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(11/15/01 5:07am)
About 15 minutes after Wednesday night\'s exhibition game between IU and Nike Elite, Ted Dupay scribbled his autograph on a ticket stub. It's not often exhibition players attract the spotlight. \nBut, Dupay's scenario is different. \nDupay is accustomed to the attention. He garnered a lot of it -- on and off the court -- while playing at Florida during the last three seasons. \nBut things are thrown out of whack for Dupay this fall. \nAfter being accused of gambling and dismissed from coach Billy Donovan's Gator squad because of violating NCAA regulations -- a charge that still doesn't sit well -- Dupay has found himself playing his fiery, shoot-at-will style of basketball for Nike Elite. It's a change he didn't welcome, but one he's taken advantage of.\n"I'm going to keep moving on," Dupay said. "I'm going to keep playing the rest of the year and get in top condition in June for the (NBA) draft."\nA year ago, Dupay looked like a lock for the NBA. His 5-foot-10 frame isn't a NBA standard, but his shooting ability is. Dupay led Florida to the Final Four two seasons ago and was a steady contributor for three seasons. \nSince joining Nike Elite (3-6), Dupay has assumed the point guard duties, a spot where he played during his first two seasons as a Gator and a position he expects to play at the next level. He said he isn't sure where he'll wind up between now and June, but he's been successful thus far on the Nike Elite tour, which concludes next week at Arizona. Dupay is averaging more than 10 points per game and leads the team with six assists per game. \nDupay dropped five three-pointers on IU Wednesday during the Hoosiers' 98-76 victory and scored a team-high 23 points in 37 minutes. His previous tour high was 14, and he's averaged more than 30 minutes per game in Nike Elite's 10 contests.\nDupay has struggled with his shooting (30.9 percent from three-point range), but has nestled in with coach Glenn Sergent's program. \n"Nobody plays harder than Ted Dupay," Sergent said. "He pours out his heart every time on the floor. He's in tremendous shape and he's serious. He loves it that way."\nDupay could have played Division-II basketball or opted for the overseas route, but after being booted from Florida, he searched for an agent. He found Sam Foggin, who doubles as one of Sergent's assistant coaches. Foggin introduced Dupay to Sergent and Nike Elite, and the former Gator bit. \n Wednesday, he was impressive. Dupay went inside and out against a man-to-man defense. On several occasions, he pulled up from 22 feet to fire deep three-pointers and keep Nike Elite withing striking distance. He said the man-to-man defense is something he hasn't seen much of on the team's tour of the East Coast and Midwest. \nInstead, team's have keyed on Dupay's shooting ability and trapped him near midcourt at every opportunity. Wednesday, Dupay appreciated IU's approach.\n "Today was nice because I got to play a little 'real' basketball," Dupay said. "No gimmick defenses."\n IU guards Tom Coverdale and Donald Perry teamed up on Dupay throughout the night and offered the Hoosiers a chance to prepare for Sunday's season opener at Charlotte, where the 49ers up-tempo style mirrors that used by Dupay. \n "He can shoot," IU coach Mike Davis said. "He's a good player and we have to play tight on him. He plays the same way Charlotte does. You can't relax against guys like that."\nDupay hasn't relaxed, and opposing crowds haven't, either. \nWednesday's IU crowd of 11,238 was relatively subdued toward Dupay, but he has often been the subject of deragotory comments, chants and jeers at opposing arenas. Just like the positive attention, the negative vibe is something he's adjusted to. He's had to, given his situation.\n"It's no big deal," Dupay said. "A lot of times, I'm the little white guy. I'm an easy target. That's fine with me. It's all about putting on a show for people."\nAnd accepting a challenge, something he's had plenty of. \n"If you throw a rock at him, you better duck," Sergent said. "He likes a challenge"
(11/15/01 5:06am)
Mike Davis' first recruiting class at IU settled in Wednesday on the first day recruits can sign national letters of intent. \nThe Hoosiers received commitments from two top-100 recruits, and are expected to get a commitment from a third today. All three recruits had previously verbally committed to IU. Bracey Wright and Daryl Pegram signed letters of intent Wednesday to lead what is expected to be one of the better recruiting classes in the nation, despite Bloomington High School North Sean May's decision to attend North Carolina. Marshall Strickland is expected to sign Thursday morning. \nWright, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard, averaged 21.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season at The Colony (Texas) High School.\n"To get Bracey Wright today is big for us. I think he's the best guard in the country," Davis said after IU's 98-76 victory over Nike Elite Wednesday. "He'll be able to help us right away."\nTommy Thomas, the Cougars' head coach, backed up Davis' complements and said he expects Wright, rated by many recruiting experts as one of the nation's top shooting guards, to make an immediate impact for the Hoosiers. \n"I can't imagine him not," Thomas said. "He's the best shooting guard in the country. I don't know of anyone who has more range or a better stroke."\nTwo of Wright's teammates, Deron Williams and Bam Fieldharmon, also signed letters of intent Wednesday and were honored after an intra-squad scrimmage. Williams will play at Illinois and Fieldharmon at Rhode Island.\nPegram also has talented company and was one of six Worcester (Mass.) Academy players to sign national letters of intent Wednesday to play Division-I basketball. \nPegram, a native of San Bernadino, Calif., averaged 13 points and seven rebounds for Worcester last season. Pegram visited IU for the Athletes in Action game Nov. 4 and said he plans to book another trip if he can find time this season. In the meantime, he keeps himself up-to-date on the state of the IU program.\n"I check the Web site every morning and have talked to coach (Jim) Thomas and coach (Dan) Block," the 6-foot-8 Pegram said. "They keep me informed. I can't wait. You could just feel the excitement. You have all that history and tradition."\nPegram said he plans to enroll in summer school at IU while improving his strength and ball-handling skills.\nStrickland, a 6-foot-1 point guard, is likely the best ball-handler of the trio. \nStricklandwas the first of Davis' recruits to verbally commit in July. He averaged 30.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists for South Carroll High School (Mt. Airy, Md.) last season. Strickland, listed by many publications as a top-five point guard, joined Wright on a visit to IU for Midnight Madness Oct. 13. \nMay joined Wright and Strickland to that practice, but decided two weeks later to play at North Carolina, ruling out Louisville and IU. \nTommy Thomas said Wright "never wavered" after May's decision and remained committed to Davis and IU.\nAll three recruits had to deal with the May saga before, but May's departure didn't affect the status of Davis' first recruiting trio.\n"I want to win championships, and signing a kid like Bracey Wright is a step that direction," Davis said. "We have the personnel now"
(11/14/01 5:45am)
Mike Davis isn't asking much of his team tonight when IU meets Nike Elite in the Hoosiers' exhibition finale at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall. \nHe just wants his defense to double its production, slicing in half the number of points Athletes in Action posted in IU's 105-59 exhibition victory 10 days ago.\n"We need to hold them to 30 points instead of 59," Davis joked Monday. "I hope we play the same (as against AIA). The first (game) was pretty good."\nIt was, as IU blasted AIA before a 10-day layoff that allowed the Hoosiers to prep themselves for a season that starts Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. \nA repeat performance won't be easy tonight. Nike Elite -- the team formerly known as Marathon Oil -- boasts an eight-player roster that includes players with college basketball experience at Florida, Arkansas, Kansas State and Marquette. \nIU edged Marathon last season 79-75 and crushed the same team 105-78 in 1999. \nThis season, Nike Elite (3-5) has won two in a row -- over Penn State and Michigan -- before meeting Ohio State Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio. Tonight's meeting with IU will be Nike Elite's 10th of 11 exhibition games and fourth consecutive meeting with a Big Ten foe. \nJust like Davis, Nike Elite coach Glenn Sergent has a simple agenda. \n"I'm sure Davis plans on kicking our butts, but we plan to make life difficult for him," said Sergent, who has been coaching the exhibition team since its inception and is in his 26th season. "We do all we can to kick their rear ends. It's our job."\nThat job has entailed a trip along the East Coast and across the Midwest, where Nike Elite has beaten up -- an 86-66 thrashing of Penn State -- and been beaten up -- a 105-77 shellacking from UConn. Sergent's bunch is led by former Florida standout Ted Dupay, who was suspended by the NCAA and kicked off Gator coach Billy Donovan's team after allegedly gambling. Dupay scores 10.8 points per game and hands out 5.8 assists while running the offense with former Drake guard Curt Smith. \nThe opportunity to play against Dupay, whose Florida Gators advanced to the Final Four two seasons ago, is something the Hoosiers are relishing. \n"I'm looking forward to it," said freshman guard Donald Perry, who will likely match up against Dupay at some point tonight. "He'll help get us ready for the season."\nDupay leads Nike Elite's three-point barrage, which consists of 174 (21.7 per game) attempts and 55 makes (31.6 percent). Dupay and Smith have combined to fire 98 of the team's 174 three-point shots. \nIU wasn't trigger shy last season from three-point range and showed much of the same attitude against AIA. The Hoosiers hit 11-of-19 attempts and buried AIA early with seven first-half three-pointers. \nDavis said he has no concrete plans for tonight's game, but indicated the Hoosiers, much like they were before squaring off against AIA, are growing tired of practice. \n"We just want to get a game in without taking any risks," Davis said. "We need to be together on defense."\nDavis' defensive wishes will be more difficult tonight thanks to a balanced scoring attack from Nike Elite. In its nine games, Nike Elite has had three or more players in double figures eight times. Center Rick Hughes (Thomas More College) has been the hot hand lately, scoring 26 points against Michigan and 18 at Penn State. On the thin, eight-man roster, Hughes has played all 40 minutes in two of the last three games. Hughes is one of four players at six-foot-eight or taller, but the height hasn't helped; Nike Elite is being out-rebounded by nearly seven rebounds per game and six on the offensive glass. \nSergent employs a motion offense that includes numerous screens and enables his opponents to get a "college look," he said, stressing defense. Nike Elite has given up more than 84 points per game and allowed opponents to shoot nearly 46 percent from the field. Still, Sergent and company have provided stiff competition and have been leading or within five points at halftime in each of its games. \n"Teams want us to be capable of winning ... so they can use it as a learning process," Sergent said. \nThe game will test IU, if not on the floor, then in its frame of mind. The Hoosiers will have only three days to prepare for Charlotte, something that initially had Davis spooked. Since then, he said he's happy about the schedule, which will familiarize the team with the hectic Big Ten schedule, which often features three games a week. \n"It will help get us prepared for stretches in the Big Ten where we play Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday," junior forward Jeff Newton said. "We want to play hard, have fun and send a message that we'll play hard every night."\nRedshirt update\nDavis said Monday he still isn't certain what he'll do with freshman forward Sean Kline, who played physically with senior forward Jarrad Odle and sophomore forward Jared Jeffries at practice Monday. \nKline will dress tonight, but it's likely he won't see playing time. Kline will also dress and travel to Charlotte, N.C. and the Great Alaska Shootout in case he's needed. That, Davis said, depends on the play of Odle and sophomore center George Leach.\n"He's playing pretty good. I'd hate to not play him a whole lot, (this season)," Davis said. "He can really help us in the future."\nNewton thinks Kline might have an immediate impact. \n"Right now, Kline is playing good enough to help us out," he said. "He's playing really hard."\nSophomore forward Mike Roberts is still nursing a chipped bone in his right foot and wore a walking cast again Monday. Davis said he doesn't know whether Roberts will redshirt when he returns.
(11/13/01 5:55am)
Hackers. Loogies. Chewed up bubble gum. They're all candidates to be placed in IU's new trophy. \nThat Old Brass Spittoon is back in Bloomington. For the first time since 1993. And for only the fourth time since 1970. \nI guess now, the Hoosiers spit in it. It's some well-deserved spit. Go ahead and clear your throat Cam Cameron. Spit away. You might just have a job next fall, in Bloomington that is. Yeah, the same Cameron who I've said will last about as far into December as pumpkin pie. \nSince Cameron took over the IU football program, the Hoosiers have never won three consecutive games, let alone come within five zip codes and three time zones of a bowl game. \nThere's more than a snowball's chance in hell it will happen this season. \nHow's this sound? If IU can go to Beaver Stadium Saturday and knock off suddenly-not-so-good Penn State, it will win out and be bowl bound. I'm not on Ecstacy. Or Skittles. Haven't had a beer all day, either. Just figuring IU can beat Penn State, Purdue and Kentucky. \nHell, who thought the Hoosiers would beat Northwestern and Michigan State? \nIf IU -- the Hoosiers are currently tied for fourth with four teams in the Big Ten -- beats Penn State and Purdue, it will leap-frog the Boilers for bowl eligibility, provided IU can beat lowly Kentucky. Even if Wisconsin and Michigan State win their final two league games, IU will have the tiebreaker over both after pummeling the Badgers by 31 points and edging the Spartans by nine.\nPurdue is the only team tied with the Hoosiers that IU hasn't already beaten. The top five Big Ten teams get bowl invites, so IU is sitting pretty. Just like Cameron's fluffy hair. And just like Cameron will be if IU can win out. \nIt might be the worst nightmare for fans and critics, but if Cameron can lead IU to a bowl game -- I still can't believe I'm saying this -- he should have a job next fall. And not for Skittles. Or for the Pop Warner All-Stars. Or for some sheet metal company in the middle of Kentucky. \nAnd Cameron has finally figured it out. IU can't win under the same circumstances as any other football team. It has to fake kicks, run the ball 89 times and never, ever kick field goals.\n"The minute we try to start winning by the book here at Indiana, they will fire me," Cameron said Saturday. "They will fire me, because we're not going to win that way."\nAnd they haven't. But, things are changing right now. Suddenly the final three games of the season are significant. They don't officially offer one last chance to see the fall of the Cameron regime. \nSolid finishes in 1998 and 1999 could have pushed IU toward a bowl appearance. Instead, IU lost five of those six games by a combined score of 192-98. \nThe same shouldn't happen this season. Penn State, which IU has never beaten, blew a fourth-quarter lead at Illinois Saturday and has the same 3-5 record as IU. Purdue would have been better off sending its band to Ohio State Saturday and Kentucky couldn't beat Purdue's band. \nCall me crazy, but if IU can upend Joe Paterno and Penn State, the Hoosiers will finish the season with five consecutive wins -- IU hasn't won three in a row since 1994 -- and head to a bowl game. \nUntil then, hock up a loogie.
(11/12/01 5:55am)
After seasons of constant television coverage, the men's basketball team will take a hit this season. And we have the economy to thank, IU Media Relations Director Jeff Fanter said. \nSeven of IU's first 12 games -- including two exhibition contests -- will not be televised.\nSunday's exhibition victory against Athletes in Action was the first. Other games that will not be televised include Nike Elite, Charlotte, Southern Illinois, Ball State and both Hoosier Classic contests. IU's game against Miami of Florida will be broadcast regionally on the Sunshine Network. \nLast season, IU's Preseason NIT loss to Texas was not televised, and the loss at Indiana State would not have been on TV, had the Missouri Valley Conference and FOX Sports Net picked up the game. The last time the Hoosier Classic games were not televised was in 1991, Fanter said. \nBut this season, IU is not alone in having its coverage sliced. It is the Big Ten that is calling the shots. \nThe Big Ten has cut the overall coverage of its interconference games by 37 percent from last season, when 195 games were televised. There will also be a 16 percent drop in the total number of televised games. Only 169 games involving Big Ten teams will be on TV this season, but all but one conference game will be televised. Last season, two league games were cut from the schedule. In the four previous seasons, all 352 Big Ten games were televised. \nBig Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney released a statement earlier this week regarding the downturn in television coverage across the conference.\n"After eight years of a robust economy, significant softness set in the network, cable and local advertising marketplace in the spring and summer of 2001," Delaney's statement said. "Since Sept. 11 additional economic pressure has been generally experienced by the media as well as the companies that buy advertising time. This has and will impact to some degree the number of games presented under Big Ten television agreements."\nThe Big Ten also cited a decline in local market ratings and the lack of independent stations as reasons for the decline. \nEach Big Ten school sells its television rights to the conference, which then gives the rights to ESPN (ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN Regional) and CBS. CBS selects the games it wishes to televise first, followed by ESPN, ESPN 2 and then ESPN Regional. \nThe games selected by ESPN Regional can be covered by any station, but those stations affiliated with national networks are obligated to run network programming, Fanter said. \n"(Network affiliates) can't pre-empt 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to cover IU games," Fanter said.\nWTTV-TV in Indianapolis -- one of those non-network-affiliated stations -- has covered IU men's basketball since 1979 and has recently covered games through ESPN Regional.\nSinking ratings for IU's pre-conference games have made airing the Hoosiers difficult for WTTV, station program director Harry Ford said. \n"It's not economically feasible," Ford said. "We'd love to air them, but the ratings drop has been so significant over the last several years. It's disappointing."\nFord acknowledged that the coverage problems stems from rights fees and the network does not have a problem with ESPN Regional, but WTTV isn't the only station struggling to televise games.\nESPN Regional is having a difficult time finding stations like WTTV to carry games this season all over the Big Ten. \nOther conferences have tracked down ways to sidetrack the economy and maintain high numbers regarding televised games.\nThe Big East Conference uses the same television plan as the Big Ten, giving rights to CBS and ESPN. But the Big East isn't reporting any cuts this season. \n"We have a handful of games that aren't on TV, but we haven't cut any," John Paquette, Big East associate commissioner for communications said. \nThe ACC and SEC are reporting the same outlook as the Big East. \nThe ACC has increased its number of TV games from 138 last season to 143 this season. Seventy of 72 conference games will be televised, ACC Associate Commission and Director of Men's Basketball Operations Fred Barakat said. \nIn the SEC, 142 games will be on television. \n"We have more (on TV) than last year," said DeWayne Peevy, men's basketball contact. "We definitely didn't cut any."\nBoth the SEC and ACC use national, regional and local coverage, much like the Big Ten. But the ACC and SEC have partnerships with several other networks, including Jefferson-Pilot Sports and FOX Sports Net. \nStill, the Big Ten ranks at the top of television coverage, Fanter said, and the league is searching for ways in which to avoid the problem again next season. \nFord said it was the first time he could remember WTTV will not cover this many IU games and said he isn't sure what will unfold next season. \n"It's a one-year deal," he said. "We'll see what happens next year."\nWhile many fans and players see the lack of coverage as a problem, IU coach Mike Davis isn't angered. In fact, he sees it as an advantage and said the lack of coverage won't enable opposing teams to scout the Hoosiers as well.\n"There is no down side," Davis said. "Indiana people can either read or listen to (the game)."\nWhile some players weren't aware of the TV scenario, at least one didn't agree with Davis. \n"I think it's a bunch of bull," senior guard Dane Fife said. "A lot of our families have bought satellites to be able to watch the games. Now, they have to travel three hours just to hear it on the radio. Indiana basketball has always been broadcast to the American public. It affects me. I think it's crazy"
(11/08/01 5:28am)
This week was slated for the countdown to the Rose Bowl, but given the current plight of the football team, it might well be better-suited for the various uses of paper clips and shovels. \nBecause all bowl discussion is sidetracked by that 2-5 record, I turned to Sony Playstation. Wednesday, I set up the classic battle for the Brass Spittoon, NCAA Football 2002 style. \nEvidently, announcers Kirk Herbstriet and Lee Corso have just as much faith in the Hoosiers as I do. Both predicted an MSU rout. \nCorso said IU would provide "no competition. (Michigan State) can shut this team down, and that's exactly what they'll do," he continued, giving the edge to MSU in every aspect of the game. IU's former coach applied the cold shoulder. But, if he's crazy enough to coach at IU, what does he know? \nHerbstriet followed Corso's lead.\n"This could get very ugly," Herbstriet said before rambling on about MSU running back T.J. Duckett. I skipped the monologue and started making my position changes to provide an accurate outcome. Unlike a certain coach, I realized Antwaan Randle El needed to be at quarterback right off the bat. \nLike that certain coach said, "Has there ever been a more obvious decision...?" No, so I made it. \nHere's the long and short of the game. \n• IU's Adam Braucher sailed the kickoff into the endzone, so I knew from the get-go that this game was full of ...\n• IU ran the ball as well as a bunch of third graders trying to knock down the big swirly slide at recess. The total: 15 yards rushing on 27 attempts. See, the game is full of ...\n• MSU sliced up the IU defense in the first half, scoring twice to take a 14-0 halftime lead. Both touchdowns came on blown coverages. Sound familiar? \n• The halftime stats were ugly, just like Herbstriet said. IU -- 55 yards. MSU -- 152 yards. \n• Coach Cam Cameron (that certain coach) and his option-first plan wasn't working. Randle El totaled just 16 yards on seven carries. The artificial turf didn't help his speed. I was sad. \n• After a boring second half full of options, pitches and more of Cameron's option-crazy offense, I opened the playbook and drove the Hoosiers down the field. But, on fourth and goal from the four-yard line (Do you even have to ask why I didn't try a field goal?), Glenn Johnson was ruled out of bounds on a would-be touchdown pass. I argued, but the game didn't listen. I was pissed. \n• One play, later, the game looked just like the real thing. Duckett broke about 33 tackles, spurted past the IU defense and galloped 96 yards for a 21-0 MSU lead. I was still pissed, but chuckling, because this game was eerily realistic. \n• Randle El opened the passing game, drove IU to a score and then another one to pull within 21-14 with less than two minutes left. I was about to wet my pants. \n• Braucher botched the first onside kick, but the game gave me another chance. Herana-Daze Jones recovered the second kick, and I wet my pants. With one timeout, a comeback was imminent. \n• Not so fast. \n• Three plays later, Randle El's head exploded or something, because the game told me he had a migraine headache and was injured. I was pissed again. Enter Tommy Jones, whom the game ranks as better than Randle El. The game is full of ...\n• On his second pass, Jones fired an interception, and the comeback was history. Randle El returned from his migraine to return a punt with a few seconds left, but some Spartan grabbed his shoe and ensured that Jones was the goat. MSU 21, IU 14. Final. I was still pissed. Jones had horns.\n• On a side note, Ryan Hamre's punting average ended up being 44.3 yards. I concluded the game was insane.\nSo, the Brass Spittoon stayed in East Lansing. Corso and Herbstriet were right. Cameron is still fired.
(11/05/01 5:51am)
Kyle Hornsby's season might depend on Mike Davis' fingers. \nThey're crossed.\nThat's how Davis will spend this season, hoping Hornsby can stay healthy and shoot the ball the way he did in IU's exhibition opener Sunday against Athletes in Action. \n"I'll just cross my fingers that Hornsby doesn't get hurt," Davis said after IU's 105-59 drilling of AIA. "He makes my offense look good. He can create some havoc."\nThe 6'5" junior did just that Sunday, hitting four of seven three-pointers, another from two-point range, scoring 14 points. Hornsby sent IU to halftime with a 30-point lead by draining back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes. All four of his three-point bombs came in the first half.\n"I didn't even hit a shot in the second half," Hornsby joked. "They really stressed with (senior) Dane (Fife) and I: if you're open, shoot it, and that's what I did. The worst thing that can happen is I miss a few, they take me out, put me back in a few minutes later and I start all over again."\nHornsby didn't leave the floor much, playing 28 minutes, second only to junior guard Tom Coverdale's 30. Coverdale, Hornsby and Fife spearheaded IU's three-guard attack, a system Davis said he "definitely" plans to use all season, should Hornsby stay healthy. Hence, the crossed fingers. At times, Davis employed a three-guard set that included three potential point guards -- Coverdale, Fife and freshman Donald Perry. \nInjuries have kept Hornsby from practicing sometimes, Davis said, leaving the offense muddled. That wasn't the case Sunday. IU shot 67 percent from the floor on the game and hit 11 of 19 three-pointers. Five different Hoosiers hit from the outside and four hit at least two three-pointers. \nAfter AIA closed to within 14 points midway through the first half, the Hoosiers sank three three-pointers in four trips down the floor, pushing their lead back to 22. \nThe outside explosion isn't new to IU. Last season, the Hoosiers shot 36 percent (eighth in the Big Ten) from three-point range, but hit at least seven three-pointers on seven different occasions. The outside barrage is expected to continue.\n"(Outside shooting) is definitely going to keep teams honest," Fife said. "We just have to be consistent every game. We've got some shooters." \nAnd they're not all guards. Senior forward Jarrad Odle and junior forward Jeff Newton consistently stepped outside the lane and connected Sunday. Odle missed just one shot in eight attempts and Newton was eight of 12. The outside threat opened IU's inside game and spelled the end of AIA. Freshman walk-on Ryan Tapak finished off AIA and the three-point clinic by sinking back-to-back three-pointers in the game's final four minutes. \nThe Hoosiers have adopted a shooter's mentality and it showed Sunday.\n"Fife and Hornsby have the green light," Davis said. "If you're open, shoot it, and if you miss, please don't drop your head like it's the end of the world. When you have guys that can shoot the basketball like they can shoot the basketball, why worry about it"
(11/01/01 5:33am)
One win. Five losses. And one week off. \nThe optimists says "At least IU didn't lose last weekend." The pessimist says "Why didn't IU just cancel the season at the halfway point?" I say it's report card time. Brace yourself. \nAntwaan Randle El -- B. The one-time Heisman Trophy contender has run for 487 yards and passed for 852 (not many), but his longest run of the seasona is just 23 yards. Not bad for any other quarterback, but Randle El hasn't shown the same ability to make defenders look drunk and dyslexic like he did last season. Randle El is still the top quarterback in the Big Ten, but there's room for improvement. \nLevron Williams -- A. This guy is as underrated as a cushioned toilet seat. He's the Big Ten's second-leading rusher (712 yards at 7.3 yards per carry) and leads the Big Ten's top rushing offense, but he gets no attention or applause. Unless of course, he scores six touchdowns in one game, like he did at Wisconsin last month. He's Randle El's right-hand man, and he deserves nearly as much credit. I'm still trying to figure out why Cameron benched this guy last season. \nOffensive line -- B-. The minus stems from the lack of consistency, but the line is talented and experienced. It's allowed only three sacks all season, which is second in the nation behind Miami (Fla.) But a line of grandma, grandpa, a chair with two broken legs, a dead dog and ceiling fan could protect Randle El. Run blocking good. Consistency not so good. \nDefensive line -- D+. The line has only 11 sacks and is allowing 182 rushing yards per game. The latter isn't bad, but any time you're on a defense that is soft enough to give up 33.2 points per game (last in the Big Ten and 102nd in the nation), you can't get better than a C. \nLinebackers -- C-. Seniors Justin Smith and Devin Schaffer are talented, but not good enough. Smith has been an early Butkus Award candidate for two years, but has been wiped off the list within a few games both times. IU is allowing opponents to convert on more than 50 percent of its third downs (last in the conference) and has allowed opponents to score on 24 of 25 attempts in the red zone (second-last in the league). The linebackers are responsible to lead and attack. It's working about as well as Cameron's plan to turn around IU's program.\nDefensive backs -- D. They've improved from a season ago, but so has my golf game. Point is, it doesn't take much. IU is last in the conference in pass defense efficiency and those third-down conversions are as much a reflection of the defensive backs as they are the linebackers. The don't-get-too-to-the-receivers-because-they-might-have-knives approach is confusing. IU has picked off a Big Ten low three passes after nabbing only four last season. \nKicking game -- F. Can I give an F-? Fans shouldn't have to hold their breaths on extra points, but they have this season. Sophomore Adam Braucher showed signs that his leg wasn't numb at Iowa and hit four in a row. Still, IU is a meager 16 of 21 on the season. IU's last four kickers (Pete Stoyanovich, Scott Bonnell, Bill Manolopoulos and Andy Payne) combined to hit 427 of 437. Stoyanovich didn't miss in 107 tries. IU has attempted six field goals and hit one. Freshman Bryan Robertson's punting average of 34.4 leads the team. Some fifth-grader kicking for the Banana Grove Peels could do that. Let's go with the F-. \nCoaching -- F. As in fired, finished and have fun applying for a job coaching at the Buffalo Bills How-to-lose-Super-Bowls Camp next season. \nCameron didn't have the credentials to be IU's coach five years ago, and he doesn't now. The feel-good story would have been nice, but no one feels good with 12 wins in four seasons. The program is sinking faster than ever, and Cameron should take the blame. \nMidterms are in and they're ugly. Let's see what happens Saturday when the defending -- and hurting -- Big Ten champs roll into town. Northwestern 38, IU 24 (the Hoosiers will hit a field goal … but they'll try three).
(10/30/01 6:18am)
Sean May won't follow in his father's footsteps. Or his brother's. And his family name had everything to do with it.\nAfter spending the past few weeks thinking about which college he will attend, the Bloomington High School North standout verbally committed Sunday to play at the University of North Carolina. \nIn doing so, May turned down the chance to play alongside his older brother, Scott May Jr. a freshman walk-on at IU this season, and the opportunity to play at the same school where his father, Scott May, won a national championship and was the college player of the year in 1976. \nNorth athletics director Ralph Sieboldt, basketball coach Tom McKinney and May's mother, Debbie May, confirmed the report Monday.\nMay's father left a sky-high reputation in Bloomington, and Sean didn't want to be held to that standard, Debbie May said.\n"He would be expected to play like his father and have his father's image," Debbie May said Monday night. "He's going to be Scott May's son the rest of his life. He wants to be his own young man."\nSean May's decision comes after a recruiting process that began with five unofficial visits the Mays budgeted in August. May later trimmed his list of top choices to IU, North Carolina and Louisville, but said at IU's Midnight Madness Oct. 13 that he wasn't leaning toward any school. A week before that, May determined where he would play, but delayed telling anyone. Debbie May said her son knew where he would play after his visit to Chapel Hill, N.C.\n"He knew that was the place for him," Debbie May said. "The only bad thing was the distance."\nAt North Carolina, May will join fellow Bloomington native Jon Holmes, a Bloomington High School South graduate and UNC junior. May spent time with Holmes and fellow Tar Heel recruit Rashad McCants. Both McCants and May are ranked by many recruiting experts as two of the nation's top players. \nMay will be closer to Holmes, but further from his brother. Scott May Jr. declined comment Monday but said two weeks ago that he would support Sean's decision no matter what he decided. Debbie May said, unlike Sean, Scott Jr. has no problem dealing with the expectations left at IU by his father. \n\"He\'s good enough to play anywhere,\" Scott May Jr. said. \"We\'re best friends and we\'re extremely close. Of course, I\'d like for him to come to IU and room with me. But, I can\'t tell him where to go."\nIU recruits Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland did try to nudge Sean May into settling on the Hoosiers and said at Midnight Madness they were confident IU coach Mike Davis would land the prized recruit.\n"I think he's coming," said Wright, who made an official visit to IU with May in September. "I really do."\nWright thought wrong, and May will wear his father's No. 42 next season, but in Carolina blue instead of Hoosier crimson.\nOne more person weighed in on May's decision. May and his father visited Lubbock, Texas this weekend to discuss the decision with former IU and current Texas Tech coach Bob Knight. Debbie May said any hype surrounding the visit isn't necessary. \n"He went there to see a practice," Debbie May said. "Coach Knight has been in (Sean's) life since he was born. Did coach Knight say anything negative about coach Davis? No. Did coach Knight say anything negative about the IU program? No."\nDebbie May said Knight told Sean to carefully consider the varying systems used by his prospective schools and find the program that would best suit his development. \nSome recruiting analysts said May might have stayed put if Knight were still roaming the sidelines in Assembly Hall.\n"Knight might have gotten Sean May to stay home," Rivals Hoops.com publisher, Mike Sullivan, said. "If Knight's there, it's a different story."\nMay, who averaged 24.3 points and 12.3 rebounds at North last season, would have been IU's fourth verbal commitment and is UNC's third. IU has commitments from guards Wright and Strickland and forward Daryl Pegram. McCants and Raymond Felton, both backcourt players, and May have verbally committed to play for new North Carolina coach Matt Doherty. May will be asked to fill a void left by a pair of 6-foot-10 Tar Heels who will graduate this season -- Kris Lang and Brian Bersticker. \nSullivan said he doesn't anticipate May's decision to hurt IU's recruiting, and said the Hoosiers have done well to lure Wright, Strickland and Pegram. Sullivan said IU might head to the junior college ranks to find another frontcourt player to next year's class. Davis said Monday he will have next season's recruiting class filled by Nov. 14, the first day to officially sign players.\n"Basketball in Indiana will definitely get better, I can tell you that," Davis said. "It will get better"
(10/30/01 4:38am)
If -- right now -- you think watching IU football is less exciting than watching beer ferment and blood coagulate, you're in for a long, long season next year (when senior Antwaan Randle El will be playing six positions in the NFL and not for the Hoosiers). \nThe Antwaan Randle El Tour has only five more stops, and three of them are in Bloomington. Too bad no one (I'm calling 31,116 people in a 52,000-seat venue "no one") will get to see him. Too bad his Heisman hype fluttered after IU lost five of its first six games. Too bad Randle El is the best player no one (again, 31,116 people at a home game) gets to see. \nThe Randle El tour would be better off if the Hoosiers played their final five games on the road, at Michigan State, where 72,000 Spartan fans will fill the seats and at Penn State in front of 106,537 Nittany Lion fans. Hoosier fans merely hand out the golf clap for Randle El. \nYou'd think things would be different. \nEspecially for a guy who is third all-time in Big Ten total yardage. Especially for a guy who owns about 1,311 NCAA records. Especially for a guy who came back for his senior season and is still stuck on 12 victories in nearly four seasons at IU. \nWait until next year, when some less-mobile, slightly-taller, less-talented and less-gutsy quarterback will try to lead IU's offense. It doesn't matter who's playing -- junior Tommy Jones, freshman Patrick Thompson, junior Gibran Hamdan or some new Randle El wanna-be. We already saw just how horrific an other-than-Randle-El-led offense can look when IU stumbled to a 35-14 loss at North Carolina State to open the senior's final season. \nRandle El's final three home games do matter. This man creates more buzz on opposing campuses than anthrax. He dominates newspaper headlines, fills special football preview sections and attracts gazes and turns heads in pre-game warmups 90 minutes before kickoff. \nN.C. State and Iowa fans were thrilled to see Randle El run around right end on the option and be held to a five-yard gain. Thrilled because they were happy Randle El didn't run three circles around each of their linebackers, sing the IU fight song twice and do a flip on his way over the goal line. Thrilled because they know they're seeing one of college football's greatest players (ever), all the while sure their team will stomp the Hoosiers. \nHis comparisons to Nebraska's Eric Crouch and Clemson's Woodrow Dantzler aren't whims cooked up by the IU Media Relations Department. They're viable. He's not having his best season in Bloomington, but Randle El would be grabbing Heisman attention if he were somewhere else. \nInstead of appreciation, Randle El gets depreciation and his talent gets lost in IU's sea of empty seats and losses. \nIU fans show up in droves of 4,000 to see Randle El, complain about his one interception and two bad passes and take his talent for granted. Randle El won't win the Heisman, he won't be the most celebrated player in the Big Ten and he won't be a top draft pick. He also won't play in front of more than 30,000 people who are rooting for him. \nThe Randle El Tour has five more stops. Three of them are right next door. Go see the guy play. There is no waiting until next year.
(10/25/01 5:29am)
It finally happened Saturday. In a locker room in Iowa City, Iowa, Cam Cameron finally gave me the cold shoulder. \nMe: "On the first two drives of the second half, did Iowa make any adjustments to take away Antwaan (Randle El) or Levron (Williams)?"\nCameron: (Just between me saying "Antwaan" and "Levron") "No," Cameron said abruptly before turning his cheek. \nThat was it. A one-word answer. I got the Bob Knight treatment. \nBut Cameron didn't lose his cool, and instead sat in that pink locker room that makes you want to bake cakes and play with lace-covered dollhouses, subdued as usual. All season, he's been cooperative with the media. \nWhat's more impressive is that his players have, too. Being an IU football player -- facing losing seasons, dwelling on dwindling fan support and butting heads with media that have few positives to cover -- isn't easy. \n IU is handling itself with class. The Hoosiers deserve some credit.\n Six games into a doomed season, IU has won one game and looked pretty bad in five. Saturday was a perfect example. \n After the 42-28 loss in which the IU defense couldn't stop a one-legged goat without his horns, the Hoosiers showed class. \n One after the other, Randle El and senior linebacker Devin Schaffer slowly hobbled through the pink hallway and down the steps. Then, they answered questions -- about their lackluster defense, their costly penalties, their missed opportunities, their fifth loss of the season. They handled it with style. \nTheir teammates have done the same all season. Sharrod Wallace, Justin Smith, Levron Williams, Craig Osika, Kemp Rasmussen, each has faced the virtual battering by the media, and each has ponied up, answering questions and offering explanations, but never excuses. \nHow about Saturday's defense that would have yielded 42 points to a 1-5 Pop Warner team?\n"I think it's sad," Schaffer said. "We spend all week being told the proper things to do, and then we don't go out there and do it. I can't explain it. I don't understand why we would go out there and play like that today. It gets to you. We have to dig ourselves out of a hole."\nA big hole. And no one understands how a Big Ten defense can look that unorganized. But Cameron let something out of the bag Saturday. It wasn't anything new, just the same old optimism, but he couldn't be more correct.\n"We're not buying into the 'hang your head and the season is over,'" Cameron said. "There's still a lot to play for. You may not believe that, and that's fine. We believe it, because we have to go out and represent ourselves. We'll play the next five weeks as if there's a lot to play for because mathematically ..."\nCameron tailed off, leaving the media and their readers to decide just what mathematics he subscribes to.\nBut that's what IU needs. That's what the Hoosiers must have. They have three home games -- one against a Northwestern team that just lost to a shaky Penn State bunch, and two others against arch-rivals Purdue and Kentucky. There is an opportunity to keep everyone from consistently poking fun at IU's football program. Cameron shouldn't return next season, and that mathematically possible bubble will probably be busted, but you have to give this team credit for sticking it out. \n"Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean it can't be done," Cameron said. \nDoubtful. Maybe their on-field play makes you queasy, but their off-field class shouldn't.
(10/23/01 4:50am)
Tom Coverdale entered last season as IU's point guard as an unknown sophomore. \nMen's basketball coach Mike Davis revealed Monday that the 2000-2001 season could begin with another inexperienced leader. \nFreshman Donald Perry, who sat out for much of Monday's workout with a pulled groin, is leading a two-man race to lead IU's offense. \n"Right now, he's ahead (of Coverdale)," Davis said of Perry, citing Coverdale's casual play as the reason for the battle. "Tom's not playing the way I want him to."\nOne factor that likely led to Davis' decision was Saturday's 40-minute scrimmage, in which a Coverdale-led team including senior Jarrad Odle, junior Jeff Newton and sophomores George Leach and A.J. Moye lost by 38 points. \n"That's not good," Davis said. "That tells you a lot. If they don't see the big picture there, then that's a big problem. Those are the guys people want me to play and expect me to play. Hopefully, they understand."\nThe Injury Bug\nBoth potential point guards are hampered by injuries. \nPerry left practice mid-way through Monday's workout, headed for the locker room, then returned only to sit on the bleachers and watch the remainder of practice. Perry's groin, which he injured Thursday, has limited his lateral movement. \n"I feel like I'm at 50 percent," Perry said.\nCoverdale bumped his knee during practice Friday and wore a knee brace around his right leg. \nSeveral other Hoosiers showed signs of bumps and bruises Monday.\nMoye, who has consistently strapped a shoulder brace onto his right shoulder during practice, said the injury won't limit him come game-time. Moye indicated he won't wear the brace during games, but will continue to do so during practice. \n"It hurts, but when you're out there, you don't think about it," Moye said. "I probably won't do the brace thing during the game. I'll be a little more wild and daring. In practice, I'll be a little more on the safe side."\nMoye's brace covered his torso and wraps around his shoulder, but he said it doesn't limit his mobility. \nSophomore forward Mike Roberts used a lower leg wrap Monday to control shin splints that have slowed him during practice. \nFreshman forward Sean Kline sat out with a potentially torn chest muscle. Kline injured his chest lifting weights and will have an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.\nTech-nically speaking\nIU has replaced next season's scheduled game with Texas Tech -- which was to be played in Assembly Hall -- with a two-year contract with Vanderbilt. Juniors Kyle Hornsby, Newton and Coverdale all played under current Tech coach and former IU coach Bob Knight, but won't get the chance to play against him. \nThe cancellation of the game has led to mixed emotions, but the respect for Knight hasn't faded.\n"Whatever talent he ends up with, he's always going to be good … simply because of the way he demands they play," Hornsby said. "I was a little sad that we're not going to play, because I would have liked the opportunity to play against him. On the other hand, I would not have liked to lose and I know he would not have liked to lose either, so it's a little bit of a relief."\nNational Recognition\nSophomore forward Jared Jeffries is included on the Naismith Award and John Wooden Award watch list. Both accolades honor the nation's top player. Jeffries is also listed as a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon, Street & Smith's and The Sporting News. \n"I want to come out this year and prove that I am an All-American," Jeffries said. "And if things fall into place and I get some national player of the year awards, that will be something I worked hard for this summer and the coaches worked hard for all year."\nA New 'Do \nThe most noticeable change Monday might have been Dane Fife's new hair-do. Fife shaved his head Saturday, but said he plans to let the hair return. \n"He told me he wanted a new look, but I think he lost a bet," Davis said.
(10/22/01 6:04am)
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Antwaan Randle El must have a crush on crushing the Hawkeye defense. In four games against Iowa, Randle El has amassed 1,064 all-purpose yards and scored nine touchdowns. \nBut until Saturday, the slippery senior hadn't been beaten by the Hawkeyes. Until Saturday, Randle El had made the key third-down conversions and lifted his team to victory. \nSaturday in front of 68,295 fans at Kinnick Stadium, things were different. \nIU continued to carve up the Iowa defense, racking up 468 total yards. But Iowa (3-2, 2-2) returned the favor and shredded the IU defense for 454 total yards on its way to a 42-28 victory.\nRandle El was left with mind-boggling statistics. And no victory. \n"It really doesn't mean anything," Randle El said of his gaudy numbers. "I played well, but at the same time, we lost the game. If we don't win the game, it's like 'Yeah, you did your part, but you didn't win.'"\nWhile the Hawkeyes garnered the majority of the post-game glory, it was Randle El's multi-position attack that stole the spotlight before kickoff. Iowa City-area newspapers predicted Randle El would cause "major problems" for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and his defense. Other publications dubbed Randle El "ever-elusive."\nRandle El didn't disappoint. The Riverdale, Ill., native rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 160 and returned a punt for 14. \nHe became IU's all-time leading passer, passing Steve Bradley (1983-1985), with 6,657 yards. He moved into the top 20 on the career NCAA Division I-A yardage list with 10,086, passing former Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom and former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb. Those 10,086 put him behind only Iowa's Chuck Long (10,254) and Purdue's Drew Brees (12,141) in Big Ten history. \nRandle El moved into third place in NCAA D-I history for rushing yards by a quarterback, trailing the top spot by only 197 yards.\n"He's a tremendous competitor," said coach Cam Cameron. "There's no quit in him."\nRandle El's no-quit attitude almost enabled IU to upend the Hawkeyes. But the status quo -- just missing passes and coming up short on opportunities -- hurt the Hoosiers. \nRandle El acknowledge he missed a "couple" passes, just overthrowing receivers Henry Frazier and Glenn Johnson, which would have landed IU inside Hawkeye territory. \nDuring IU's first two drives of the second half, Randle El avoided the air, choosing the option instead. But Iowa sniffed out Randle El and senior running back Levron Williams, stopping IU on consecutive possessions for the first time all game. IU's final two drives ended with Randle El scrambling outside the pocket, away from Hawkeye defenders but not far enough for IU first downs. \nThose missed chances cost IU (1-5, 1-3) a shot at jumping to the middle of the pack in an up-in-the-air Big Ten that has been stacked with upsets this season. \n"Maybe I should have bailed out a little more and thrown the ball down field," Randle El said. "But, I felt like I could have got it, and when I didn't get it, I was disappointed and upset."\nRandle El pointed fingers, but at himself rather than at an IU defense which mirrored last year's version and stuck the offense in catch-up mode all afternoon. Instead, it looked as if senior linebacker Devin Schaffer was the one feeling guilty about IU's new two-game losing skid. \n"I don't think anyone can say we're not playing hard, but maybe sometimes we don't have that spark," Schaffer said.\nRandle El is calling for the spark on both sides of the ball and -- despite the offense's sky-high statistics -- shouldered the blame for Saturday's loss. \n"We have to score regardless of what the defense is doing," Randle El said. "It was kind of like a seesaw battle. We have to score"
(10/18/01 5:33am)
Iowans like corn. (Do you call them "Iowans?" Is that how you spell it?) They have an Iowa Corn Office, the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Iowa Corn Growers Association. You'd think Saturday's game between IU and the University of Iowa would be played in a big silo. (Do they put corn in silos?)\nSo, what does that have to do with the price of corn in Iowa? Or football, for that matter? Well, not a thing, except that we should start calling the Hoosier-Hawkeye match-up the Corn Bowl.\nHere're the vital signs concerning corn.\n• Iowans (we'll call them that, no matter how you spell it) grew 1.7 billion bushels -- bushels check in at 56 pounds each -- of corn last year. That's more than enough to feed all 112 of Iowa's football players more than 850 million pounds of corn apiece. \n• Indiana produced 850 million, 850 thousand bushels last year. IU could feed each of its 97 players 491 million pounds of corn. That's almost 360 million more pounds for each player at Iowa. So the Hoosiers don't have the corn-per-player factor in their corner. \n• The only time in the last 20 years that Iowa hasn't led the country in corn production came in 1993 during the Mississippi River floods. The last time Iowa was ranked No. 1 in the nation in football was 1985. The Corn Bowl wasn't played that year, thanks to the alternating Big Ten schedule and to the blatant disappointment of the Iowa Corn Growers Association. \n• Indiana ranked fifth in the country in corn production last season. But the last time IU was ranked fifth in the nation -- let alone the Big Ten -- native Americans were showing the Pilgrims how to grow corn. \nHere's the vital signs, concerning non-corn factors.\n• IU has 37,000 students, Iowa has 28,000. \n• Bloomington has about 70,000 residents, Iowa City has about 70,000 \n• IU boasts graduates Jane Pauley and Dick Enberg of NBC, Iowa claims NBC's Tom Brokaw. \n• The communication manager at the Iowa Corn Office, Edith Munro, is a Hoosier native. Munro attended Earlham College and has been working with corn for 20 years. "If you have any questions about corn, call me," she said. \n It's hard to say who Munro would pull for in the Corn Bowl, but lately, the good money has been on the Hoosiers. \n Despite IU's trailing most teams on the football field and constant trailing of Iowa in the corn field, IU has battled the Hawkeyes ear to ear (of corn) lately. \nIowa leads the all-time Corn Bowl series 35-24-4, but IU has captured the corn each of the last three seasons. Prior to that, Iowa shucked the Hoosiers three straight times. \nIowa coach Kirk Ferentz hasn't beaten the Hoosiers since he arrived in corn country three years ago. Coach Cam Cameron has a winning record against one Big Ten team -- Iowa. \nSee, huge Corn Bowl potential.\nNow all the series needs is a prize for the winner, something like the Old Oaken Bucket. IU has two trophies, the Oaken Bucket with Purdue and the Brass Spittoon with Michigan State. Iowa plays Minnesota for a pig named the Floyd of Rosedale and Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. \nIU and Iowa will play for a half-eaten ear of corn speckled with red and gold kernels called the "Half-Eaten-Ear-of-Corn-Speckled-With-Red-and-Gold-Kernels Trophy." The losing school will be responsible for getting the new ear each season and painting the red kernels. The winning team gets to eat the half that gets eaten.\nSo, there it is, Hoosier and Hawkeye fans. You'll be able to throw out all the numbers -- bushels, ears, rankings, points and records -- when IU and Iowa meet in the first annual Corn Bowl Saturday in Iowa City. Get your overalls and combines ready.
(10/09/01 4:51am)
Well, I'm stunned. And I wish I went to Madison, Wis., Saturday. \nI decided not to drive seven hours to watch IU lose. \nBut instead of losing, IU walloped Wisconsin. \nInstead of being there at Camp Randall Stadium, I listened to the radio, checked the Internet and watched scores parade by on highlight shows. \nAnd my place in history as the college football curse has been solidified. \nLet me take you through my lazy Saturday of shaking off beer and catching up with the Hoosiers.\nFirst, I flipped on the radio. Don Fischer was yelling and screaming. IU had just forced Wisconsin to punt, blocked the punt and scored. IU 26, Wisconsin 0. Huh? Uh ... Yeah, I darn near jumped out of my car and began screaming myself. \nThen, to verify this near miracle, I checked the Internet. There it was -- IU 26, Wisconsin 0. Then IU 42, Wisconsin 17. Then IU 63, Wisconsin 32.\nSomebody must have screwed up, and Fischer must have been fed some of that home-brewed Wisconsin ale. I needed more concrete proof.\nAs I flipped through the rest of the college football world on television, there it was again -- IU 63, Wisconsin 32.\nI cover the Hoosiers' first three contests, and they lose them all. I leave for one game, and IU wins.\nIf you aren't stunned, you're nuts. And unless you're nuts, you didn't see this one coming. \nI should have. Since covering college football, both at IU and Ball State, I'm yet to write about a victory for the school I'm affiliated with. I was affectionately given the nickname "The Curse" at Ball State. I guess my cohorts in Muncie were right. \nMy record still stands at 0-14. \nBut as shocked, blindsided and amazed as I was Saturday, I was equally proud. Yeah, this is the same guy who trashes the football team twice a week you're reading. But before Saturday, I had good reason to verbally assault the Hoosiers. Now -- though I'm not forgetting that loss to Utah -- I have ample excuses to praise them.\nIU ran. IU passed. IU danced and ate pizza after it won. \nThe Hoosiers deserved it. You have to be happy for these guys -- the same bunch that hadn't won since upsetting Minnesota last season, a streak of seven consecutive losses. \nEven though you still don't want Cam Cameron around next fall, you have to smile for the guy. Despite thinking the Hoosiers were more apt as pansies, you have to give them credit. Even though IU hasn't done much besides what it did Saturday in Madison, pat the Hoosiers on the back. More than once. \nAnd pat me on the back, too. Hey, I took one for the team, forgoing my chance to watch a game in a college football paradise. \nI said last Thursday that I hoped I would wish I went to Wisconsin. Well, I do. And for one week, I'm glad to be an IU football fan. \nForget the losses, the three-win seasons and the constant frustration. The Hoosiers marched up to Wisconsin and punched the Badgers in the gut. \nI'm hoping for a repeat performance this weekend against Illinois. But, again, I ("The Curse") won't see it. My uncle is getting married, and I have to go drink beer and eat chicken at the reception. I'm debating taking a radio to church. \nSo, there you go, Hoosiers. "The Curse" will again be absent from the press box. So go ahead and win again. \nOnce again, I hope I wish I went.
(09/28/01 5:23am)
Just three weeks after signing one of the premier high school guards in the nation, the men's basketball program is on the trail of another highly-touted guard. \nAntwain Barbour, a 6-foot-5 guard from Wabash Valley Junior College, will make an official visit to IU beginning today. Should Barbour decide on IU, he would join 6-foot-4 guard Bracey Wright (The Colony, Texas) and 6-foot-1 guard Marshall Strickland (Sykes, Md.), both of whom have already signed to play for the Hoosiers beginning next fall. \nBarbour, who led Wabash Valley to a 36-1 record and the National Junior College Athletic Association championship last season, recently finished visits to UNLV and Kentucky. He will visit Cincinnati during the first weekend of practice, Oct. 12 and 13, RivalHoops.com recruiting analyst Russ Blake said. \n"Indiana has a shot," Blake said. "These visits will be critical in determining where Antwain winds up."\nKentucky is thought to have the inside track on Barbour, who played high school basketball in Elizabethtown, Ky., was recruited by UK and developed a solid relationship with Wildcat coach Tubby Smith. Former Wabash Valley coach Jay Spoonhour left the Warriors after last season to join his father, Charlie, at UNLV.\n"Kentucky has the inherent advantages," Blake said. "But, IU shows they're still a key. (This visit) is a good thing for IU."\nDespite the edge for UK and UNLV, IU managed to sneak into the picture early this month when coach Mike Davis made a visit to Mt. Carmel, Ill., to see Barbour practice. Barbour played both point guard and small forward at Wabash Valley, scoring 12.3 points per game during the regular season. The NJCAA Tournament MVP shot 68 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range.\n"He can play the one, two or three spot," Wabash Valley assistant coach Jesse Watkins said. "He can shoot the three, he's athletic and can finish. He likes to play an up-tempo game. He will produce." \nBarbour did just that, exploding in the NJCAA Tournament, for more than 23 points per game, including 21 in the championship victory over Allegany (Md.) Junior College.\n"When the money is on the line, he is the guy with the ball in his hands," Blake said. "He might play horrible for two-thirds of a game, but for the last one-third, he makes plays. That's a big value. He tremendously cool, calm and collected. That's what sets him apart."\nBarbour separated himself from his fellow junior college stars this summer, when he toured China with the World University Games. Barbour played with a group of Division-I college players and was the only junior college player on the team. \nWhile trying out for the University Games, Barbour met IU sophomore forward Jared Jeffries, who was bidding for a spot on the Young Men's National Team. Jeffries made the first cut and later withdrew his name for consideration.\nBlake said Barbour wasn't a "big star" during the tour, but did familiarize himself with what he might expect on the collegiate level.\nBlake said some people are surprise that Barbour will make four visits. But Barbour must ensure, no matter where he goes, he will get immediate playing time; the junior college transfer will have two years of eligibility remaining. \nIllinois was believe to be a frontrunner earlier this week, but Wabash Valley coach Mark Nelson indicated Barbour has eliminated the Illini from his list. Illinois, like IU, recently signed a pair of heavily recruited guards. \n"He has to play right away," Blake said. "It's an unusual situation, but he has to go somewhere where he can get minutes. He can't make a mistake. If he goes to Indiana, he has to make sure he plays."\nWright and Strickland's decision to come to Bloomington could work for or against IU, Blake said. If Barbour signs, IU would have three guards joining the program next season. Blake said Barbour will probably play shooting guard in college, and said IU "has sold Antwain that (IU) will run a three-guard system" should Barbour decide on the Hoosiers. \nBoth Watkins and Blake said they expect a decision in November.\nMembers of the IU basketball program could not comment because of NCAA rules, and Barbour could not be reached for comment.
(09/20/01 4:46am)
It's official. \nIt's been two weeks since IU last played, its offense looked pathetic and it got pummeled. Still, Antwaan Randle El is listed as a starter three positions -- not one of which is quarterback. \nBut fear not Hoosier fans, coach Cam Cameron spilled a bean or two at his press conference this week. Trouble is, he spilled the same bean he has dumped over, over and over again since August. \n"I do know this; we are going to need both quarterbacks throughout the course of the season," Cameron said. \nBoth, as in Tommy Jones and Randle El. \nCameron also said IU's punting mistakes rendered its offense helpless and IU wouldn't have won with Joe Montana at quarterback. Joe, are you out there? I'll scrape up some scholarship money, make a quick bet with Cameron and put my money on the Hoosiers if you are IU's quarterback. \nBut Hoosier fans have to settle for the Jones-and-Randle El soap opera.\nCameron maintains he's the only one who "knows the whole story" concerning the two-headed quarterback.\nIsn't the whole story that IU gained less yards (276) against North Carolina State than Randle El averaged by himself (277) last season?\nCameron said IU was this and that close from this controversy being resolved. Again, the same old bean: we're almost winning. If IU's offense is again inches and tipped passes from igniting against Utah Saturday, a change must be made. \nUntil then, we'll settle for guessing about the "whole story" while we watch Randle El play 21 plays at receiver, seven at quarterback, four at punter and three at punt returner. \nBut don't expect Utah -- most people are still wondering if Rick Majerus also coaches football in Salt Lake City -- to crumble at the sight of Randle El and his four-position-merry-go-round. \nBefore last month, I wasn't sure Utah had a football team, but the Utes will be far from a cakewalk. In their opener, the Utes edged rival Utah State 23-19, but led 23-6 until the two-minute mark.\nA week later, Utah hung with Oregon, the seventh-ranked team in the country, before the Ducks quacked up eight points in the fourth quarter. Utah lost 24-10, but nearly matched Oregon in total yards and showed resolve by putting up with 45,712 Duck-billed fans.\nUtah surely won't meet the same atmosphere Saturday in Bloomington, and IU will have its hands full of a program that mirrors IU's in the Bill Mallory era. \nCoach Ron McBride has guided the Utes to five bowl games in their last nine seasons; Mallory steered the Hoosiers to six bowl berths in an eight-year span from 1986 to 1993. McBride has won 52 games and is currently in his 12th season; Mallory won 69 games in 13 seasons. Mallory's program got respect in those days, and McBride's deserves some now.\nBut, that's about where the similarities -- other than that both schools have quirky nicknames and use a two-quarterback system -- end. \nWhile IU hasn't had a winning season since 1994, McBride has suffered through only two losing seasons at Utah: the first in his first season and the second last season. In both campaigns, the Utes went 4-7. IU has won four games only twice in the last six seasons.\nSee, Utah is legit. Sure, its level of competition in the Mountain West Conference doesn't parallel that of the Big Ten, but there's a reason Utah is in its league and IU is in its.\nNo matter where Randle El lines up -- hopefully at quarterback or hopefully Jones proves us all wrong -- Utah won't collapse. \nAll the while, fans will try to crack the "whole story" while Utah and IU play musical quarterbacks.
(09/18/01 4:27am)
My column-writing schedule took a hit last week. With Thursday's column, a Kentucky preview, already written, IU announced it would cancel or postpone all athletic events, including Saturday's home opener against Kentucky. \nThat also canceled my column. \nI'm disappointed I was disappointed.\nSo, here were are again, five days before another football game but with a different perspective on IU football and on life.\nLast week wasn't easy to swallow. Neither was IU's 35-14 loss at North Carolina State, but in an entirely different way. \nI just can't decide if sports really matter of not. I can't decide if my career as a sports fan who watches football, eats the free press box food and writes about the game really matters. I can't decide if Cam Cameron's job security really matters. \nOur national security carries more weight. \nAntwaan Randle El said he wanted to play. Tommy Jones said he didn't think IU should. Joe Gonzalez said he was ready to serve his country. All understood the severity of last week. All had perspective.\nEventually, I gained mine. \nI was excited to watch IU meet Kentucky. The sight of IU practicing -- some players wearing red practice gear, some white and some Kentucky blue -- and red-and-white striped tents popping up around the stadium concourse made me smile. \nInitially, Thursday's decision to cancel or postpone the football game and all IU athletic events upset me. Then, perspective crept in. I called home. I called my friends. I called my family. I realized a weekend spent at home playing golf with my girlfriend, eating dinner and lighting a memorial candle with my mother and visiting grandparents was far more appropriate than four hours in a press box charting football plays and igniting column ideas. \nAlready, I'm anticipating this week's game against Utah. But I'm also wondering what will happen between now and then. I'm wondering what Memorial Stadium will feel like. I'm wondering if another catastrophe will again keep IU from playing.\nSaturday should be fun. Crisp, cool, sunny and full of tailgating, beer and steaks. It should feature hope for an IU football team that insists it will rebound. Cream and crimson flags should wave in the parking lot. The Marching Hundred ought to play IU's fight song. \nThose events will happen. But conversation will revolve around potential war, patriotism and what troops are moving where and not around Randle El's second game at receiver, quarterback, punt returner and punter. American flags will fly across the IU landscape, and the band will likely blast "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America" and the national anthem. \nWill this cautious and aware attitude become a mainstay of American life? Will American flags and thoughts of terrorism overcome people wandering toward their seats? Will fans glance toward the sky every few plays in fear of another attack? \nThe sports world got its first test Monday, when baseball resumed its schedule. IU will get its first big test Saturday. But it isn't really a test. Sports matter. They entertain millions, stir emotions and provide an outlet. But if IU wins or loses doesn't really matter. Life and love matter. \nI'll resume my prediction-laden column and normal schedule Thursday, but without the same vigor or passion for wins and losses. I can't decide if that's good or bad, if that's letting terrorism win or if I've finally gained the correct perspective on the way balls bounce, roll and spin. I'll still curse and fume over broken plays and blown games, but not like before. \nI'm just a little disappointed in myself -- and everyone else -- that it's taken this long to get there.
(09/14/01 5:44am)
Last season, in her effort to snatch tickets to a football game, a North Carolina State student ended up in the hospital. \nBumps, scrapes and bruises all for a seat in Carter-Finley Stadium. \nDavid Lovell wishes he had the same problem. \nLovell, the director of marketing and promotions for IU athletics, has a job that doesn't carry much glamour. At least each fall. Lovell heads the effort to fill Memorial Stadium, a 52,180-seat football facility that averaged a crowd of 30,639 fans per game last season, the lowest season-long average since 1964.\nThis year marks Lovell's second year in his current post and a year that will involve changes in and around Memorial Stadium. Lovell said new Athletics Director Michael McNeely, who has a strong marketing background, has helped kick-start some of the marketing changes.\n"We have a targeted market," Lovell said. "We're trying to entice students, youth and families to get to the games."\nThe most noticeable change, evident in IU's first two homes games is a later kickoff time. Saturday's game against Kentucky, which was postponed Thursday, was set to begin at 4 p.m. IU's game against Utah next week has the same 4 p.m. kickoff. A lack of television coverage allows IU to alter the games' starting time.\nIU Media Relations Director Jeff Fanter said he hopes the backed-up start time will allow families from around the state ample time to arrive in Bloomington, enjoy pre-game festivities and return home all in the same day. \n"Now, they can get home at 11 at night instead of one in the morning," Fanter said. "They have plenty of time to travel. People from Evansville and Ft. Wayne can now get here and back."\nThe plan seems to be working to a certain extent. Fanter said that as of Wednesday morning, IU had sold 35,000 tickets for Saturday's scheduled game. That would have made Saturday's crowd the largest home-opener crowd since 38,006 watched IU play Ball State in 1997.\nFanter said he had no ticket numbers concerning next week's match-up with Utah. \nTo attract students to games, Lovell is working with Indiana native John Mellencamp, who is set to play a pair of concerts in Indianapolis Sept. 21 and 22. Student season-ticket holders will be able to sign up for a drawing in which 50 free lawn tickets will be given.\nOther changes Lovell and his crew have made include the return of the cannon to the playing surface. Lovell said he wasn't sure why the cannon, which blasts after IU touchdowns and field goals, wasn't used in recent years, but said it's something "fans appreciate."\nThe "Knot-hole section", seats behind both endzones, will also make its return. The section caters to groups and families attending the game for discounted prices. \nChanges in music and game-day presentation will also be evident, though Lovell said he maintains faith in the IU Marching Hundred to drum up enthusiasm. \n"We will have a healthy balance of canned music and the band," Lovell said. "The music will add a different light to game day."\nThe ranging marketing changes reflect the needed boost in football attendance at IU. Since Cam Cameron began his career in 1997, IU's season average attendance has steadily declined. During Cameron's first season, crowds averaged 39,296, nearly 10,000 more than last season's average. \nN.C. State, which toppled IU 35-14 last Thursday, has made adjustments similar to those IU is making. The Wolfpack have already sold all 51,500 tickets for each home game, including all 9,500 student tickets. \nThe smallest crowd to watch a game in Carter-Finley Stadium last season was 29,821, but that came on a rain-soaked, dreary day during Thanksgiving weekend. Against Florida State last season, N.C. State eclipsed its capacity, selling 52,384 tickets.\nN.C. State Athletics Marketing Director Ann-Marie Sales said long ticket lines and crazed fans are typical during football season in Raleigh. Pre-game festivities at N.C. State included F-16 fighter jet fly-bys, fireworks, a lengthy highlight video, parachuters and hyped-up player introductions. \n"It's crazy," she said. "People who don't get tickets get so upset. Everyone goes crazy for football."\nSales said N.C. State has borrowed ideas from Nebraska, Michigan and Brigahm Young, three successful programs. Lovell said he has borrowed ideas from a handful of schools, and said game-day festivities at Illinois and Wisconsin headline his list. \nBut, as both Lovell and Sales indicated, part of their job is out of their hands. \nSales acknowledged the accomplishments of the Wolfpack program and credited the players and staff for helping attract large crowds.\n"We're lucky," she said. "We have a great team, and it starts there."\nIn that arena, Lovell isn't so lucky.\nN.C. State won eight games last season and earned a bowl berth. IU won just three and has won only 13 since Cameron's debut, making Lovell's job that much more difficult. Still, he said he's not discouraged.\n"It's a challenge," he said. "But if you're not trying, you won't fill up the stadium. We keep trying, and we're much more active. We're going in a new direction, and we are being plenty aggressive"
(09/11/01 5:37am)
Never go to North Carolina. \nI'm not going back. Until November. Twice. Even then, I'll venture back with the same enthusiasm shared by a sumo wrestler going ice skating. Men's basketball games at Charlotte and Chapel Hill force me to head back to the Tar Heel State. Or shall we call it the "Tar Hell State."\nSee, about nine hours into a 10-hour drive to Raleigh for Thursday's football game against North Carolina State -- though extremely giddy about the 70-mile-per-hour speed limit -- I became entirely tired of the mountain landscape and attractions of North Carolina. Then, catering to my boredom and intent on making my trip exciting, some truck driver decided to let some piece of metal fly from his truck, flop down the road and flatten my tire. A "boom" and a few curse words later, my football-covering partner and I were nudged between an interstate ramp and the interstate; we were about four feet from a steady stream of 5-o'clock-traffic-goers heading toward Raleigh at about 80 miles per hour. Rather than slap on the spare, idle to Raleigh and miss the game, we decided to call for help. Enter, my debut as MacGyver. \nAs my fellow journalist stayed with the car, I ran up the ramp, climbed a fence, ran across both the east- and west-bound lanes of I-40 traffic, climbed another fence and jogged through the doors of a Holiday Inn Express. After a phone call, 10 minutes of waiting and a return trip over the fence, across both lanes of traffic, over the other fence and back down the ramp, a hairy, unkempt North Carolinian mechanic arrived. The best three miles of the trip ensued, as "Uncle Billy Joe" drove us and the car to a gas station. Of the 700 miles between here and Raleigh, those were the only three I didn't drive. \nWhen all seemed back on track, "Uncle Billy Joe" realized he didn't have a tire that would fit this cursed IU Motor Pool car we were driving. So, after spotting a competing gas station across the road, MacGyver (me), dashed across the road. I tracked down a worker (somewhat more cleanly and less hairy that "Uncle Billy Joe"), found out he had a tire that would suffice and wrapped the tire around my arm. Again, playing my own game of "Frogger," I dodged traffic, handed the tire to "Uncle Billy Joe" and changed into my game-covering clothes. About 10 minutes later, we were driving -- considerably faster than before -- again. Traffic in Raleigh delayed the press-box arrival time until 6 p.m., but we made it. \nWe racked up a bill of about $130 for that wrecker service and new tire, but, as I told the less-hairy man at the second gas station, I didn't care. Just get me to Raleigh, then get me the hell out of North Carolina. \nIU's 35-14 collapse and the tire fiasco -- sandwiched between two trips through the Appalachian Mountains that caused me to sweat more than the sprint across the interstate -- didn't make the trip much more enjoyable. But for those five hours at Carter-Finley stadium, I was in heaven: watching football, writing about it and getting paid to do it. \nThen, hell struck again: The North Carolina interstate. The mountains. But after a short nap, I resumed my driving duties, conquered those damn mountains and escaped from North Carolina. Finally. And I'm not going back. Until November. Twice.