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(03/17/08 4:37am)
INDIANAPOLIS – IU signee Devin Ebanks attended Friday night’s game against Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, but he said he’s still unsure of his college basketball future.\nEbanks is one of two IU signees for the class of 2008 who have opt-out clauses in their letters of intent because of the departure of former IU coach Kelvin Sampson. \nThe Long Island, N.Y., native told the Indiana Daily Student on Friday during halftime that he is \nstill undecided.\n“I don’t know right now,” Ebanks said.\nThe purpose of the trip to Indianapolis was to meet with IU officials to talk about the future of the program. IU interim coach Dan Dakich and IU assistant coach Ray McCallum visited Ebanks.\n“Right now we have to meet with (Director of Athletics) Rick Greenspan tonight or probably tomorrow, but we haven’t decided yet,” Ebanks said.\nEbanks is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the nation according to recruiting service www.rivals.com. He committed to the Hoosiers over the summer.\nDressed in a gray IU basketball sweatshirt, Ebanks sat next to Ray McCallum Jr., son of the Hoosier assistant, and displayed little emotion during the game.\nA decision should come soon from Ebanks’ camp on his future with the Hoosiers.\n“I will try to make a decision after the Big Ten Tournament,” Ebanks said.
(03/17/08 4:36am)
INDIANAPOLIS – In a season of ups and downs, the IU men’s basketball team hit rock bottom Friday night against Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.\nGolden Gopher guard Blake Hoffarber hit a game-winning shot from 15 feet as time expired to knock the No. 3 seed Hoosiers out of the conference tournament.\n“That’s a tough loss,” IU interim coach Dan Dakich said after the game.\nTrailing by two points with 11 seconds left, freshman guard Eric Gordon drove down the length of the court before getting fouled while attempting a layup.\nGordon missed his first attempt from the line. With just three seconds remaining, Gordon purposely missed the second free throw – a shot senior forward D.J. White rebounded and put back in for a score. White was fouled as he put in the layup, giving the Hoosiers a chance to take the lead.\nWhite missed the front end of the one-and-one, but recovered the rebound and was fouled again with 1.5 seconds left. The senior hit one of two, giving the Hoosiers a one-point lead and setting the scene for the last-second heroics by Hoffarber.\n“To tell the truth, I just remember it sailing over my head,” White said. “I turned around, and the shot was going in.”\nThe No. 22 Hoosiers (25-7) started slow for the second consecutive game as the Gophers raced to a 19-5 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. The Hoosiers shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and committed several costly turnovers.\nIU rallied with baskets from freshman guard Jordan Crawford and Gordon to cut the Gopher lead to seven points \nat halftime.\n“We didn’t come to play to start the game,” Dakich said. “Over the course of the last 30 minutes of the game I thought we competed. We didn’t hit shots, but we competed on the defensive end.”\nA pair of free throws from White tied the game at the 15:51 mark in the second half, sending the Hoosier faithful in Conseco Fieldhouse to their feet. The two teams battled down the stretch with neither team pulling away.\nWith 2:01 remaining, Minnesota looked as if it was going to pull away, taking a five-point lead. However, the interim heroics by Gordon and White pushed the Hoosiers into the lead before Hoffarber’s shot won the game for the Golden Gophers.\nWhite, like most of the Hoosier players after the game, was visibly shaken up after the last-second defeat.\n“Losses like this always hurt,” White said. “You never forget it. There is nothing you can do about it now, so we have to put it behind us.”\nDakich said the loss was particularly painful because he believed this team had the chance to advance far in the conference tournament.\n“That was a real chance to maybe do something special with this group here in this tournament given the fact we would have stolen it had we won,” Dakich said.\nIt is important for the Hoosiers to put the loss behind them and look forward to the NCAA Tournament, which is another chance for something special to happen Dakich said. The coach said he is confident his team will respond.\n“Kids are resilient,” Dakish said. “Kids bounce back.”
(03/15/08 11:17pm)
INDIANAPOLIS – In a season of ups and downs, the IU men''s basketball team hit rock bottom Friday night against Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.\nFreshman Golden Gopher guard Blake Hoffarber hit a game-winning shot as time expired to knock the No. 3-seeded Hoosiers out of the conference tournament with a 59-58 loss.\n"That''s a tough loss," IU interim coach Dan Dakich said after the game.\nTrailing by two points with 11 seconds left, freshman guard Eric Gordon drove down the length of the court before getting fouled while attempting a layup.\nGordon missed his first attempt from the line. With just four seconds remaining, Gordon missed the second shot on purpose – a shot that was rebounded and put back in for a score by senior forward D.J. White. White was fouled as he put in the layup, tying the game and giving the Hoosiers a chance to take the lead.\nWhite missed his free throw, but recovered the rebound and was fouled again with 1.5 seconds left. The senior hit one of two, giving the Hoosiers a one-point lead and setting the scene for Hoffarber''s last-second heroics.\n"To tell the truth, I just remember it sailing over my head," White said. "I turned around and the shot was going in."\nThe Hoosiers (25-7) started slow for the second consecutive game as the Gophers raced to a 19-5 lead eight minutes into the contest. The Hoosiers shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and committed several turnovers.
(03/15/08 4:09pm)
INDIANAPOLIS – IU signee Devin Ebanks attended Friday night’s game against Minnesota in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, but he said he’s still unsure of his college basketball future.\nEbanks is one of two IU signees for the class of 2008 who have opt-out clauses in their letters-of-intent because of the departure of former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson. With uncertainty surrounding the immediate future of the team, there has been speculation the past few weeks that Ebanks would opt out of his letter-of-intent and pursue other schools.\nThe Long Island, N.Y., native told the Indiana Daily Student on Friday during halftime of the Hoosier game that he is still undecided.\n“I don’t know right now,” Ebanks said.\nThe purpose of the trip to Indianapolis was to meet with IU officials to talk about the future of the program. IU interim coach Dan Dakich and IU assistant coach Ray McCallum visited Ebanks.\n“Right now we have to meet with Rick Greenspan tonight or probably tomorrow, but we haven’t decided yet,” Ebanks said.\nEbanks is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the nation according to recruiting service www.rivals.com. He committed to the Hoosiers during the summer, choosing to play for IU instead of Miami (Fla.) and Rutgers.\nDressed in a gray IU basketball sweatshirt, Ebanks sat next to Ray McCallum Jr., son of the Hoosier assistant, and displayed little emotion during the game.\nA decision should come soon from Ebanks’ camp on his future with the Hoosiers.\n“I will try to make a decision after the Big Ten Tournament,” Ebanks said.
(03/09/08 10:58pm)
The No. 18 IU men’s basketball team will look to keep its defensive intensity when it travels to Penn State Sunday in the final game of the regular season.\nIU interim coach Dan Dakich said the team did a good job defensively in IU’s 69-55 victory over Minnesota Wednesday night, after the Hoosiers turned in poor defensive efforts against Ohio State and Michigan State.\nThe Hoosiers’ defensive performance against the Spartans was particularly disappointing to Dakich, as the Hoosiers gave up 59 first-half points.\nPrior to the turnaround against Minnesota, IU held several intense practices focusing on defense. One player, junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis, worked particularly hard in between the games.\n“He was great all day yesterday in practice,” Dakich said. “He was great Monday in practice. He accepted or bought into it, and I thought his play reflected that.”\nEllis’ performance in practice translated to the floor Wednesday night. The junior college transfer recorded a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.\nEllis, known for playing with emotion, had a flare-up before halftime of Wednesday’s game against the Gophers.\n“He is a really competitive guy and a proud guy,” Dakich said. “And he got hit at the end of the half and got real emotional. And I took him out for the last second and then at halftime, we talked about it.” \nAfter his chat with Dakich, Ellis calmed down and went on to play a great second half, Dakich said.\n“The thing about Jamarcus is this: he appreciates when people try to calm him down and get him on the right path,” Dakich said. “And when you do that, he plays really hard.”\nThough his rebounding ability is often overshadowed by his teammate, conference rebounding leader D.J. White, Ellis is an impressive rebounder himself, pulling down 7.3 rebounds a game – good for third place in the Big Ten.\n“Every day I have to go against D.J. to get rebounds, so I think that makes me really tough,” Ellis said.\nEllis and the Hoosiers (25-5, 14-3) will close out their regular season \nSunday, looking to take down the Nittany Lions (14-15, 6-11) for the second time this season. IU won the first contest 81-65 on Jan. 20.\nThe Hoosiers are still alive for the Big Ten championship, but need some help in the form of a Wisconsin loss to Northwestern. The team has not given up hope on a Wisconsin loss, but the players are more concerned with taking care of business against Penn State.\nTo achieve success, Ellis said he has to help take pressure off White and freshman guard Eric Gordon by doing the little things that don’t necessarily show up in the box score.\n“I like to do a lot of things for my teammates, take a lot of pressure off D.J. and E.J. ... open up the floor a little bit,” Ellis said. “That is what I like to do; it makes the game more exciting to me, and it really gets the fans into it when they see a lot of hustle plays.”
(03/06/08 7:57am)
Chants of “D.J. White” filled Assembly Hall on Wednesday night as the IU men’s basketball team sent its four seniors out with a 69-55 victory over Minnesota.\nSenior forwards D.J. White, Lance Stemler and Mike White, and guard Adam Ahlfeld were honored in the traditional Senior Night festivities after the victory against the Gophers.\nIU interim coach Dan Dakich made a brief opening statement, thanking the players, coaches, fans and everyone associated with the program for their support this season.\n“It’s been a thrill for me to be back here,” Dakich said.\nAhlfeld took the microphone first, giving the longest and most passionate speech of the four players. Ahlfeld, a guard who seldom plays, jokingly asserted that he set college basketball records, but none kept by the NCAA.\n“I am going to petition the NCAA to see if they could add high-fives, butt slaps and run-outs to center court,” Ahlfeld said as the crowd erupted in laughter. “Because I may be in the record book.”\nMidway through the second half, it didn’t seem Ahlfeld would enter the contest as the Hoosiers were mired in a close contest with the visiting Gophers. Thankfully for Ahlfeld, his teammates formed a lead so he could enter the contest.\n“Thank you for playing well enough to get me into the game tonight,” Ahlfeld said. “I know we’ve been through a lot, but we’ve made it this far, so we may as well finish it out.”\nBefore Mike White’s turn, Dakich said the quiet, reserved senior was truly “his own man” and joked how much Mike White wanted to speak in public. Mike White didn’t disappoint the coach as he gave a short speech.\nStemler thanked the fans for creating an electric atmosphere at Assembly Hall.\n“This is the best basketball school in the country,” Stemler said. “There is no other place like it in the world.”\nThe loudest applause of the night came for D.J. White, the final speaker of the night.\nChants of “M-V-P” filled the arena as he took the microphone, thanking his parents, coaches and teammates. D.J. White called out each player by name, including freshman guard Eric Gordon.\n“The second half of the best duo in college basketball,” D.J. White said of his younger teammate Gordon.\nThough the team has struggled lately, the players said they have their sights on bringing hardware back to Bloomington.\n“We are going to do everything we can to hang that sixth banner,” Stemler said.\nTo get that sixth championship, Ahlfeld said during his speech that he had the formula for success.\n“Basically when I play, we win,” he said. “I have a theory – if we want to put up banner No. 6, I am going to have to keep playing.”
(03/05/08 5:48am)
Four Hoosier seniors will be honored tonight as the No. 18 Hoosiers host Minnesota in the final home game of the season.\nGuard Adam Ahlfeld and forwards Lance Stemler, Mike White and D.J. White will suit up for the last time at Assembly Hall against the Gophers and will each participate in the traditional post-game farewell speech to fans.\nHeading into tonight’s contest, the departing class of 2008 has posted a 79-42 record, including a 2-2 mark in the NCAA tournament, with D.J. White being the only player to play in all four seasons. \nAhlfeld and D.J. White have endured two controversies surrounding the resignations of former coaches Mike Davis and Kelvin Sampson. In his first season, Sampson recruited Mike White and Stemler as junior college transfers after becoming the program’s leader in 2006.\nThis graduating class has had more turnover than most in recent memory, as four players who joined the team as freshman are no longer with the Hoosiers. Guard Robert Vaden followed Davis to UAB in 2006, forward James Hardy stopped playing basketball to focus on football after one season, forward Lucas Steijn transferred after redshirting his freshman season and guard A.J. Ratliff quit the team this season for personal reasons.\nEven though there has been a lot of turnover and controversy, Ahlfeld said he will be excited to take the floor for one last game at Assembly Hall.\n“It’s definitely been a wild four years, but I definitely don’t have any negative thoughts about it,” he said.
(03/03/08 7:42am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. – \nMissed dunks. “Air-ball” chants. Sloppy passes. “Hoo-sier coach?” chants.\nThose were the sights and sounds that likely knocked the No. 12 IU men’s basketball team out of the race for the Big Ten championship as the visiting Hoosiers (24-5, 13-3) lost 103-74 to No. 19 Michigan State (23-6, 11-5).\nThe 103 points were the most given up by the Hoosiers this season and the 29-point defeat was the largest margin since IU’s 79-45 loss at Wisconsin on Jan. 6, 2004.\nThe Spartans shot the Hoosiers out of the gym Sunday afternoon, connecting on 60.7 percent of their shots, including an astounding 77.8 percent in the first half. Thirteen of MSU’s field goals came from beyond the arc, but the Spartans did a good job of utilizing back cuts to get open layups as well.\nMichigan State coach Tom Izzo said after the game his team executed the fast-break offense against IU as well as he has seen in his 13 seasons in East Lansing.\n“The break, that was lethal,” Izzo said.\nIU interim coach Dan Dakich said the Hoosiers did a poor job defending the Spartans in transition, leading to open shots.\n“I don’t know if I’ve seen a team shoot that well, but I also think we gave them too many good looks,” Dakich said. “Again, I take the blame for that. I told (the players), ‘let’s guard.’”\nAfter two missed shots from IU to start the game, Michigan State hit its first shot, a 3-pointer from sophomore Raymar Morgan, to take a lead it never relinquished.\nThe Hoosiers kept the game within reach until freshman guard Jordan Crawford’s missed dunk at the 9:49 mark in the first half with IU trailing 30-19. The Spartans took the missed dunk down the court and connected on a 3-pointer to spark a 16-0 run.\n“Yeah,” freshman guard Eric Gordon said when asked if the run took its toll on the Hoosiers. “We kind of broke down early in the game when they were up by a lot.”\nThe Spartan run stretched the lead to 46-19 and took the wind out of IU’s sails as the players’ faces displayed looks of dejection. The Spartan fans, on the other hand, were excited to see their two seniors, Drew Naymick and Drew Neitzel, come away with a victory on senior day.\nMichigan State cooled off a bit in the second half as IU cut into the Spartan lead, but the final result was never in doubt during the final 20 minutes.\nGordon led the Hoosiers with 22 points while senior forward D.J. White recorded his 18th double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.\nThe loss drops the Hoosiers to 2-1 since Dakich took over for former coach Kelvin Sampson, who resigned on Feb. 22 after the University made public allegations of major rules infractions sent by the NCAA.\nIU faces Minnesota Wednesday as the Golden Gophers travel to Assembly Hall for IU’s senior night.
(02/29/08 8:52am)
Recent history suggests the IU men’s basketball team will have a hard time winning Sunday afternoon against Michigan State.\nThe No. 12 Hoosiers (24-4, 13-2) have come up short versus Michigan State (22-6, 10-5) in their last 13 visits to East Lansing despite having several close games with the Spartans.\nIU interim coach Dan Dakich said the high-quality program Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has created will make it tough for the Hoosiers to get the team’s first win in East Lansing since 1991. The Hoosiers will need to win Sunday in order to stay atop of the Big Ten standings. \n“They have really good players and a really good coach – \nthat makes a difference,” Dakich said. “I think that those two things makes that (winning at MSU) difficult. Michigan State is one of the best programs in America.”\nLast season at MSU, the Hoosiers had a 10-point halftime lead before being outscored by 18 points in the second half, eventually losing the game, 66-58.\nIU will have to overcome its road woes against the Spartans to keep pace with co-conference leaders Purdue and Wisconsin in the race for the Big Ten championship. All three teams have two conference losses and would split the title if each team were to win out in conference play.\nThe Hoosiers will have to put distractions surrounding the resignation of former coach Kelvin Sampson behind them as the team tries to win its first Big Ten championship since 2002, sophomore guard Armon Bassett said.\n“We have to focus on our task,” Bassett said after IU’s win over Ohio State.\nIn their first meeting this season on Feb. 16, the Hoosiers defeated Michigan State 80-61 without the services of senior forward D.J. White, who missed the entire second half after suffering a knee injury. Freshman guard Eric Gordon scored 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting.\nIU will likely need another strong performance from Gordon if the Hoosiers want to hand the Spartans their first home loss of the season, as the freshman will look to bounce back from a poor shooting effort against Ohio State on Tuesday.\nGordon scored 17 points on just 4-of-16 shooting against the Buckeyes – one of his worst shooting performances in a Hoosier uniform, Gordon said after the game.\n“As long as we get the win, it’s fine,” Gordon said, adding he hasn’t had many games like that in his career. “But it was kind of frustrating just not hitting my shot.”\nDakich said in his Thursday weekly press conference that the team is fatigued from a long season and the events from the past two weeks. The team took Wednesday off and planned on having a light practice Thursday before starting major preparation for the Spartans.\nThough the rest is needed, Dakich said the Hoosiers need to keep working hard to achieve their goal of a Big Ten championship.\n“We have to play well,” Dakich said. “We have to continue to do better as we go through this.”
(02/27/08 5:34am)
Stepping out on the floor of Assembly Hall Tuesday night was a different experience for IU interim coach Dan Dakich, compared to his first coaching gig at Bowling Green.\n“For 10 years, I looked out a window of my office hoping cars would be pulling in the parking lot so there would be a crowd at Bowling Green games,” Dakich said. “So it was different to walk out there for 17,000 people, and I wasn’t holding signs.”\nThose 17,000-plus fans were not disappointed as Dakich and the No. 12 IU men’s basketball team defeated Ohio State 72-69 to move into a tie for first place in the Big Ten.\nDakich was promoted to interim coach last Friday after former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in the wake of five major violations alleged by the NCAA on IU’s program. After Tuesday’s win, Dakich said he didn’t have any extra emotions heading into the contest.\n“I don’t mean to disappoint, but I am happy as hell that we won,” Dakich sad. “I am aware that Indiana basketball fans live and die with the basketball team. I am also aware that Indiana basketball fans are hurting. I did think about that walking off the court, about how great this place is.”\nIU started the game with a lot of energy, taking a 30-17 lead with 2:35 left in the first half. It seemed the Hoosiers were about to pull even further ahead, but fatigue set in and IU let the Buckeyes back into the game. Ohio State made the game interesting, battling with the Hoosiers back and forth in the second half, but the Buckeyes were never able to make the play to take the lead.\n“We are going to take tomorrow off and might just have the shoot around on Thursday because of how fatigued I think they are,” Dakich said. “They are warriors.”\nDakich has continued to say throughout his brief stint as head coach that he is not going to try to change many things, as the team has had a lot of success this season. Ohio State coach Thad Matta agreed with Dakich’s statement, saying the Hoosiers played similar to the first game against the Buckeyes this season, a 59-53 IU victory on Feb. 10.\n“We talked about it and said they are not going to try and reinvent the real,” Matta said. “I think they were pretty consistent from what they did the first game.”\nTo the players, however, Dakich has made one minor adjustment which he thinks will help the team offensively.\n“He emphasizes the run more,” Bassett said. “He tells us that we are the best team playing fast he has been around. Not change, but emphasize to get into the open court.”\nThere has been speculation since the NCAA allegations were made public on Feb. 13 on who will coach the Hoosiers next season. Many coaches have been targeted as candidates, but Dakich said he would like to have his name considered.\n“If you don’t want to coach at Indiana, then you really don’t want to coach,” Dakich said. “This is the best place in America in my opinion, and it always has been and it always will be.”
(02/26/08 5:36am)
Kelvin Sampson’s seat on the team bus has already been filled.\nNot by IU interim coach Dan Dakich, who took over the team after Sampson resigned, but by the 2002 Big Ten Championship trophy.\nDakich won a Big Ten title as a player in the 1982-83 season and helped guide the Hoosiers to four more titles and a national championship in his 12 years as an assistant under former head coach Bobby Knight. The interim coach had the trophy taken out of Assembly Hall for the trip to Northwestern and will continue to do so for the remaining two road contests this season.\nDakich said the message he delivered to the team is staying in the locker room.\n“I really don’t want to talk about that,” Dakich said. “It was something we talked about with the players in the locker room. I don’t want to be rude, but that’s something we are doing as a team.”\nNo. 12 IU (23-4, 12-2) is tied for second place in the Big Ten with rival Purdue, just a half-game behind conference leader Wisconsin. The Hoosiers host Ohio State and Minnesota and travel to No. 19 Michigan State and Penn State in the final four games of conference play. If IU were to win all four of the games, it would clinch at least a share of a championship – \nan opportunity that senior forward D.J. White is looking forward to.\n“It feels good, especially being a senior, this is a new position for me,” White said in a statement.
(02/25/08 6:13pm)
The speculation is finally over: Kelvin Sampson is finished coaching the IU men’s basketball team.\nSampson resigned his position as head coach and has been replaced by assistant coach and former Hoosier player Dan Dakich on an interim basis, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said at a Friday night press conference.\nThe Hoosiers won their first game without Sampson on Saturday, defeating Northwestern 85-82.\n“I have made the very difficult decision to leave my position as head coach of the men’s basketball team at Indiana University,” Sampson said in a statement. “While I’m saddened that I will not have the opportunity to continue to coach these student athletes, I feel that it is in the best interest of the program for me to step aside at this time.”\nAs part of the settlement, Sampson will be paid $750,000, agreeing not to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against the University. Two hundred thousand dollars of the buyout will come from IU Athletics while the remaining $550,000 will be paid by an anonymous donor.\n“I think that it was a decision that was reached quite honestly in the best interest of both parties,” Greenspan said. “What I mean is that there was not a great appetite, I don’t think, on (either) party’s part to be involved in potentially contentious litigation that I think this helps the team, the players, the University heal quicker.”\nOn Feb. 13, IU released a “Notice of Allegations” received from the NCAA regarding self-reported violations committed by Sampson and members of his coaching staff. In the notice, the NCAA upgraded the infractions reported by the University from secondary to major. IU had 90 days to formally respond to the NCAA report.\nIU President Michael McRobbie appointed Greenspan to investigate the NCAA report and give a recommendation on Sampson’s status by Friday. Because an agreement was reached, Greenspan did not have to give that recommendation to McRobbie.\n“I have accepted the resignation of Kelvin Sampson in order to put this matter behind us and allow our basketball season to move forward without these distractions,” McRobbie said in a statement released before Friday’s press conference.\nThe resignation came after two days of speculation and reports from various media outlets that Sampson would be fired. While those reports proved to be false, Greenspan did confirm reports that members of the team missed Friday’s practice to boycott the decision. According to the Bloomington Herald-Times, D.J. White, Armon Bassett, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas, Jordan Crawford and Brandon McGee did not attend the afternoon practice. In a press conference later that evening, Greenspan acknowledged not all of IU’s players attended practice that afternoon.\nDakich downplayed the missed practice, saying he understood the players were upset about the events surrounding Sampson’s resignation.\n“There is no chance that I was going to sit there and demand that,” Dakich said. “I have respect for 18- to 22-year-old people, always have. I push them, I yell at them, I make them crazy. I respect their opinions because they are bright people.”\nIU has signed four recruits for the 2008-09 season – two of which, Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway, have release provisions in their binding letter of intent if a coaching change or postseason ban occurred. Media reports have said both players are looking at their options.\n“The next challenge for this coaching staff will be to try and reach out to those young men and provide some sense of comfort and normalcy in an environment is very different than when they committed,” Greenspan said.\nSports Editor Matt Dollinger contributed to this report.
(02/25/08 5:32am)
EVANSTON, Ill. – After a week of turmoil, Saturday night’s game against Northwestern almost seemed like an afterthought.\nWith just a half-day of preparation because of the controversy surrounding former coach Kelvin Sampson’s resignation, IU interim coach Dan Dakich and the No. 15 Hoosiers (23-4, 13-2) defeated the Wildcats 85-82 in a hard-fought road contest that came down to the final \nseconds.\nSix Hoosier players did not attend practice Friday afternoon following Sampson’s buyout agreement. The decision drew criticism on some IU fan message boards, but Dakich said he understood the emotions surrounding the situation.\n“They are 18- to 22-year-old kids, and I am having a hard time with it and I have been through some things,” Dakich said. “I knew they would be back. Anybody that has coached, been around kids, you understand.”\nThe Hoosiers started the game like a team that had not practiced in a while, falling behind by nine points early in the first half thanks to sloppy play that led to 10 first-half turnovers. On the defensive end, IU could not contain the Princeton-style offense, centered on cutting and backdoor passes. IU clawed back in the final minutes of the first period to cut the Wildcat lead to two points.\nDakich said the events surrounding the program had taken a toll on his players. Normally a loud and playful bunch, Dakich said the team was quiet on the plane ride and most of the members slept.\n“I knew it was going to carry over, quite frankly,” Dakich said. “I think when the plane took off, you know how you get just drained? I felt that is what happened today on the plane. Been a tough week on these kids.”\nLess than two minutes into the second half, Northwestern stretched its lead to eight points until a 16-8 Hoosier run tied the score at 52-52, setting the scene for a back and forth battle for the rest of the game.\nThe game was emotional, with a majority of the crowd supporting the visiting Hoosiers. Those emotions spilled over at the 14:21 point in the second half when freshman guard Jordan Crawford got into a scuffle with a Wildcat player. While senior forward and team captain D.J. White pulled Crawford aside, junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis picked up a technical foul.\nIU ran several defenses, but the Hoosiers could not stop Wildcat sophomore Kevin Coble, who scored 37 points on 12-16 shooting from the field.\n“We knew how good their offense was,” Crawford said. “We couldn’t really stop them, so we had to go down and score too to stay in the game. We just had to grind out the win.”\nThankfully for the Hoosiers, IU had its own offensive fire power, with four players recording 16 or more points, led by sophomore guard Armon Bassett’s 24 points. White recorded his 17th double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Crawford scored a career-high 21 points and freshman guard Eric Gordon, the team’s leading scorer, chipped in with 18.\n“It was just one of those nights that I had to step up and play good for the team,” Crawford said.\nNorthwestern had a chance to win the game – most notably when Gordon turned the ball over on a traveling violation with 13 seconds remaining and IU leading by just one point. Wildcat guard Michael Thompson missed a layup that would’ve given Northwestern the lead. The guard also missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
(02/24/08 8:40pm)
The IU men's basketball team ended a week of controversy with a 85-82 road victory against the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday night.\nLess than 36 hours after former coach Kelvin Sampson resigned, IU interim coach Dan Dakich led the Hoosier to a hard-faught victory to move to first place in the Big Ten. IU (23-4) is in a three-way tie with Purdue and Wisconsin for first place in the Big Ten.\nAlthough Northwestern stayed winless in conference play, the Wildcats had opportunities to take the lead or tie the game in the last minute, but failed to convert - including a three pointer at the end to tie the game.\nSophomore Armon Bassett led all Hoosiers with 24 points.\nDakich and players talked about how emotional the past couple of days have been, but said they had a goal of winning a Big Ten championship and how they wanted to move forward.\nCheck the Basketblog and Monday's IDS for more coverage about the game and the Sampson resignation.
(02/23/08 5:44am)
The speculation is finally over: Kelvin Sampson is finished coaching the IU men’s basketball team.\nSampson resigned his position as head coach and will be replaced by former assistant coach and Hoosier player Dan Dakich on an interim basis, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said at a Friday night press conference.\n“I have made the very difficult decision to leave my position as head coach of the men’s basketball team at Indiana University,” Sampson said in a statement released by the University. “While I’m saddened that I will not have the opportunity to continue to coach these student athletes, I feel that it is in the best interest of the program for me to step aside at this time.”\nAs part of the settlement, Sampson will be paid $750,000, agreeing not to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against the University in the future. $550,000 of the settlement will be paid by an anonymous donor.\n “… it was a decision that was reached quite honestly in the best interest of both parties,” Greenspan said. “What I mean is that, there was not a great appetite I don’t think on either parties part to be involved in potentially contentious litigation that I think this helps the team, the players, the University heal quicker.”\nOn Feb. 13, IU released a “Notice of Allegations” received from the NCAA regarding self-reported violations committed by Sampson and members of his coaching staff. In the notice, the NCAA upgraded the infractions reported by the University from secondary to major. IU had 90 days to formally respond to the NCAA report.\nIU President Michael McRobbie appointed Greenspan to investigate the NCAA report and give a recommendation on Sampson’s coaching future by Friday. Since an agreement was reached, Greenspan did not have to give that recommendation to McRobbie.\nMcRobbie accepted Sampson’s resignation Friday before the press conference.\n“I have accepted the resignation of Kelvin Sampson in order to put this matter behind us and allow our basketball season to move forward without these distractions,” McRobbie said in a statement.\nThe resignation came after two days of speculation and reports from various media outlets that Sampson would be fired. While those reports proved to be false, Greenspan did confirm reports that members of the team missed practice today to boycott the decision. According to the Bloomington Herald-Times, D.J. White, Armon Bassett, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas, Jordan Crawford and Brandon McGee did not attend an afternoon practice.\n“I think it’s accurate that some of the players weren’t there at practice,” Greenspan said. He added that “most or all” of the IU players were in attendance Friday night for a walkthrough and that the Hoosiers will leave tomorrow at 10 a.m. to fly to Northwestern for Saturday night’s game.\nGreenspan would not discuss possible punishments if those players were to boycott Saturday’s game against Northwestern.\n“That’s so hypothetical I wouldn’t even go there,” Greenspan said.\nIU has signed four recruits for the 2008-2009 season – two of which have release provisions in their binding letter of intent if a coaching change or postseason ban would occur.\n“The next challenge for this coaching staff will be to try and reach out to those young men and provide some sense of comfort and normalcy in an environment is very different than when they committed,” Greenspan said.\n- Sports Editor Matt Dollinger contributed to this report.
(02/22/08 5:52am)
Sampson or no Sampson, the game must go on.\nIn the midst of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding IU’s coaching situation, the No. 15 Hoosiers will continue their quest for a Big Ten championship Saturday when they head to Evanston, Ill., to face the Northwestern Wildcats.\nMedia reports surfaced Thursday afternoon saying IU coach Kelvin Sampson would not continue to coach the Hoosiers for the rest of the season. Assistant coach and former IU player Dan Dakich has been rumored to replaced Sampson on an interim basis, according to the reports. As of press time, University officials have denied the accuracy of the reports, saying Sampson’s status is still to be determined.\nA decision will be made Friday regarding Sampson’s future, IU trustee Phil Eskew, Jr. told the Indiana \nDaily Student.\nRegardless of who is on the sidelines for the Hoosiers, freshman guard Eric Gordon said the team has handled adversity all season. Since the news of the additional allegations broke last Wednesday, IU has gone 2-1 with victories over No. 19 Michigan State and No. 14 Purdue. \n“We have been through a lot of adversity and we just have to continue to band together,” Gordon said in a statement. “Championship teams have to win on the road.”\nThe victories put IU (22-4, 11-2) within a half game of Big Ten co-leaders Purdue and Wisconsin with five conference games remaining. The Hoosiers, Boilermakers and Badgers all control their own destinies – if each team wins out, the three will split the Big \nTen crown.\n“It is really exciting,” Gordon said in a statement. “It is the reason why we are here. Our goal is to compete for the conference title and see what we can do on the national level.”\nIU defeated Northwestern 75-63 during the first matchup of the season Feb. 3. The Wildcats shot the ball well from beyond the arc to keep the game close, but their defense could not contain the duo of Gordon and senior forward D.J. White, who combined for 55 points.\nThe Wildcats have yet to win a Big Ten game, stumbling to an 0-13 start in \nconference play.\nThe Hoosiers won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Northwestern by 20 in the first contest. Limiting Northwestern to one shot per possession is important to succeeding, \nWhite said. \n“I think our defense and rebounding is our key,” White said. “Limit them to one shot and guard their offensive sets.”\nThe Wildcats run a Princeton-style offense that is focused on cutting and passing – a unique style which few teams in the nation use.\n“Two things about Northwestern,” Sampson said. “You have to defend the back cut and you have to defend the three.”\nEven with the Wildcats winless in conference play, Sampson said the team cannot overlook any game, as Northwestern has played several teams close this season.\n“Whenever you go play Northwestern, you know you’re going to play a team that’s going to fight until the end,” Sampson said. “And it’s going to be a tough game; it \nalways is.”
(02/22/08 5:39am)
Hoosier fans could see a familiar face replace Kelvin Sampson’s if the IU head coach is relieved of his duties.\nSeveral media reports have tagged former IU player and current assistant coach Dan Dakich as the likely interim coach to lead the team for the rest of the season. As of press time, the University questioned the accuracy of the reports that said Sampson has left the program.\nA decision will be made Friday regarding Sampson’s future with the program, IU trustee Phil Eskew, Jr. told the Indiana Daily Student.\nDakich played for former IU coach Bobby Knight from 1982 to 1985 before joining Knight’s coaching staff for 12 seasons from 1985 to 1997. Dakich is best known for his defensive performance in IU’s historic victory against No. 1 North Carolina in the 1984 NCAA tournament. He held Tar Heel guard and future NBA legend Michael Jordan to 13 points, one rebound and one assist in his final collegiate game.\nAfter 10 years at Bowling Green, Dakich returned to IU this season as the director of basketball operations. Dakich joined the coaching staff when assistant coach Rob Senderoff resigned in the wake of IU’s self-report last October.\n“Dan is someone who can do a lot of things to help our program,” Sampson said in a press release at the time of the switch. “He has been a tremendous asset to our staff, and he offers a true sense of what it means to be a part of the Indiana basketball family.”\nIn his 10 seasons at Bowling Green, Dakich posted a 156-140 record with two NIT appearances. He said his time as head coach taught him a lot about how to run a program. \n“You overcome a lot of things here, but it taught me that we can really coach,” Dakich said to the Times Northwestern after resigning from Bowling Green. “We had more injuries than any team here. I think seven of my 10 years, we lost our leading scorer to an injury and we end up with the second-highest winning percentage and third all-time wins in school history in spite of that.”\nAnother possible candidate to replace Sampson for the remainder of the season is assistant coach Ray McCallum. A Muncie, Ind., native, McCallum won two state championships as a high schooler before playing at Ball State. \nMcCallum came to IU with 10 years of experience as an assistant coach in the Big Ten for Wisconsin and Michigan. In addition, he has 11 years of head coaching experience at Ball State and Houston, compiling a 170-149 record as a head coach. At Oklahoma, Sampson hired McCallum as an assistant before the 2004-2005 season.\n“When I was a kid, I was a basketball camper at Indiana, and now to be here working under a great head coach in Coach Sampson gives me a lot of pride,” McCallum said in a press release when he was hired. “It is also good for me to be back in the Big Ten and in one of the best basketball conferences, top to bottom, in the country.”
(02/20/08 6:11am)
Over the past few games, the IU men’s basketball team has turned its defense from a liability to a strength.\nAfter back-to-back losses to Connecticut and Wisconsin in January, IU began to add some zone defense in with its traditional man-to-man defense to hide mismatches at the power forward position. While the zone has helped IU’s play, the defensive effort of sophomore guard Armon Bassett has catalyzed the Hoosier defensive attack as IU has gone 5-1 since dropping those two consecutive games.\nBassett’s defense was on full display Tuesday night as the No. 15 Hoosiers defeated rival No. 14 Purdue 77-68.\nThe stats aren’t eye-popping – Bassett had a lone steal – but the sophomore guard’s intensity at the point of attack on the defensive side set the tone for the rest of his teammates.\n“I think when I play with energy on defense, my teammates feed off of it,” Bassett said. “We got up by five and I pushed my defense up, and we ran the lead up to 10 or 12. I just have to try and do that as much as possible.”\nSome of the Hoosier difficulties on defense have been due to the graduation of point guard Earl Calloway, who left a void in the Hoosier defense at the point of attack, IU coach Kelvin Sampson said.\nBassett, who has played through most of the season with an ankle injury, has begun to embrace the role left by Calloway, junior forward Kyle Taber said after the game. Bassett’s play held Purdue guards Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer and Tarrance Crump to a combined 18 points.\n“He’s done really well with that,” Taber said. “I know one point in the game when he got a really big stop, and there was a jump ball. I think that was a big turning point in the game. He has really set the tone for us.”\nOn the offensive end, Bassett had one of his most efficient outings, scoring 16 points on 4-5 shooting, including 4-4 from beyond the arc. Bassett would have had an unblemished game had it not been for his five turnovers.\n“I thought Bassett played a very good game even though he had five turnovers,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “He had some key baskets.”\nNo shots were bigger than the two 3-pointers Bassett hit in a two-minute stretch in the second half which answered runs by Purdue to try and get back into the game.\nProving he could hit from outside gave Bassett the opportunity to drive the lane and force Purdue into foul trouble early in the second half. This strategy paid off as the Hoosiers hit 30-34 from the charity stripe.\n“Instead of making extra passes, especially with E.J. (Eric Gordon) and Armon, we wanted those guys to really drive it,” Sampson said. “Play through D.J. (White) as much as we could, knowing that they would double him, just try to get to the free throw line.”\nOn top of his defense and scoring, Bassett grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. For the sophomore guard, his role is to do whatever the team needs to win.\n“Some nights it may be to score when D.J. and E.J. aren’t going,” Bassett said. “Just to point my guys in the right direction and be a leader out there. Trying to be coach Sampson out there on the court.”
(02/19/08 8:02pm)
Today’s game against Purdue could be the last one for IU coach Kelvin Sampson.\nOn Friday, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan will give a recommendation to IU President Michael McRobbie on the immediate future of Sampson’s career because of the NCAA’s new allegations of recruiting violations made by Sampson and his coaching staff.\nBut despite the impending verdict on his future at IU, Sampson has continued to receive support from some around the campus and community.\nSampson did not comment when asked if he wanted to finish the season with the Hoosiers during his postgame press conference Saturday. Instead, he said his efforts are focused on preparing his No. 15 men’s basketball team for rival No. 14 Purdue.\n“I don’t have any real comments on that stuff,” Sampson said. \nSampson coached the Hoosiers to an 80-61 victory over then-No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday in an emotionally charged Assembly Hall. After being booed during introductions, Sampson’s name was chanted, with a smuttering of boos, in the final minutes of the Hoosier victory. \nSampson said the win meant a lot to him, but added he can’t get too worried about the crowd’s reaction. \n“I know what you are getting at, but I can only control things I can control and that is what I focused on,” Sampson said. \nSince the news of the allegations broke Wednesday, many players have publicly supported Sampson. When asked about the situation after the Michigan State game, freshman guard Jordan Crawford said the team is trying to block distractions from outside the program.\n“We are family,” Crawford said. “You can’t get between the family. Coach comes in, works us out and we practice just like we have been doing all season.”\nOn Monday night, Sampson, like he has done all season, spoke on his weekly radio show, which is taped at Foster Quad. When he walked in, Sampson was greeted with a standing ovation from the crowd assembled, a far cry from the greeting Sampson received Saturday at Assembly Hall.\nWith all the attention the allegations have brought to the Hoosiers, Sampson said he knows it is tough on the players. He said regardless of what is happening outside the program, he has to be there for his players.\n“You just can’t go anywhere and people not see the situation,” Sampson said. “But, you know, I try to be a father to them. Not a whole lot different with them than I have been in the past. I have really worked at making sure that they get 100 percent. That is what they deserve.”\nFreshman guard Eric Gordon said the team is trying to avoid the constant media attention involving the allegations.\n“I really don’t read or look at anything,” Gordon said. “We’ve been through adversity all through this year. We have to keep on playing.”\nIf today’s game against the Boilermakers turns out to be the last for the embattled Hoosier coach, people wouldn’t know so by attending a recent IU practice.\n“If you would come to our practice and watch our team prepare, you would see it’s business as usual,” Sampson said during his weekly Big Ten teleconference. “Once I leave the gym, then it’s a whole ‘nother deal. But I think our staff has done as good a job as we can do to in terms of giving our effort and energy and focus to our team.”\nThat’s probably a good thing, because the Hoosiers are facing the hottest team in the Big Ten.\nThe Boilermakers are currently riding an 11-game winning streak and will face a Hoosier team possibly without the services of senior forward D.J. White, who injured his left knee in the first half of Saturday’s game.
(02/18/08 7:24am)
IU President Michael McRobbie praised IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan at a Friday press conference for the athletic department’s efforts in uncovering infractions committed by IU men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and members of his coaching staff.\n“I would like to note that we have arrived at this painful situation because the athletics director and his compliance staff did their job,” McRobbie said. “They diligently monitored recruiting operations within the men’s basketball program and quickly and fully reported the irregularities they found.” \nThe NCAA sent IU a list of allegations against Sampson and the IU program for Sampson’s violation of sanctions he received for making impermissible phone calls when he was the head coach at Oklahoma University. The sanctions followed Sampson to IU.\nAn intern in the athletics department discovered a strange pattern of recruiting calls during a routine auditing process. The discovery launched an internal investigation by the University and its legal counsel, Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller.\n“The system Indiana University has established for enforcing compliance worked, and I take confidence in that,” McRobbie said.\nFans and media have criticized Greenspan for his involvement in hiring Sampson in March 2006. Greenspan has been successful in upgrading athletic facilities and hired beloved former football coach Terry Hoeppner, but it seems that the director of athletics will be judged by fans for Sampson’s hiring.\nMcRobbie’s endorsement of Greenspan seemingly ended any speculation that Greenspan could lose his job. Greenspan hired Sampson while the coach was being investigated by the NCAA. The decision to hire a coach under NCAA investigation drew criticism, but Greenspan defended Sampson, saying the program would follow all NCAA rules. \nBeyond his endorsement, McRobbie appointed Greenspan to head an investigation into the latest NCAA report. Greenspan has seven days to respond to McRobbie and offer recommendations on what to do with Sampson. \n“I am announcing that I have directed the athletics director to oversee an immediate investigation of these new allegations and make an assessment as to whether they are credible and accurate,” McRobbie said.\nIU Athletics spokesman J.D. Campbell said Greenspan is not ready to comment on the investigation, saying he will discuss the situation once a conclusion is reached.\nSampson also would not discuss the investigation, saying he is focusing on preparing the team for its remaining games.\n“I don’t have any real comments on that stuff,” Sampson said after IU’s win against Michigan State. “We are practicing tomorrow at three and we will get ready for Purdue. That will be a big game for us on Tuesday.”