people, including Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, under whom Crean served as an assistant coach.\n“He thought this was a great move for me,” Crean said. “He has been the one constant outside of my family and the few others I turn to. He is a big fan of this University and this league, and he was very high on me coming here.”
(04/03/08 5:15am)
It’s nothing personal, but it still has to hurt.\nDan Dakich’s short tenure as the head coach of the IU men’s basketball team came to an end Wednesday as Tom Crean was introduced as the 28th head coach in IU history. \nAfter the resignation of Kelvin Sampson in the program’s darkest hour, Dakich tried to direct the team towards a Big Ten championship and a deep run in March. Instead, the team struggled down the stretch, losing in the first round of both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.\nThe final act of his interim stint was to dismiss sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis from the team for violating team rules.\nDakich did not return messages left on his home phone by the Indiana Daily Student, but IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan addressed the decision of not removing the interim tag from Dakich and retaining the former player and assistant coach. Dakich played for the Hoosiers from 1981 to 1985 and served as both a graduate assistant coach and an assistant coach for 10 years following his graduation from the University.\n“Obviously, Dan is a competitive guy,” Greenspan said. “Dan, I will say, was disappointed and very understandably so. He grew up in Indiana, played at Indiana and was an assistant coach for a long time at Indiana and came back and helped us during a challenging time.”\nGreenspan praised Dakich for serving the program under such difficult decisions, saying Dakich had his full support during the whole process.\n“I will say something and I think it is really important to be said,” Greenspan said. “The job that Dan did in a very difficult position, up to and including the dismissal of those two young men, was done with my knowledge and my support, and I love Dan Dakich for doing what I think is choosing a harder right than an easier wrong.”\nThough Greenspan said Dakich did a good job given the circumstances, the Blue Ribbon Committee charged with naming a new coach went in a different direction.\nFormer Hoosier player Wayne Radford, a member of the committee, said the committee looked for the best candidate for the job, regardless if the coach was a member of the IU family or not. Radford cited his best friend and former Hoosier Mike Woodson as an example. Woodson, the current coach of the Atlanta Hawks, could have been considered by the committee, but in the end, Crean rose to the top of the list.\n“Well, whether it’s Dan or several other former players,” Radford said, “my best friend in the world is Mike Woodson. Mike and I grew up together, played together here at Indiana. My son calls him Uncle Mike. Again, you have to look at Indiana Nation – what was it that the committee was trying to assemble that President Michael McRobbie wanted?”\nAfter taking over for Sampson, the University re-worked Dakich’s contract guaranteeing him employment on the coaching staff or within the athletic department for next season. Greenspan said Wednesday he didn’t know what Dakich will do, but said he will support Dakich in any decision he makes.\n“I have absolutely great respect and admiration for Dan Dakich, and if Dan wants to stay here, Dan knows he can stay here,” Greenspan said. “If Dan wants to pursue another position, be it a head coaching position or an assistant coaching position, I will do whatever I can to help him.”\nStaff writer Michael Sanserino contributed to this report.
(04/02/08 4:57am)
IU finally has its man in Tom Crean.
(03/24/08 12:31pm)
RALEIGH, N.C. – It wasn’t supposed to be like this.\nNot with the arrival of Indiana high school legend Eric Gordon.\nNot with the inside presence and senior leadership of D.J. White.\nNot with the top-flight coach with Final Four experience.\nThis was supposed to be the season that put IU basketball back on the map as one of college basketball’s elite programs. But in the end, the Hoosiers were left asking “what if” and “what’s to come in the program’s future.”\n“I’ve never seen anything like it,” IU interim coach Dan Dakich said about the season. “It’s probably not over, to tell you the truth. The season is over, the game is over, but there are a lot of things that have to occur with Indiana basketball that need to occur. It’s far from over.”\nThe Hoosiers (25-8) entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Big Ten title and were thought by some to be capable of a Final Four run led by White and Gordon. But before any games were played, distractions began to mount for IU.\nDays after the first practice, the University self-reported violations by then coach Kelvin Sampson for impermissible phone calls while Sampson was on probation for similar infractions at Oklahoma.\nNext, a series of suspensions forced guards Armon Bassett and Jordan Crawford to miss three games apiece for violating team rules.\nSenior guard A.J. Ratliff then left the team Feb. 12 for personal issues after being academically inelligible for the first semester.\nThe team kept winning despite these distractions, positioning itself for the program’s first Big Ten title since 2002.\nThe program was rocked by a report from the NCAA upgrading the self-reported secondary infractions to major infractions, putting Sampson’s future at IU in doubt.\nFacing a deluge of questions about the NCAA report and Sampson’s future, the Hoosiers were just one banked-in 3-pointer away from a three-game sweep of ranked opponents in early February.\nSampson eventually “resigned” from the program, leaving former Hoosier player Dakich as the head coach. Some players boycotted the first practice, upset by Sampson’s decision to leave mid season.\nWith Dakich at the helm, the Hoosiers finished the season 3-4, including first round defeats in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.\nIt certainly was not the season the team expected, Gordon said.\n“We fought through adversity all season,” Gordon said. “It’s been a tough and difficult season for us.”\nWith the season complete, now questions remain on which players will stay and who will become the next head coach for the Hoosiers.\nIt is widely expected White will declare for the NBA Draft, although he could petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility because of an injury suffered his sophomore year. Gordon will likely join White in the NBA, although the freshman said after the loss that he has not yet made his decision.\n“I’m real close to this coaching staff, so I am going to talk to them, talk to my family,” Gordon said. “It’s a great opportunity that this team has in the future.”\nThe players are split with some committing to being there next year, and others waiting to see which coach will take over the helm at IU before making a decision about their future.\nJunior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis, who said he is staying next season, said the team needs to move on and use this season as motivation for next year.\n“Just let everything go,” Ellis said. “Just put everything behind us and look at what we have to do to make ourselves better.”\nFor Dakich, there is work to be done to return the program to its former glory. While there are big-name coaches rumored to be in the running for the job, Dakich said he was the man for the job.\n“This needs to be built with a foundation of discipline and accountability,” Dakich said. “And that can certainly happen with a lot of people, but I’m just telling you, given the climate, the culture, what’s happening right now, it has to be someone that understands it.”
(03/24/08 4:54am)
RALEIGH, N.C. – Nothing in life is a sure thing.\nThe phrase certainly applies to the IU men’s basketball team’s recruiting class of 2004, the most highly-touted class of former coach Mike Davis. The class was headlined by high school All-American D.J. White, who was complimented with a trio of in-state, top-100 recruits in James Hardy, A.J. Ratliff and Robert Vaden. Lucas Steijn, a foreign prospect from the Netherlands, and walk-ons Kyle Taber and Adam Ahlfeld rounded out the ’04 class, which many fans hoped would lead the Hoosiers to a Final Four and maybe even a sixth banner in Assembly Hall.\n“Not long ago with Coach Davis, we had a good recruiting class,” Ahlfeld said. “We had guys like D.J., A.J., James Hardy. I think it just shows nothing in life is guaranteed.”\nThe class with so much promise started losing its sparkle after the first season. Players began to leave the team, eventually leaving just three of the seven players in North Carolina with the Hoosiers for this year’s NCAA Tournament.\n“If you look at that class and who is left, there is only D.J., Kyle and I,” Ahlfeld said. “For one reason or another, the other guys aren’t here.”\nSteijn transferred to John A. Logan junior college after the 2004-2005 season. Next, Hardy quit the basketball team in 2005 to concentrate on football, a sport where he has a professional future. Vaden followed Davis to University of Alabama-Birmingham after the coach resigned following the 2005-2006 season.\nAnother recruit bit the dust this season, when Ratliff left the team on Feb. 12 for “personal issues,” leaving just White, Taber and Ahlfeld as the lone three members of the 2004 recruiting class remaining on the IU roster.\nThe three players also experienced turnover at the coaching position over the years, with three different men – Davis, Kelvin Sampson and interim head coach Dan Dakich – leading the team over a four-year span. \nTaber, who will return next season because he redshirted his freshman season, will possibly be playing for his fourth head coach next season at IU.\nAhlfeld said he never could have expected the ups and downs he, Taber and White went through the last four years.\n“Not at all,” he said. “The past 30 years, prior to me coming to Indiana, we’ve only had two coaches, Coach Knight and Coach Davis.”\nNow, as the University prepares to name the next coach for the program, Ahlfeld said the coach should appreciate the history of IU basketball.\n“I think a coach that has ties to the state and understands the tradition not only of Indiana University basketball, but the state as a whole,” Ahlfeld said. “Ultimately a coach that has a history of winning.”\nThough there has been plenty of turmoil the past four years, Ahlfeld said it was an honor to be a part of the Hoosier program.\n“A lot of memories are coming to my mind,” Ahlfeld said. “It’s an honor to wear the jersey. Not a lot of people get that honor – I’ve just been really fortunate. There have been ups and downs, but everyone has those. Looking back at it, I will have a lot of great memories, a lot of great guys I got to know and the joy of wearing Indiana on my jersey.”
(03/22/08 7:22am)
RALEIGH, N.C. – It wasn't supposed to be like this.\nNot with the arrival of Indiana high school legend Eric Gordon.\nNot with the inside presence and senior leadership of D.J. White.\nNot with the top-flight coach with Final Four experience.\nThis was supposed to be the season that put Indiana basketball back on the map as one of college basketball's elite programs. But in the end, the Hoosiers were left asking what if and what's to come in the program's future.\n“I've never seen anything like it,” IU interim coach Dan Dakich said about the season. “It's probably not over to tell you the truth. The season is over, the game is over, but there are a lot of things that have to occur with Indiana basketball that need to occur. It's far from over.”\nThe Hoosiers (25-8) entered the season as one of the favorites to win the Big Ten title and were thought by some to be capable of a Final Four run led by White and Gordon. But before any games were played, distractions began to mount for IU.\nDays after the first practice, the University self-reported violations by former coach Kelvin Sampson for impermissible phone calls while Sampson was on probation for similar infractions at Oklahoma.\nNext, a series of suspensions forced guards Armon Bassett and Jordan Crawford to miss three games apiece for violating team rules.\nThe team kept winning despite these distractions, positioning itself for the program's first Big Ten title since 2002.\nThe program was rocked by a report from the NCAA upgrading the self-reported secondary infractions to major infractions, putting Sampson's future at IU in doubt.\nFacing a deluge of questions about the NCAA report and Sampson's future, the Hoosiers were just one banked-in 3-pointer away from a three-game sweep of ranked opponents in early February.\nSampson eventually “resigned” from the program, leaving former Hoosier player Dakich as the head coach. Some players boycotted the first practice, upset by Sampson's decision to leave mid-season.\nWith Dakich at the helm, the Hoosiers finished the season 3-4 including first round defeats in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.\nIt certainly was not the season the team expected Gordon said.\n“We fought through adversity all season,” Gordon said. “It's been a tough and difficult season for us.”\nWith the season complete, now questions remain on which players will stay and who will become the next head coach for the Hoosiers.\nIt is widely expected White will declare for the NBA draft although he could petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility because of an injury suffered his sophomore year. Gordon will likely join White in the NBA, although the freshman said after the loss that he has not yet made his decision.\n“I'm real close to this coaching staff, so I am going to talk to them, talk to my family,” Gordon said. “It's a great opportunity that this team has in the future.”\nThe players are split with some committing to being there next year, and others waiting to see which coach will take over the helm at IU before making a decision about their future.\nJunior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis, who said he is staying next season, said the team needs to move on and use this season as motivation for next year.\n“Just let everything go,” Ellis said. “Just put everything behind us and look at what we have to do to make ourselves better.”\nFor Dakich, there is work to be done to return the program to its former glory. While there are big name coaches rumored to be in the running for the job, Dakich said he was the man for the job.\n“This needs to be built with a foundation of discipline and accountability,” Dakich said. “And that can certainly happen with a lot of people, but I'm just telling you, given the climate, the culture, what's happening right now, it has to be someone that understands it.”
(03/22/08 1:14am)
RALEIGH, N.C. – For the IU men’s basketball team, the time is now.\nThe team might have been seeded too low for fans and players, but if the No. 8-seeded Hoosiers do not come to play against No. 9 seed Arkansas, a season that began with so much promise will come crashing to a halt one game into the NCAA Tournament.\n“We don’t have much time left,” senior forward Lance Stemler said. “We have to bring it every day because it’s the NCAA Tournament, or otherwise the season is over.”\nThe Hoosiers (25-7) face Arkansas (22-11) at 9:40 p.m. on Friday night and will try to prove they were worthy of a higher seed, junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis said.\n“There were a lot of players, including myself, that felt disrespected when the No. 8 seed came out,” Ellis said. “Things like that happen, so that will make you go out and work even harder.”\nThe winner of Friday night’s game will likely face overall No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Round of 32. UNC is heavily favored over No. 16 seed Mt. Saint Mary’s – a No. 16 seed has never defeated a No. 1 seed in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament.\nGetting a shot at the No. 1 team in the nation is even more of an incentive to win the first-round game, but Arkansas will present a stiff challenge, Stemler said. \n“When the brackets first came out, I think that’s what everyone looked at (a potential matchup with UNC),” Stemler said. “I think the coaches have done a good job keeping us focused on Arkansas.”\nThe Razorbacks’ size will present a matchup problem to the undersized Hoosier frontline. IU struggled earlier this season against Connecticut and Wisconsin – two teams with several tall players.\nArkansas has five players who are 6-foot-8 or taller.\n“They have so many big guys,” IU coach Dan Dakich said. “They have more big guys 6-10, 7-foot than anybody in our league. They all are athletic. They all are long. And I think they’re very good.”\nForward Sonny Weems, a first-team All-SEC selection this season, leads Arkansas. Weems suffered a knee injury in practice this week, but said he should be 100 percent for the game.\n“It will be a challenge,” senior forward D.J. White said. “They have a lot of big bodies that they can throw at us. I still go out there and play the game I’ve been playing all along.”\nAt guard, Patrick Beverley sparks the Razorbacks, averaging 12 points per game. He is an excellent rebounder for a guard, pulling down 6.7 redbounds per game. It will be important to box Beverly out on both ends of the court, Ellis said.\n“He’s a tough player,” Ellis said. “Coach Dakich pressed the issue of putting a body on the player. He, being a great rebounding guard, we have to find him when a shot goes up.”\nWhile the Hoosiers have struggled of late, going 3-3 since Dakich took over for former coach Kelvin Sampson, Arkansas believes the Hoosiers will be a challenge.\n“We fully anticipate getting IU’s best shot,” Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. “They have two players who would be top 5 players in any league out there.”\nFor the Hoosiers, the time is now. Regardless of what has occurred this season, White said the team can turn things around in the NCAA Tournament.\n“We know we haven’t been playing as good of late, but it’s a new season,” White said. “Anything can happen.”