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(01/10/05 5:42am)
Whatever IU coach Mike Davis put in his Hoosiers' Wheaties this past week worked. \nComing off a disappointing and embarrassing 21-point loss at Northwestern in the Big Ten opener Wednesday, IU regrouped and defeated Wisconsin at Assembly Hall 74-61 Saturday night. \n"It was the most fun we had in a win," said junior guard Marshall Strickland. "The fans were really into it and we played with a lot of passion tonight."\nPacing the Hoosiers (6-7, 1-1 Big Ten) was junior guard Bracey Wright, who led all scorers with 30 points, Wright took on the role of baseball's utility man against the Badgers. He did anything -- and everything -- Davis wanted him to. Either running the show at point guard or scoring off the wing, Wright was able to get to the free throw line 10 times, making seven of them and putting much-needed points on the board for IU. \nOnly three of his 30 came from behind the arc. \nSaturday's game was a vast difference not just for Wright, but for the whole team.\n"I just think in the Northwestern game I never found my rhythm or my place in what I was doing," Wright said. "And tonight I just took it upon myself to be assertive and establish myself."\nDavis started three freshmen for the fifth consecutive game, in which the Hoosiers have gone 4-1. \nFreshman guard Robert Vaden also recovered from a poor showing at Northwestern with 11 points and three assists.\nGoing up against a bigger and stronger Wisconsin front line, freshman center D.J. White had his hands full, but was able to take the Badger big-men duo of Zach Morley and Mike Wilkinson out of the game. \nWhite ended with 13 points and seven rebounds in his first Big Ten win.\n"It feels good to get it off my chest," White said.\nWith such a young squad, Davis said they, at times, get intimidated by the opposition. Saturday, it appeared as if the three first year players found their comfort zones on defense, forcing Wisconsin into 18 turnovers.\n"When you have three freshmen starting against that type of system, it is really tough for them," Davis said. "They have a tendency to play timid. I thought tonight, we came out and played the way we played earlier in the season as far as our defense goes."\nIn contrast to other games this season, the Hoosiers buckled down and starved off late runs by the Badgers. Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said his team was "working to get (the score) to single digits," because if they got the difference to nine or under, he said they could play the foul game. But the Hoosiers relented. \nDuring the second half, the three men officiating crew appeared to be foul-happy, whistling 35 of the 50 team fouls in the second stanza. In a stretch of 18 seconds, sophomore Roderick Wilmont was called for three fouls.\nAfter starting the season with two consecutive wins, the Hoosiers lost six games in a row but have rebounded with four wins in their last five games. Beating teams at home, Davis said, is expected, but losing on the road isn't something he gets worried about.\n"We just took care of home," Davis said. "That's the thing that is overlooked. You go on the road and you lose. It's normal. Play at home, you should win. You don't win, you are putting yourself in a hole. Last year, we put ourselves in a hole because we lost at home. You have to take care of home and try to steal a couple on the road."\nWhether or not the Hoosiers will be able to steal a couple on the road is still unknown, as the rollercoaster season continues.\nWright doesn't know why the Hoosiers play well during one game and like a completely different team the next, but with in-state rival Purdue coming up, he is looking forward to a steal on the road.\n"If I could explain it, I would be able to fix it," Wright said. "That's just how it's been happening for us. We play so well in one game, and then we play like it is our first game another game. Hopefully now that league play has started and we got a win under our belt we can relax and take this momentum into the Purdue game."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(01/07/05 6:46am)
The last time the Hoosiers had a former Miami of Ohio coach roaming the sidelines, they went to their first and only Rose Bowl. \nNow, it could be time for a second.\nIU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced former Redhawks coach Terry Hoeppner as the new Hoosiers' head man Dec. 17.\nFlanked by a long stem rose in a crystal bowl, Hoeppner stood in front of an assembled crowd of supporters and media in the Hoosier room beneath Memorial Stadium, telling them they can expect success.\n"I will guarantee you this -- we are going to build a championship football team," Hoeppner said. "I know what it takes to win here."\nHoeppner will receive $600,000 a year for five years and will receive $50,000 in deferred compensation if he remains the coach after 2010 or is released before then. His contact also includes several bonuses, which includes $50,000 for a Big Ten title, $25,000 for a non-Bowl Championship Series bowl game, $50,000 for playing in a BCS bowl game and $100,000 for winning a national championship.\nHe was offered the IU position Dec. 16 by Greenspan after a 16-day search.\nIU President Adam Herbert said in his introduction of Hoeppner that his appointment "reflects our determination to stretch the spirit of loyal fans of the Indiana Hoosiers."\nHerbert said the search spanned college and NFL head coaches, assistant coaches and coordinators.\nHe said IU "can, must and will reestablish a highly successful football tradition." \nThe Woodburn, Ind., native inherits a Hoosier team that has won eight games in the last three seasons under former IU coach Gerry DiNardo, who was fired Dec. 1 by Greenspan after a 3-8 season. Hoeppner and his wife Jane moved to Bloomington shortly after the new year, just in time for the coach to begin recruiting. \nBefore he could take the helm for the Hoosiers, Hoeppner coached Miami of Ohio to a 17-13 loss to Iowa State in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., Dec. 28.\nHoeppner, 48-24 in six seasons as head coach at Miami, led the Redhawks to two consecutive bowl games.\nSince taking the reigns of the dismal IU football program, Hoeppner retained three coaches from DiNardo's tenure -- running backs coach Gerald Brown, quarterbacks coach Matt Canada and secondary coach Troy Douglas, while adding former Senior Associate Athletics Director Harold Mauro as director of football operations. \nJust before the new year, Hoeppner filled out the rest of his staff, all of whom came with him from Miami of Ohio. Switching colors will be co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Brian George, wide receivers coach Billy Lynch, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Joe Palcic, offensive line coach and running game coordinator Bobby Johnson and linebackers coach George Ricumstrict. \n"The key to this staff is continuity," Hoeppner said. "These guys are already meshing really well, and we're ready to hit the road recruiting (in January)."\nHoeppner stated his goal simply -- a trip to the Rose Bowl. But before that, he said he will start small and just take the Hoosiers to a bowl game.\nHoeppner isn't an outsider to the state. Besides growing up in Woodburn, he has coached at Franklin College and a slew of high schools around the country.\n"I was surprised that when I went through the high school media directory of how many high school coaches I know, I coached with or I coached against as a high school coach in this state," Hoeppner said. \nWith the recruiting season winding down, Hoeppner said he knew how important it was to get on the trail. He planned to start recruiting Jan. 2, a hot week, he said.\nIn regards to the 15 verbal commitments DiNardo had received, Greenspan sent a letter to them and said IU will still honor those commitments. Coming from a Mid-American Conference school, Hoeppner said he will not take any of his Miami recruits.\nThe enthusiastic Hoeppner spelled out not only keys to bringing wins to Bloomington, but said he has visions of changing IU football for the better.\nHe said he has some main goals for the programs. The first one is for 100 percent graduation rate. While at Miami, Hoeppner had only one player not graduate -- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The second goal is for his players to be "champions" on the field and in the classrooms. \nHoeppner also talked about how he will involve the Hoosiers in the community as well. He listed ideas to reinvigorate a program that has been decimated by losing seasons and coaching changes.\nOne of his first orders of business is to add "The Walk," something he implemented at Miami. \n"The Walk," he said, consists of the players walking through the tailgating area two hours before the game starts through a tunnel of IU fans, who "are hungry for a winning team and a championship team" as a way to connect the team and the fans. Hoeppner spoke of getting the "Crimson Crew" more involved with IU football, including having players sing the IU fight song after every game.\n"Today is the first day of the rest of our life at Indiana football," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/17/04 10:41pm)
12-17-2004 -- The last time the Hoosiers had a former Miami of Ohio coach roaming the sidelines, they went to their first Rose Bowl. \nNow, it could be time for a second.\nIU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced current Miami of Ohio Redhawks coach Terry Hoeppner as the new Hoosiers head coach Friday.\n"I know what it takes to win here," Hoeppner said. \nFlanked by a long stem rose in a crystal bowl, Hoeppner stood in front of an assembled crowd of supporters and media in the bowels of Memorial Stadium, telling them they can expect success.\n"I will guarantee you this - we are going to build a championship football team," Hoeppner said. \nHoeppner was offered the IU position Thursday night by Greenspan after a 16-day search.\nHoeppner addressed the Miami Redhawks at 11 p.m. Thursday, telling them of his decision to move to Bloomington.\nIU President Adam Herbert said in his introduction of Hoeppner that his appointment "reflects our determination to stretch the spirit of loyal fans of the Indiana Hoosiers."\nHerbert said the search spanned college and NFL head coaches, assistant coaches and coordinators.\nHe said IU "can, must and will reestablish a highly successful football tradition." IU fired coach Gerry DiNardo after a 3-8 mark this season.\nFor the time being, Hoeppner will split his time between Oxford, Ohio and Bloomington. He will coach the Redhawks in the Dec. 28 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. against Iowa State on ESPN. But come Jan. 2, he will be on the ground running.\nHoeppner, 48-23 with six seasons at Miami, said he doesn't know as of Friday who he will take with him from his staff. It depends on if Miami decides to hire his replacement internally, he said.\n"I've got a great young staff," he said. "I will be bringing some guys with me."\nHoeppner stated his goal plain and simple Friday - a trip to the Rose Bowl. But before that, he said he will start small and take the Hoosiers to a bowl game.\nWith the recruiting season winding down, Hoeppner said he knows how important it is to get on the trail. He plans to start recruiting Jan. 2, a hot week, he said. Greenspan has sent a letter to the 15 verbal commitments IU received under former coach DiNardo and said IU will still honor those commitments. Coming from a Mid-American Conference school, Hoeppner said he will not take any of his Miami recruits. \nThe enthusiastic Hoeppner spelled out not only keys to bring wins to Bloomington, but he said he has visions of changing IU football for the better. He listed ideas to reinvigorate a program that has been decimated by losing seasons and coaching changes.\nOne of his first orders of business is to add "The Walk," something he implemented in Ohio. \nThe Walk, he said, consists of the players cutting through the tailgating area two hours before the game starts, as a way to connect the team and the fans. Hoeppner spoke of getting the "Crimson Crew" more involved with IU football, including singing the IU fight song after every game in front of the "Crew."\n"Today is the first day of the rest of our life at Indiana football," he said.\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/17/04 5:10pm)
One more name can be crossed off the list for potential replacements of former IU football coach Gerry DiNardo.\nLate Sunday evening, Dick Neuheisel, father of former Washington coach Rick, said his son has not been contacted by IU athletic director Rick Greenspan or the athletic department.\nEven though the University hasn't contacted Neuheisel, some with IU connections have.\n"He's been contacted by many alums -- yes, even some from Indiana, but from everywhere," Dick Neuheisel said.\nSo far, two coaches who were highly touted for the Hoosiers position have been reported as not being contacted by the University -- the other was former Nebraska coach Frank Solich. \nHis agent said last week that the 60-year-old coach was not reached by Greenspan.\nHeading the rumored list of potential candidates is current Kansas State defensive coordinator Bob Elliot. But former Ohio State coach John Cooper and current Maryland offensive coordinator Charlie Taafe. \nTaafe said Thursday that he had not yet been contacted by IU, but is still considered a candidate. \nCooper denied an interview request with the Indiana Daily Student last week, as well.\nThe Hoosiers are coming off an 3-8 season, DiNardo's third losing season in a row.
(12/13/04 5:11am)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- IU coach Mike Davis had to.\nHe had no choice but to play freshman and Fort Wayne native James Hardy.\n"James Hardy -- I had to play him," Davis said. "You just kind of wait for the game where you can put him in, but I can't wait for Oral Roberts or Furman. I mean at some point he has to experience (game situations). Unfortunately, it was against a very good basketball team. I think James did well. There are still some things he doesn't understand out there." \nHardy played 12 minutes and didn't score, but said he has been studying the playbook, which led to his time on the court. \nThe prep basketball phenom joined the basketball team when the football season ended.\nHe said he had no prior knowledge that he was going to see the court against Kentucky. Hardy knew for the first time when Davis called his name.
(12/13/04 5:00am)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- For the first 5 minutes and 27 seconds of Saturday's game against Kentucky, IU looked like it had taken the lessons learned from North Carolina, UConn and Notre Dame and was using them to its advantage.\nBut in the end, the Hoosiers could not bang with the big boys as the Wildcats front court of freshman Randolph Morris, senior Chuck Hayes and 7-foot-3-inch sophomore Shagari Alleyne combined for 35 points and handed IU its fourth straight loss, 73-58. \n"I thought today we started off great," said IU coach Mike Davis. "I thought our guys played with a lot of energy. It was a big difference than how we played on Wednesday night (against Notre Dame)."\nAhead 13-4, everything was going the Hoosiers' way -- the offense was moving, the defense was stingy and their shots were falling. \nThen, the runs hit.\nFirst, it was a 7-0 run to pull the Wildcats within two at 13-11 with 11:53 left in the half. Then, the Wildcats finished the first half with a 22-9 run -- which included a 15-4 spurt -- leaving Kentucky ahead 33-24 at the break. \nThe second half didn't fare any differently for IU. \nKentucky jumped out to an 11-point lead a little more than a minute into the second half. But with 13:29 remaining, the Wildcats went on a 19-5 run, effectively putting IU away for good. \nOnce again, the Hoosiers shot themselves out of the game with the exception of IU junior Bracey Wright, whose 31 points were more than half of the Hoosiers' 58 points. \n"I thought Bracey carried us early and probably played a little bit too much today again, but there's no way I can afford to take him out of the game," Davis said. "So until we establish a rotation he's going to log a lot of minutes. And today he accepted that. And he played well." \nIU shot 38 percent from the field for the game, going 10 for 23 from behind the arc. The Hoosiers made only four two-point baskets in the second half.\nWright did what he could to keep the Hoosiers in the game with his 31 on nine of 17 shooting, including six of 12 from three-point range. \nBeing the only Hoosier to light up the scoreboard, Wright still doesn't think IU is a one-man show.\n"As much as people say that, my mind never strays that way," Wright said. "I don't think that one person can win a game or one person can do things by himself. It's all a team effort. Without a team I would not be able to get open, give me the ball or have people put me in positions to score as many points I've scored on any given night. Without them, it wouldn't be possible for me to do what I do."\nBut his help just wasn't there Saturday afternoon. \nFor the first time all season, freshman Robert Vaden didn't reach double digits in scoring, finishing with six points. \nNo Hoosier besides Wright scored more than eight. \nFellow freshman D.J. White had eight points, sophomore Pat Ewing Jr. added three points and guard Marshall Strickland helped with four points. \nWhite said Wright took on the role as leader, but no one followed.\n"Well I mean, we want to make it a team effort and he did what he had to do to lead us," White said. "He led us and the rest of us just didn't step up."\nIt's not just the players who think the scoring needs to spread out besides Wright.\nDavis said just give it time for his team to start an offensive flow.\n"We need to get more balance out of our offense than Bracey scoring 31 of our 58 points, but it's going to come," Davis said. "It will definitely come if we can stay focused, and not focus on the losses. Because at this point we knew it would be our tough stretch." \nKentucky Coach Tubby Smith threw a zone at the Hoosiers a few days after IU faltered against Notre Dame's zone.\n"We did zone them a lot today and I thought that's when we made the run in the first half," Smith said. "We did a good job of making them take some time because they are a good transition offensive team. I thought we would change it up right before the half, and with about eight minutes to go in the half we went to zone and extended our pressure. That gave us some turnovers and also kept them at bay the rest of the half." \nBesides using the zone against the offensively-challenged Hoosiers, Kentucky's front court took advantage of the undersized and young IU big men, outscoring the Hoosiers 38-10 in the paint. \n"They did a great job of going inside to their post guys," Davis said. \n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/10/04 5:39am)
As the search for the new IU football coach continues, more potential replacements have entered the mix, and one has possibly left the game.\nEarly Thursday evening, former Nebraska football coach Frank Solich's agent, Jack Mills, said he didn't think his client was a candidate for the vacant IU head coaching job.\n"As far as we know, he is not one of their candidates," Mill said. "We have not heard anything from them."\nMills said Solich did attempt to contact IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan, but the two parties never had a conversation. \nMills also said his client "definitely" would be interested in the IU job if it were offered to him. \nWhether or not Solich holds the Indiana position in a higher regard than other coaching opportunities is undecided, Mills said.\n"Solich considers it a really attractive situation," Mills said. "It's Big Ten. There's a lot of upside to improve on where they've been, and he likes that part of the country. He was raised in Ohio."\nSolich last coached in 2003, leading the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a 9-3 record. \nHe was 58-19 overall in six seasons in Lincoln.\nShortly after Solich was fired at Nebraska, Greenspan -- then the athletics director at Army -- offered him a football coaching position, but the 60-year-old turned it down.\nMills said Solich is not holding his breath waiting for contact from Greenspan -- but would be let down if he was not considered.\n"Yeah, I think he would be disappointed," Mills said. "But he understands there are different profiles for different jobs in terms of people they could attract." \nOften-mentioned former Ohio State coach John Cooper is also a potential candidate.\nCooper, who is a part-time consultant with the Cincinnati Bengals, denied an interview with the Indiana Daily Student through a Bengals public relations spokesperson. \nAnother rumored candidate is Maryland offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach, Charlie Taafe.\nTaafe is in his fourth year in College Park, and has led the Terps to a top 30 ranking in four major offensive categories -- rushing, total offense, scoring and pass efficiency.\n"He has not been contacted by IU," said Associate Media Relations Director Greg Creese. "But if (IU) got him, you'd really like him."\nFormer IU coach Gerry DiNardo was fired Dec. 1, and Greenspan formed a search-and-screen committee for the new football coach Monday featuring eight members from a variety of areas at IU. \nGreenspan has not specified when he plans to have a new coach in place.\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/09/04 5:37am)
Many questions surrounded the Hoosiers' 55-45 loss to Notre Dame Wednesday night and their preparations for a zone defense. \nThe answers varied, depending on who you asked.\n"I was not expecting the zone, and we were never able to penetrate it," said junior guard Bracey Wright. "I don't think they've zoned any other team the entire game, but they did with us and we didn't make shots."\nIU made about as many shots as questions they answered after the game. \nHeld in the locker room for almost 40 minutes after the game's conclusion by IU Coach Mike Davis, the Hoosiers had no excuses for their 30.2 shooting percentage from the field.\n"(Davis talked) about preparation, poise in the game," Wright said. "Not the fact that we missed shots or anything that Notre Dame did. It was just that how we played, how we prepared for the game, how we focused on the game. That was pretty much the bulk of the talk in the locker room."\nShooting 25 percent on 5-20 from behind the arc, the Hoosiers scored just 45 points against an extended Irish zone, leading to IU's third straight loss. \nDavis said his team knew what was coming, based on its UConn performance Saturday.\n"We knew they would come out and play a zone," he said. "The zone didn't really cause us any problems -- we just missed shots. They stripped the ball from us when we got inside. We didn't find open people quick enough. If you go back and watch the tape we had so many open looks. We didn't drive the ball to the basket. (We) didn't play strong. We knew what they would do because we watched the Michigan (against Notre Dame) tape and they watched our tape, so there was no way they were going out come out and play us man-to-man."\nIrish Coach Mike Brey said it was his team's goal to spread its combination of 3-2 and 2-3 zones to guard against the three pointer.\n"We did a great job tonight of defending the three-point shot out of a zone," Brey said. "We spread out. I liked that because that's something we're going to use a lot of this year to keep our big men on the floor."\nThe Irish zone defenses forced the Hoosiers into a stagnant offense. \nStanding, watching and settling for outside shots and not moving the ball led to the demise of the Hoosiers' offense that had glimmers of hope after Saturday's game.\nComing off a 28-point performance against UConn, Wright struggled, ending with just six points, making only two of seven three-point attempts.\nWright said his team had only one zone play, and when it stopped working, there was no other choice. \nBut it wasn't just Wright who struggled against Notre Dame. No Hoosier made over five shots and only the starters made baskets for IU. \nSenior Ryan Tapak put all the blame on his team, but also said IU knew what was coming. \n"We were prepared for everything," he said. "The coaching staff does a great job day in and day out preparing us, it's just that for some reason we get on the court and we don't execute what our game plans are. It's hard to explain. We come in prepared as a team and just don't execute." \nWhatever the reason might be, the Hoosiers offense lacked the cohesiveness it showed at UConn. \nEven though they spread the zone, the Irish were still able to pack the middle, not allowing freshman D.J. White or sophomore Pat Ewing Jr. to operate down low. Ending with a team high 13 points, White played a key role for the Hoosiers as Ewing struggled with foul trouble. White agreed with his coach that the Hoosiers knew what was coming their way.\n"Yeah, we were ready," he said. "We knew what they were going to do."\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/08/04 6:24am)
Coming within seven points of North Carolina is fine.\nBeing up on University of Connecticut by 13 and losing by five is OK. \nBut it's time for an IU win.\n"We're in a situation where we're almost in a must-win on Wednesday," said senior forward Mike Roberts. "We lost two in a row, but at the same time, the last two games we've lost are games we could've won. So it's not like we were last year, where we just gotten killed and we were trying to find ourselves like, 'Man, are we even going to be able to compete.' But at the same time, we're in a situation where we really need to win some games."\nTonight Indianapolis native Chris Thomas makes his last visit to Bloomington, as IU plays host to unranked Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on ESPN. \nThe Hoosiers, led by junior Bracey Wright's 17.5 points per game, enter tonight's game 2-2, coming off a blown 13-point lead Saturday against No. 7 UConn.\n"(Tonight) is going to be a tough game," said IU coach Mike Davis. "They're very good. A really experienced team. It's going to be a tough task for us."\nBut in losing to UConn, IU made significant improvement running its offense effectively. \nDavis said he thinks his team's mindset is improving.\n"I think it's good," he said. "You just want to get a win. We lost two games because of lack of execution offensively. I thought we executed better against UConn for a longer stretch. I think the mindset is good. We need to win the game on Wednesday to stay in that mindset."\nIn the Hoosiers' way stands a Notre Dame team that hasn't won in Bloomington in 19 of the last 25 games. The Hoosiers hold an eight-game winning streak against the Irish dating back to 1995.\nSenior Ryan Tapak said he thinks tonight's game is more important because it's at home.\n"It's a very big game," he said. "We have lost two straight, and we need to get back on track. We also need to protect home court. We need to have the mindset that we can't lose at home the rest of the year."\nIn the midst of one of the hardest schedules in the nation, Roberts knows the IU faithful are one key to victory and playing typical Hoosier basketball is another\n"Hopefully (we have) another rowdy crowd like we had against North Carolina," Roberts said, "Just going out there and playing as hard as we can, and hopefully getting our record over .500."\nWith their offense finally clicking this past weekend, the Hoosiers know that they need a win -- badly. But the Irish feature a starting five with three seniors and two juniors. \nNotre Dame junior guard Chris Quinn leads his team in scoring with 14.5 points per game and is followed by Thomas and 6-foot-9 forward Dennis Latimore with 11 and 10.5 ppg respectively. \nAfter playing North Carolina and UConn, and with Kentucky, Missouri and Charlotte on tap, the Hoosiers are a different team than last year. The men in crimson and cream, though some are surprised by their potential for success, are leaving everything on the court this year and making their opponents work harder.\n"I didn't know if we'd be ahead of UConn by 13," Roberts said. "We just (need to) compete on every possession and make them work, and lets just see what happens. We have a philosophy: Play until you're so tired that you ask coach to take you out. If we do that, play as hard as we can on every play, we'll be in the game."\nThe difference between this year and last can already be seen, Roberts said. \n"I think last year, unfortunately, we lost a couple of games real big early and kind of broke our spirit a little bit, and (it) hurt our confidence so much we didn't really ever recover from it. And I think this year, right now, we still have our confidence knowing we can compete. So we just have come out there every night and bring it."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/08/04 5:34am)
With only one week having passed since the firing of former IU football coach Gerry DiNardo, speculation has begun about who his replacement will be.\nAmong possible candidates rumored for the IU job is former Washington Huskies coach Rick Neuheisel.\n"I think Rick Neuheisel is interested in a job," said his father, Dick Neuheisel. "He wants to be a head coach in college again."\nDick Neuheisel said he was not sure if IU had contacted Rick Neuheisel and did not think that his son had contacted the Hoosiers. \n"Indiana is a great school," Dick Neuheisel said. "I'm sure he would (go to IU if he was asked), yeah. Why not? IU is a great school, but he makes those calls. Occasionally, I give that advice."\nNeuheisel played in the 1984 Rose Bowl as a member of the University of California Los Angeles team, coached the Huskies to a 2001 Rose Bowl win and was also inducted to the Rose Bowl's Hall of Fame in 1998. \nThe Hoosiers have not been to the Rose Bowl since their 14-3 loss to University of Southern California in the 1968 game.\nWith the hiring of former Florida coach Ron Zook by Illinois Tuesday, the list of potential candidates for the IU job shrunk by one. \nAlso included on that list is former Miami Dolphins head man Dave Wannstedt, who resigned from the NFL Nov. 9 after leading the Dolphins to a 1-8 record.\n"Coach Wannstedt indicated to me that he would have no comment on any rumor that linked his name to any coaching position at any level," said Dolphins Public Relations Director Harvey Green. \nOther potential candidates could include former Nebraska coach Frank Solich, former Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham, recently fired Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe and former Ohio State leader John Cooper. Speculation has also surrounded current Oklahoma offensive coordinator Chuck Long, along with Miami-Ohio coach Terry Hoeppner and Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon.\n"We don't comment on anything regarding personnel matters if there's no basis for it," said Bowling Green's Assistant Athletic Director for Communications J.D. Campbell.\nIU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced the formation of a search committee for the new head coach Monday.\nThe time frame to select a new coach was not specified by Greenspan or the committee.\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/07/04 5:12am)
IU coach Mike Davis reinstated senior Donald Perry Monday from his indefinite suspension for violating team rules, Davis announced in a press release.\nBenched since Oct. 15, Perry joins the Hoosiers after a 2-2 start heading into Wednesday's game against Notre Dame.\nDuring Monday's practice, Perry rode the stationary bike and watched practice from the sidelines.\n"On his first days back practicing, he's just so far behind on everything, it's going to take a while for him to catch up," Davis said Monday.\nThe team rule Perry violated is still unknown.\n"We suspended Donald at the start of the season for violation of team rules, and since that time, he has worked hard to show that he is ready to contribute to this program," Davis said. "We're very happy to have him back, but it also sends a message to the rest of the team that they always need to have their priorities straight on and off the court."\nPerry is one of four seniors on this year's Hoosier team. The Tallulah, La., native averaged 3.3 points per game last season in a reserve role. \nIn the midst of one of the toughest schedules nationwide, the 6-foot-2 senior is looking forward to coming back.\n"I really appreciate this opportunity, and I am ready to get to work," Perry said. "Our team has played hard the last two games, but we have many more tough games. I just want to help this team win."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/06/04 10:32pm)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers let another one slip away.\nAhead 54-41 with just more than 13 minutes left in the game, No. 7 University of Connecticut went on a 17-1 run, taking the lead and never looking back on its way to a 74-69 win in Hartford.\nDespite executing the offense to near perfection for the first time this season, IU struggled down the stretch scoring only seven points in the last 3 minutes, 34 seconds.\n"We got out to a lead early because our offense for the first time this year executed," IU coach Mike Davis said. "With about 13 minutes left in the game, we stopped doing that." \nJunior Bracey Wright did his part to keep the Hoosiers close with 28 points -- 16 in the first half -- six rebounds, four steals and three assists in 39 minutes. \n"It is the best we ran (the offense) this season," Wright said. "We cut hard and got a lot of open looks; everything was opening up for us. We had a lot of good opportunities and made a lot of good plays. You saw us execute for most of the game to a T, exactly how we wanted to do."\nPlaying their second top-10 opponent in four days, the young Hoosiers led early.\nWith 2:35 left in the first half, Wright capped off a 14-4 Hoosier run with a baseline jumper that got the shooter's bounce -- touching every part of the rim and then the backboard -- before falling through.\nWright's high scoring first half helped the Hoosiers to a 38-33 lead heading into the locker room. \nBut the second half ended up a complete reversal of the first. Despite holding a 13-point lead at one time -- the Hoosiers' largest of the game -- IU stopped executing its offense and let the defending national champions back in the game. \n"We kind of got into a hurry a little bit," Wright said. "Early on, when things were breaking down we were patient, and in the flow of our offense. But later we got in a hurry and tried to press things."\nDavis said part of the reason for the slip down the stretch is because of the Hoosiers' youth.\n"It's about 70-30 -- 70 percent them picking up their defense, 30 percent us not being in the situation before," David said. "This is our first road game. This is a top-six team in the country. When you're on the road playing a top-six team, and you don't execute the way you're supposed to, things can happen."\nUConn junior Rashad Anderson led the way for the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds, while junior Denham Brown, sophomore Josh Boone and freshman Rudy Gay each had 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.\nFor Huskies coach, Jim Calhoun, Saturday's game was his 600th as the man in charge of UConn. \nGoing up against a big and tough UConn front line, the Hoosiers' big men struggled early and often. Freshman D.J. White played only eight minutes in the first half because of two fouls. White saw the court for only seven more minutes in the second half, during which he picked up three more fouls, sending him to the bench for good with 2:21 left in the game.\n"I was in and out of the game," White said. "I just couldn't get a flow for the game because I was in and out of foul trouble. But, it happens sometimes."\nSophomore Pat Ewing Jr. also fouled out, with 2:36 left in the game, with zero points in 13 minutes. \nTaking their places was the combination of junior Sean Kline and senior Mike Roberts. The pair scored a combined eight points, but gave the Hoosiers much needed support up front off the bench. \nDavis said Roberts was used because he paired up better with UConn's big men. \n"I thought Mike did a great job," Davis said. "It's all about match-ups with our basketball team." \nWith two games down and four left in the Hoosiers six-games-in-21-days against NCAA tournament teams, the competition for a young IU team is beneficial, junior Marshall Strickland said. \n"I think it's a great experience for the team in general," he said. "Come March we hope that we will see the same teams in the (NCAA) tournament, so going on the road to a place like Connecticut (is a) great game for us. We get better and find out how good we really are."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/03/04 5:51pm)
Sean May's return to Bloomington didn't go exactly as planned.\nHe came back to the town he grew up in, played in the gym his dad used to star in and watched his Tar Heels beat the Hoosiers, 70-63.\nFoul trouble limited his action to only 19 minutes for the game -- nine of which came in the first half.\n"It was definitely frustrating," May said of his performance Wednesday night.\nMay contributed only one point in the first 29 minutes and 29 seconds of Wednesday's ACC/Big Ten Challenge game. \nIt took until 11:31 left in the second half, for him to get his first basket -- a dunk and a foul over IU sophomore Pat Ewing Jr. \n"It was just a sigh of relief," he said about that first basket. \nThe first few times May touched the ball didn't go as planned, either. \nHis first shot was blocked by IU freshman D.J. White, he was fouled on his second and he was called for traveling on his third touch of the game. But that was just the beginning. He went on to miss an array of close shots and ended the first half by sitting on the bench for the last 7:35 with three fouls -- two of which were charging. \nFor the crowd of 17,404, May playing -- or May not playing, it didn't matter -- the berating was induced. \nWith the chants of "Sean May Sucks" and "Traitor," May attempted to stay focused and not let it rattle him.\n"It was exactly what I expected (from the fans)," he said. "They said exactly what I thought they'd say."\nMay's mother, Debbie, said her son needed to expect the yells and the heckles. \n"(The fans are) being very hard," she said at halftime. "He's got to deal with it. That has to do with the choices you make."\nIt began with his introduction to a roar of boo's and didn't end until the final buzzer.\nScott May, Sr., Sean's father, who starred on the 1976 IU national championship team, was convinced returning to Bloomington wasn't easy for his son.\n"It had to be hard coming back here," he said.\nThe heckling didn't just come in Assembly Hall for the youngest May. After getting a drink from a store near his hotel, May left to booing from fans outside, he said. \nReturning to play at IU didn't bring the nerves he expected.\n Knowing her son would come into a somewhat hostile environment, Debbie showed some maternal love to her son before he made the trip to IU.\n"I think he was a little nervous, as anyone would be," she said. "We had breakfast together, actually, yesterday morning before he left, because he knew he was going to get booed. It's hard to come home and get booed." \nThe former Bloomington North star ended up with eight points, four rebounds and five turnovers in front of a crowd that featured former Hoosier A.J. Moye and currently suspended guard Donald Perry sitting with the May family. \nBut coming back to Bloomington wasn't all harsh feelings for May and his family, as he received. \nEven though May went to UNC, his mother said she once wished he would sport the Crimson and Cream. \n"I actually had hoped at one time that my son would play for IU," she said. "I love IU. My kids were born and raised here, so it was definitely hard." \nBut for May, coming home was sentimental as well. \n"I love Indiana basketball," he said. "No one realizes how dear it is to my heart." \n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/01/04 6:32am)
At 6:30 p.m., March 22, 1984, former IU men's basketball player Dan Dakich got the assignment of a lifetime -- guard Michael Jordan. \n"I opened up my door in the hotel and threw up right outside my door," Dakich said. "But it was actually because I was sick." \nDakich and the Hoosiers knocked off No. 1-ranked University of North Carolina that Thursday in Atlanta in the semifinals of the East Regional in the 1984 NCAA Tournament, 72-68. \n"I remember we had a lot of Indiana people. When we came out for warm-ups, there was a huge roar," said Dakich, who is currently in his eighth year as the head coach at Bowling Green State University. "When they came out, there was a huge roar. It was divided. We had half the crowd, and they had half the crowd. It was an electric deal -- Bob Knight against Dean Smith."\nTwenty years, eight months and nine days later, the 2004 versions of IU and UNC take to the court in Bloomington in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. \nNorth Carolina comes in ranked No. 9 in the country, and IU is unranked. \nSound familiar?\nIn Jordan's last game for the Tar Heels, it was Dakich who put an IU stamp on Jordan's going away party. The Hoosier guard limited the future six-time NBA Most Valuable Player to a line of 13 points, one rebound and one assist as Jordan struggled with foul trouble, eventually fouling out. Dakich said, looking back, it was like defending any other player.\n"At the time it wasn't any different guarding any one else. But again, we were Indiana," Dakich said. "They had guys who were All-Americans, but we had played against a lot of All-Americans. I just remember, (Jordan) missed a couple of shots early, then got in foul trouble."\nFormer IU coach Bob Knight told Dakich, Jordan "has to shoot over the top of you," and if he got to the offensive boards, Dakich would be on the bench. The then--IU junior said he kept about 10 feet between himself and Jordan. \n"It gave us something more on offense because Dakich can move around better on offense than the others," Knight said in a March 23, 1984 New York Times article. \nDakich went on to score four points that game. \nFresh off their 1982 National Championship, that Tar Heels team featured Jordan, future NBA stars Sam Perkins, James Worthy, Kenny Smith, former UNC coach Matt Doherty and the winningest coach in Division I basketball, Dean Smith, all of whom were vying for their second title in three years.\nBut all the hype of playing a No. 1 team didn't phase the Hoosiers, Dakich said.\n"It wasn't for us any different because we were Indiana," he said. "And at that time, there wasn't any difference between Indiana and North Carolina. And it wasn't like we were going to be awed by anybody. Hell, we were Indiana. We won national championships in 1981 and 1976."\nCoincidentally, it was the Tar Heels who bowed down to the Hoosiers in the 1981 NCAA title game. \nGoing into that improbable '84 victory over the mighty Tar Heels, Dakich remembers Knight preparing his team mentally for the challenge that laid ahead. \n"I remember that we had played on Saturday -- we beat Richmond," he said. "We had a team meeting that Sunday night. So, Sunday evening at 5 o'clock or so, Knight came in, closed the door and said we were going to beat North Carolina's ass. He had it all lined up. We were convinced as a group that we could beat North Carolina. We didn't practice much that Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe a half-hour a day. We were Indiana. Indiana was supposed to beat people. Isaiah (Thomas) beat them, now it is our time to beat them."\nBut once again, Dakich doesn't see a difference. \n"I think Carolina has been playing better than anyone in the country, They look really good," he said. "Hell, it's Indiana, playing in Assembly Hall. You can see they have ability, but again -- it's Indiana basketball. Hell, it should be a hell of a game. The guys will be playing their brains out. It won't be hard to play the North Carolina's in front of your own people. Indiana basketball is Indiana basketball. Those guys wearing those jersey's feel these are games we should win -- I hope -- as a former player, that's what I hope."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(12/01/04 5:57am)
History and a homecoming surround tonight's battle of two legendary programs.\nUnranked IU plays host to No. 9 University of North Carolina at 9 p.m. tonight in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge.\nThe Tar Heels come to Bloomington for the first time since 1979, led by second year coach Roy Williams and Bloomington native Sean May -- son of former Hoosier Scott May. \nSaid by many to be the best team in the country, the Tar Heels returned all five starters and are fresh off a championship win at the Maui Invitational. \nLed by junior Bracey Wright, the Hoosiers need to play like the Detroit Pistons did against the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's NBA Finals, said IU coach Mike Davis. The only difference is IU doesn't have Ben Wallace or Chauncey Billups.\n"These guys are really good," Davis said. "They are the best team I've seen in a long time. They push the ball down the court as quick as I have seen before. We have never faced a team that has the leading scorer, rebounder and assist guy in a conference returning. You have those three guys and all are going to the NBA. There is no weakness on their basketball team." \nHeading into tonight's game, IU has a 2-0 record and is coming off of two four-point wins against Indiana State and Western Illinois. \nNorth Carolina comes to Bloomington with a 4-1 record, with its only loss to Santa Clara University in the Tar Heels' first game of the season. UNC was without star guard Raymond Felton for the loss.\nWith the travel schedule including California and Hawaii, Williams has been lenient with his team lately because of its rigorous schedule.\n"We had a short practice (Monday); I gave them some rest time," he said. "We played five games in nine days and traveled 30 hours during that time period. It was pretty demanding."\nEven though the Hoosiers are off to their fifth 2-0 start in the last six years, the young team has lacked the blowout power that the 2002 Final Four team had. \nPaced by Wright's 12 points per game, the Hoosier starting line-up features two freshmen -- Robert Vaden and D.J. White -- compared to the Tar Heels' starting five, which features a veteran line up of three juniors and two seniors. UNC junior Rashad McCants tops the Tar Heels with 19 points per game. The Tar Heels have three players averaging double-digit points, with senior Jawad Williams with 16.8 ppg and May with 15.8 joining McCants.\nWright, who played with May this summer for Team USA at the 2004 Basketball World Championship For Young Men, said the Heels deserve their ranking.\n"I watched them play a few times so far," he said. "I watched the USC game. They look like the No. 1 team in the country right now. Inside and outside, one through six, they probably have the best players in the country. We just have to come out ready to play."\nWith five freshmen, the Hoosiers will have the chance to grow up in a hurry. Tonight's game starts a 21-day, six-game stretch against NCAA tournament teams. \nDespite the struggles this IU team has faced this year, Williams sees potential for them.\n"Their starting five is a very gifted, very talented group," he said. "I know their team is going to get better and better and better. If you're going to be inexperienced, it's better to be inexperienced up front."\nTonight will be the Hoosiers freshmen introduction into IU lore. \nPlaying UNC, Davis said, comes with the pressure of playing at top form. \n"We have to play our perfect game. We haven't played well the last three games," Davis said. "That's a scary feeling to know that you are playing the best team in the country and haven't played well your last three games."\nThe Hoosiers are trying to rebound from last season and become one of the prominent teams in college basketball, while Williams has brought the Tar Heels back to the glory of old UNC teams.\nDavis hopes to get IU back to that level soon, and tonight he just hopes not to fall back into the groove that has slumped the Hoosiers so far this season.\n"We just have to come out and play like crazy and make sure that whatever we have been doing the last three games does not come out in this game," Davis said.\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(11/15/04 5:21am)
For the first 18 minutes and 19 seconds Friday, the men's basketball team scored as many points as the IU football team scored Saturday. \nIn their last exhibition game of the 2004-2005 season, the Hoosiers came out tired and sluggish against Division II Southern Illinois University -- Edwardsville, in a 57-47 Hoosier victory Friday night at Assembly Hall. \nIU coach Mike Davis blamed the lethargic effort on the tough practice schedule he put his team through last week -- but he said it was all done on purpose.\n"I wanted to see the response of the guys after a tough week of practice," Davis said. "On Monday, we went 10 hard minutes running after a full practice. Tuesday, we worked for three hours. Wednesday, we had our conditioning coach come in and run the team after another three-hour practice. Thursday, we went for three hard hours again."\nTheir soft legs caught up with IU at the outset of Friday's game. \nThe Hoosiers came out shooting 31 percent in the first half from the field and made only one of six three pointers. After Davis stressed defense, taking time on offense, cutting hard and playing as a team, IU missed only eight shots in the second half, shooting 60 percent and made four of eight three pointers -- keeping IU ahead against SIUE.\nIU was led by sophomore reserve guard Roderick Wilmont, who played only 23 minutes but scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds. \n"In the beginning of the game, we weren't really flowing like how we do in practice in offense," Wilmont said.\nHe added SIUE scouted the Hoosiers well and were prepared for what the crimson and cream had to offer.\n"I kind of thought we took a step backwards from our offensive points, but we did pretty good," Wilmont said. \nFreshman D.J. White added 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks in his second unofficial game as a Hoosier. But the Alabama native thought the Hoosiers were inconsistent and had a lot of room to improve. \n"I feel we didn't come out there and do what we are capable of doing," White said. "We had some ups and we had a lot of downs, but a lot of that can be corrected."\nJunior Marshall Strickland rounded out the trio of Hoosiers who scored in double digits with 10 points. He also added five rebounds and three assists. Junior Bracey Wright only dropped in eight points, while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. \nWilmont said the Cougars were not what they expected, but all the experience the Hoosiers get now will help in the long run. \n"They're more physical than the first team we played and that's what we needed because Carolina and UConn -- those guys are going to be physical. It's going to be war every game here on out," Wilmont said.\nSIUE coach and former Hoosier Marty Simmons praised the Hoosier defense -- even though the Big Ten and Division I team allowed the Cougars to get within 10. \n"We felt like we ran the shot clock down every time, and part of that had to do with (IU)," Simmons said, "They took us out of what we wanted to do."\nWith Indiana State and the beginning of the regular season just eight days away, Simmons said the Hoosiers are already looking good.\n"They cut hard, they're unselfish. I'm very impressed with them," he said. "I just think the longer the season goes the better and better they're going to get." \n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(11/12/04 5:47am)
In its last preparation before the start of the 2004-05 regular season, the IU men's basketball team plays host to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 8 p.m. tonight at Assembly Hall.\nComing off a 101-64 win in their first exhibition game against Bellarmine Nov. 4, the Hoosiers have spent the past week working on fine-tuning their offensive sets, junior guard Marshall Strickland said. \nThe Cougars come into Bloomington with an 0-2 exhibition record, with one of those losses coming against Big Ten rival Illinois, 78-58. This is the first-ever meeting between IU and SIUE, and the Hoosiers are looking to take last week's game and build on it.\n"We want to improve defensively," said junior Sean Kline. "I think last game we had a little bit of a letdown, especially the last five or six minutes. At times we weren't really focused toward the end of the game from a defensive standpoint. We also need to get better on the boards."\nOn top of defense and rebounding, IU coach Mike Davis said he thinks his team needs to keep up its attitude.\n"We continue to improve with intensity," Davis said. \nWorking toward improving on last year's forgettable season, the Hoosiers will face a liability that burdened them on their way to a 14-15 record -- a presence in the middle.\nSIUE features 6-foot-11 center Dan Heimos, who is averaging 8.5 points per game this exhibition season. \nBut Davis isn't concerned about the Cougars' big man.\nEven though the only listed center for the Hoosiers is 6-foot-10 freshman Lucas Steijn, Davis said IU has been battling a big man all year in practice against 6-foot-8 senior Marco Killingsworth, preparing the Hoosiers for a man in the middle.\nOnce the Hoosiers finish their exhibition schedule, they will have more than 10 days to fine-tune and prepare for the grueling regular season, which features a span of six NCAA tournament teams in 22 days.\n"The best thing about this game is we have 11 days before our season opener against Indiana State," Davis said. "It is important for us to continue to get better. Last game we got 19 assists, and we made 37 field goals. We also got 20 points in transition. We are really going to try to focus in getting more transition baskets."\nWith these games not counting toward the Hoosiers' overall record, Davis said he is antsy to get the real season going.\n"This is an impatient period from a coach's standpoint. You want everything ready right now, and that's not the case," he said. "I just want to continue to get better in transition and set better screens, read screens better and rebound better."\nWhen most teams are resting its players and working on basic offenses, Davis said the Hoosiers are diving headfirst into what they want to do for the rest of the season.\n"We're not going to be as clean as (we) should be," Davis said. "We're not holding anything back. If we're not doing something well, its not because we're holding back."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(11/10/04 5:43am)
Looking down his bench this year, IU coach Mike Davis sees something personal. \nNot only is this the first year with every player being a Davis recruit, but the coaching staff is also a product of his own. \nDuring this past offseason, Davis personalized his coaching staff with the hiring of associate head coach Kerry Rupp, assistant coach Donnie Marsh and administrative assistant Eric Jackson. \nRupp came to Bloomington after three years at the University of Utah, where he served as the Utes' interim head coach last season -- he took over for Rick Majerus, who stepped down because of health concerns. \n"Kerry is a veteran coach with a tremendous work ethic, and he brings a lot of energy to a program," Davis said upon Rupp's arrival to the program. \nKnown around the basketball world as a defensive and recruiting specialist, Rupp and his international experience has already begun to make his mark at IU with the recruitment of freshman Lucas Steijn from The Netherlands for this season, and Ben Allen from Australia for next season.\nMarsh came to IU after the last fours seasons as head coach at Florida International University.\nDuring his 25-year coaching career, Marsh made stops at Florida State University and Virginia Tech.\nMarsh brings a defensive reputation with him to IU, and Davis said his ability to recruit also factored in to his hiring.\n"Donnie has been an assistant coach and a head coach, so he really understands the ins and outs of a college basketball program," Davis said. "He is a proven recruiter, and I know our players will feed off his work ethic and energy on the court."\nAnd, they already have.\nLeft off the radar by most when looking at the Hoosiers -- partly because of his resemblance to another Hoosier assistant, Thad Fitzpatrick -- Marsh already has at least one fan on the team.\n"He's my man," freshman D.J. White said. "He's a defensive specialist. He's teaching me things about how to play on the defensive block, guarding bigger (opponents). He's helping me a lot. He's showing me how to play smarter on defense."\nLike Marsh, Rupp comes with a defensive mind, but also pays close attention to detail.\nIn practice, Rupp has made an impression on the veterans and the newcomers with his attention to detail and knowledge of big man play. \n"(He is a) great coach. I love him," Steijn said. "He's a good post coach. He helps me a lot with post moves. He has good comments, and he's really motivating."\nGoing back to the basics and skill development are two of Rupp's main features, he said. \nWhen all is said and done, Rupp wants to be known as a great teacher -- and to some of his players, he's on his way.\n"Coach Rupp has been good," White said. "I mean, he teaches me the little things about playing on the post, just staying down low. I mean, he's been known to teach big men, so he's helped me out a lot."\nRupp's experience isn't limited to the college game. For the 24 years before he coached at Utah, Rupp was a high school coach in Utah. And he also has NBA experience. One of Rupp's closest friends is NBA legend Karl Malone. Rupp serves as co-Executive Director of the Karl Malone Foundation for Kids, and has used his ties to professional basketball in Utah to coach at many summer leagues in the Salt Lake state. \nWhile Davis steers the ship, it's Rupp and Marsh that are guiding the sails. \nWith their combined experience, junior Bracey Wright said he hopes the Rupp-Marsh pair will be able to help him ascend to the highest level. \n"They bring the knowledge of what it is on the next level," Wright said. "What we need to do to play on that next level, and how to prepare ourselves to play on that level."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(11/10/04 5:36am)
Coming into his fifth season as head coach of the men's basketball team, IU coach Mike Davis has his work cut out for him.\nNot only are some IU fans still bitter at the firing of former coach Bob Knight by former IU and current NCAA president Myles Brand, but last season's 14-15 record and a missed trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 seasons, just added salt to their wounds.\nBut, Davis' elder players disagree and promise improvement.\n"It's a very big year," senior Ryan Tapak said. "One thing you got to realize is that coach Davis is still a pretty young coach. I think this is going to be a big year for the team, big year for coach Davis and I think everything is going to work out. I mean, people might talk about how his job is in jeopardy and stuff like that, well it's not going to be in jeopardy after the year we're going to have."\nWhen asked at Media Day if he was the same coach as last year, Davis said he has more wisdom and knowledge a year later.\n"Last year I was 43 when I sat in this char," Davis said. "I'm 44 now. Last year is gone. All we can focus on is this year. I really like this basketball team."\nThree years after taking his second team as head coach to the Final Four, Davis appeared to hit rock bottom last season. But with a recruiting class featuring Robert Vaden and fellow Alabama native D.J. White, who Davis has known since White was in eighth grade, the electricity of 2002 is beginning to fill the air of Bloomington once again.\n"Well, first of all we are excited about the season," Davis said. "We are excited -- especially coming off a year like last year. We will have to put that behind us. We do have a lot new faces out there and we have new coaches on the staff."\nIn 2002, Davis secured a six-year contract securing him as the IU coach through the 2007-08 season. \nWith that security, Davis' ability to recruit strengthened. \nYear in and year out, Davis has been able to recruit some of the nation's best, starting with the 2002-03 freshman class, which featured juniors Bracey Wright, Marshall Strickland and Roderick Wilmont. He followed up that class with the addition of Pat Ewing Jr. in 2003-04. But Davis secured his name as a top-recruiter this past off season, with the signings of what once was the nation's top recruiting class. But the defection of prep star and current Atlanta Hawk Josh Smith to the NBA, and Robert Rothbart leaving for professional basketball in Europe still left the Hoosiers with some of the top-ranked players in the country. And once again, Davis and his staff are in the spotlight of the recruiting trail, signing the likes of Arizona prep hoopster Joey Shaw, Indianapolis native DeOnta Vaughn and Australian big man Ben Allen. \nWith three years of strong recruiting classes, Davis is looking to get off the hot seat this season. Tapak said he has faith in his coach.\n"He got us to the Final Four in 2002," he said. "So, you know he's got the potential, he's got the ability and he knows what he's talking about. Except, maybe we had some guys who didn't buy into what he was saying, and what happens is that you have a 14-15 year."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.
(11/10/04 5:14am)
When they walk around campus, heads turn. \nGirls come up to talk to them at the bars. \nThey've been to a Final Four and to Maui.\nAnd they're not even on scholarship.\nWhen seniors Ryan Tapak and Mark Johnson came to IU four years ago, they had no idea what the future held in store. The pair of walk-ons had two comfortable seats at the end of the IU bench, watching the likes of Tom Coverdale, Dane Fife and Kyle Hornsby lead the Hoosiers as the elder statesmen.\nFast forward four years, and now Tapak and Johnson are the seniors, with a whole team of young blood looking up to them, just as they did in 2001-02 to Coverdale, Fife and Hornsby.\nLooking back, the two agreed they are more than just teammates. They have a bond that has strengthened with every season.\n"Mark and I are probably closer than anyone on this team," Tapak said. "I grew up playing AAU with Sean Kline, so Sean and I are best friends too. But Mark and I have been fighting the same battle for four years now." \nJohnson said that the two will be linked by their lineage as walk-ons, despite what has or will happen. \n"It's kind of different. He's a real walk-on and I was a preferred walk-on, so we're kind of attached at the waist by being walk-ons," the Oregon, Wisc., native said. "We were always paired together for everything. We were always playing together on the white team and we just learned to go together. We learned each others strengths and we know where each other is going to be. We know what each other can do."\nDuring their freshman year, Johnson and Tapak's work in practice displayed their worth from the first time they stepped on the court.\nAs the pair teamed up to defend the likes of current Washington Wizard Jared Jeffries, Jeff Newton, Coverdale and Fife in practice, the experience proved beneficial.\n"I can remember our freshman year, when we played on the white team, and I think the score might have been 92-0," Johnson said. "We just got killed a couple of days and as we progressed throughout the years, we learned how to compete, we learned how to win and what we had to do. We definitely grew together and became really good friends and it's been a great experience." \nWhen IU succeeded, Johnson and Tapak stayed on the bench, still working hard in practice putting in their time.\n"It takes a toll on you mentally," Tapak said. "They say when you go through hard times and you're with someone, it really bonds you together. (Johnson's) my roommate as well as Sean (Kline) is. It's nice to have somebody there when you're not getting playing time. \n"You know you can talk it over with him. You can just talk about what we're going to need to do to get on the floor," The former Perry Meridian High star continued. "And at the same time we understand that our role might just be practice players, might just be to get five minutes. But we're both really lucky to be where we're at right now, and we understand we're really blessed."\nThose uphill battles finally paid off for the duo last year.\nIU coach Mike Davis put both men on scholarship for the 2003-04 season, but only for one year. And, the two got the chance to prove that they were worthy of wearing the cream and crimson. \nAt the end of the worst season in the past 30 years for IU, Davis turned to Tapak and Johnson in an attempt to spark the depleted team. \nBoth men turned in career highs in the Big Ten tournament. Tapak tied Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves' single-game Big Ten tournament assist record with 11, and Johnson scored back-to-back career high's in points with 13 against Ohio State and then 16 against Illinois the next night.\nComing into this season, with one of the most highly touted recruiting classes in recent IU memory, Johnson and Tapak understand their roles will be scaled back from last March. \nJohnson was sidelined for most of preseason work outs with a bulging disk and a fractured vertebra. He has been rehabbing toward a full recovery, in hopes of playing his senior year.\n"I mean, it's very disappointing," Johnson said. "Some players might like being out because you have conditioning, but I love being in there with the whole team. Just being a part of it, sweating every day, going through all the hard work and the pain. So, for me not to be out there working with them in conditioning, it's a big disappointment."\nEven though this year is still in limbo for Johnson, every day offers something new from which to learn. \nAnd still, being a senior, experiences are the name of the game.\n"It's a learning experience," Johnson said. "It's a great experience to go through all the situations I've been through, from the Final Four to having one rough season, just the transitions have been unbelievable. But it's an experience I'll never turn back, and never look back on and say I wish I never did that."\nTapak looks forward to taking on the senior role that Coverdale, Fife and Hornsby impressed on him, but altered to a walk-on's life.\n"(I'll probably have) the same role that I've had the last three year's," Tapak said. "Come in every day, work hard, try to lead by example, doing things the right way, getting on the floor for loose balls. But at the same time, I've had the experience on the court and I've had the experience of the older players that (were) so experienced like Tom Coverdale, Jarrad Odle and Dane Fife."\nWhen the chance to wear the crimson and cream came up for Johnson, it was too hard to pass up. \n"It's a dream come true, really," he said. "I've been an IU fan all my life. I've always wanted to come here and play basketball, and when I go the opportunity to, I couldn't turn it down -- everything it represents -- tradition, hard work and dedication."\n-- Contact senior writer Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.