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(01/22/03 5:32am)
Over the years, Big Ten basketball has compiled a laundry list of characteristics that define it as a smash-mouth conference.\nAmong the various facets of the league's personality are stingy defense and low scores; rabid fans who taunt the opposition with vicious chants and award the home team with raucous cheers; and physical play that, at times, can resemble a wrestling match.\nTuesday night's Big Ten rematch between the Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes was a prime example of the physical play that the Big Ten is famous for.\nAfter IU's 74-66 victory over Illinois on Saturday, Illini coach Bill Self said the Big Ten is no longer a physical conference because referees do not let that type of play go anymore. But if he watched last night's game, he may re-think that assessment.\n"I think it's still physical," freshman guard Marshall Strickland said. "Some teams have the big bangers, the guys out there who just set screens and stuff like that."\nThe Buckeyes' post players definitely brought aggression on the floor last night and the paint resembled a war zone as players from both teams skidded across the floor and dove over each other for rebounds and loose balls.\n"They just take you and grab you and throw you aside," senior shooting guard Kyle Hornsby said of OSU's post players. \nIn the first half, senior guard Tom Coverdale was forced to go to the bench when he cut his chin open on a dive to the floor. He came in minutes later looking like he had just gotten out of a fist fight, sporting a large bandage over the cut and blood stains on his uniform.\n"It was a real physical game and those games are the reason why you come to this conference," he said. "It was a lot of fun and everybody rose to the challenge and didn't back down one bit. You've got to do that to win."\nThe second half displayed some intense moments between Coverdale and his counterpart Brent Darby, who dropped 28 on the Hoosiers 10 days ago.\nCoverdale held Darby scoreless on 0-8 shooting in the first half as Ohio State scored a mere 17 points. But the Buckeye guard returned the favor, holding Coverdale to zero points in the first half as well.\nWith just over two minutes gone in the second half, play would rise to an even more aggressive level when a scuffle ensued on the sidelines between Darby and Coverdale after a battle for a loose ball. Officials ran in and broke it up as the two seniors tangled near half court.\nThe two players continued to jaw back and forth for the rest of the game and the fans shot loud boos Darby's way every time he touched the ball.\nCoach Mike Davis said the animosity was a result of both guards' strong wills, which has bred a bit of a personal rivalry.\n"I just think Darby and Coverdale have this thing going ... and it's going strong," he said. "Both guys are just alike. Darby's a warrior; Coverdale's a warrior and you put two warriors in the same room, on the same floor together and they're going to go after each other."\nHornsby explained that the referees are calling games a bit closer, thus negating a bit of the physical play, but added that the Big Ten is still the Big Ten and the Hoosiers need to be ready to play a scrappy brand of basketball every time they step on the floor.\n"It's just the way we play, it's the way the conference is and if one team is going to play that way, the other team has to play that way," he said. "And if that's the only way you can win, you take the win"
(01/21/03 5:38am)
Senior forward Jeff Newton was sleeping in Saturday morning, storing up his energy for the Hoosiers' game with No. 8 Illinois later that afternoon, when the phone rang. He answered it and heard the voice of his former Hoosier frontcourt mate, Jared Jeffries, on the other end. \nThe 2001-02 Big Ten Player of the Year, and current Washington Wizard, offered a bit of guidance to Newton as he prepared for his marquee match-up with Illinois senior forward Brian Cook, a candidate for this year's conference MVP Honors.\n"He gave me some good advice," Newton said. "He was just telling me, 'It doesn't matter if you miss your first 10 shots, just stay aggressive and keep going at those guys.' And that's something I tried to do."\nNewton obviously took Jeffries' advice to heart as he put on a dominant display, scoring 28 points, pulling down eight rebounds, blocking five shots and grabbing three steals en route to a 74-66 IU victory over the Illini (12-3, 2-2 Big Ten). His points, blocks and steals totals were all career highs. \nThe impressive performance could not have come at a better time as the No. 18 Hoosiers (13-3, 3-1) were without the services of their leading scorer, freshman guard Bracey Wright, for the second straight game. Wright has been battling a reoccurring back injury that has resulted in the irritation of a nerve, but Davis said the rookie guard may see playing time against Ohio State tonight. \nA variety of Hoosiers followed Newton's lead and stepped up in Wright's absence.\nJunior guard A.J. Moye took over a starting role and scored 9 points on 3-5 shooting, while freshman point guard Marshall Strickland came off the bench to score nine points, as well, on 3-4 shooting from beyond the three-point line.\nFreshman forward Sean Kline provided an emotional spark off the bench, scoring six points and sophomore point guard Donald Perry hit five clutch free throws down the stretch to help seal the IU win.\nPerhaps the most surprising aspect of Saturday's game was the rebounding efforts of the senior guards Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby, who finished with 7 and 10 boards, respectively.\n"I've been talking about those guys, our guards, rebounding the basketball," Davis said. "I've been saying from day one our guards don't rebound the basketball. Newton and Leach are averaging 18 or 19 rebounds together. We've been getting whipped on the glass because of our guards. Hornsby had ten and Coverdale had seven, and that's pretty good."\nThe solid team effort gave IU a 36-31 lead at halftime and sent Cook into the locker room with three fouls.\nNewton took advantage of Cook's foul trouble in the second half, scoring 19 of his 28 points while showcasing a variety of aggressive low-post moves.\nDavis said it had been awhile since he had seen a frontcourt player have the type of game Newton did on Saturday. \n"For Jeff Newton to come out and score 28 points and play the way he did today is big," Davis said. "We haven't had a guy score 28 points from the inside position in a long time."\nAs Cook continued to struggle on both ends of the floor, Illini coach Bill Self attempted to attack Newton and junior center George Leach by committee. \nHe threw freshman forwards James Augustine and Kyle Wilson and sophomore center Nick Smith at the Hoosier frontcourt tandem but all three were largely unsuccessful in containing them.\nWith less than ten minutes to go in the game, Newton hit a turnaround jumper to give the Hoosiers their biggest lead at 60-45. \nCook then hit a reverse lay-up and a turnaround jumper of his own to shrink the lead to 11. After Wilson missed a pair of free-throws, Newton was blocked at the other end and a jump ball was called. On the ensuing Illinois possession, sophomore guard Luther Head knocked down a three, trimming the lead to 60-52.\nBut on IU's next possession, Moye drew Cook's fifth foul and sent him out of the game with just under five minutes to play. \nCook finished with 15 points on 7-17 shooting and seven rebounds. The senior forward, who had been named Big Ten Player of the Week on Jan. 13, was coming off a two game stretch were he had averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds on 56 percent shooting. \nLeach, who had 11 rebounds and 8 points in the game, said the plan was to take the ball to Cook aggressively on every possession. \n"He's the premiere Big Ten forward right now and me and Newt attacked him every single time. That's what we wanted to do and it paid off," he said. "(Newton) had 28 points, which is unheard of. If he shows emotion like that every game, he'll average 28 points. He played extremely hard; he played extremely intense. He did everything well, and hopefully I can feed off what he does."\nThe Illini did manage to muster a late run to make the game interesting. With 1:25 left in the game, freshman guard Dee Brown, who led the Illini with 18 points and five assists, knocked down a three to make the score 68-62.\nOn IU's next two possessions, Illinois fouled Perry who sank all four of his free throws to maintain the Hoosiers' six point lead. \nAnd, fittingly, Newton stepped to the free throw line with .6 seconds left and knocked down the final two shots of the game. He said that after a slight lull over the winter break the Hoosiers are back in top form. \n"It's a statement game for me; it's a statement game for the team too, just to let everybody know that we're coming back stronger than ever," Newton said.
(01/16/03 3:40pm)
Since the No.18 Hoosiers (12-3, 2-1 Big Ten) lost to Ohio State on Saturday, coach Mike Davis spent much of the week challenging his team to show the intensity that it seemed to have misplaced over the winter break. He questioned the team's passion and stated that they were faltering due to a lack of leadership.\n"Monday was an intense practice," Davis said. "That's the way I have to coach these guys from here on out. I can't ease up on them one day."\nThat intensity carried over into Wednesday night's win over the Northwestern Wildcats (8-6, 0-3). \nDuring the team shoot-around Wednesday, Davis used a scare tactic to motivate his team to play hard.\n"I checked the (NCAA) rules to see if I could run sprints after the game tonight," he said. "If we gave up seven offensive rebounds, it was going to be suicides after the game. The rulebook said you can't work them until the next day so it was going to be 5:30 in the morning." \nThe Hoosiers responded to the challenge by allowing a season-low four offensive rebounds. Before the Northwestern game, the Hoosiers had given up double-digit offensive boards in every game except the Dec. 9 against Vanderbilt, in which they allowed only seven.\n"It was great to come out with that type of intensity," junior guard A.J. Moye said. "You have to have five people playing at once. If one person takes off, the defense is going to struggle. We had runs where it felt normal and natural."\nThe Hoosiers came out strong on the offensive end as well, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first five minutes. Senior guard Tom Coverdale, apparently taking Davis' comments about the team's lack of leadership to heart, infused the team with energy on both ends of the court. \nHe entered the game four points shy of his 1,000th career point but appeared more concerned with getting teammates involved, dishing out seven assists in the first period alone while scoring only three points.\nSenior guard Kyle Hornsby responded to his 0-9 effort against Ohio State by knocking down 4 three-pointers on four attempts in the first half.\n"I was patient with my shot a little bit more," he said. "I wasn't so quick. The other part is some days it goes in, some days it doesn't. That's just the way it is. And if you're a good shooter, you keep shooting." \nThe Hoosiers did not miss a beat in the second half as they rode an early 9-2 run to extend the lead to 43-24. \nCoverdale found his shooting touch as well and, with 13:25 left in the game, knocked down a three-pointer to push him past the 1,000 point milestone.\nHe hit four more threes in the half to finish with 19 points, ten assists and six rebounds. Hornsby, who had 19 points as well for a career high, said that Davis' comments on the team's lack of heart and leadership was a motivating factor behind the Hoosiers' improvement. \n"You've got to have pride in what you do," he said. "Of course we want to go out and prove him wrong when he says comments like that. More importantly, we've just gotta go play our game."\nDavis said he had tried talking the team out of their funk for the past month, but felt he wasn't getting any results. His new strategy is to work them hard in practice and keep every minute as fervent as possible.\n"I've got to stay on these guys and keep driving them because what we did last year was really special, and we can do the same this year if we come to fight (and) come to play," he said.
(01/15/03 5:13am)
After the No.18 Hoosiers (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten) dropped their third loss in six games against Ohio State Saturday night, the frustration of the team was obvious. \nIU got off to one of its best starts in recent memory this season with an 8-0 record and No. 6 ranking headed into winter break. But since then the offense has sputtered and coach Mike Davis, as well as other members of the team, have questioned the squad's passion.\n"You think about this game (and) you look at the mistakes we made in this game and they're mistakes we've been making all year long," senior guard Kyle Hornsby said after losing to OSU. "I don't know what's different about this game that's going to make us learn from them but hopefully we will and we'll come out and do better in the next few games."\nThe Hoosiers will have a chance to right the ship during a three game home-stand that begins at 7 p.m. tonight against the Northwestern Wildcats (8-5, 0-2), who have steadily improved over the last three seasons under coach Bill Carmody.\nThis season the Wildcats have been led by the strong play of freshman point guard T.J. Parker, who is averaging 12.5 points and 2.8 assists per game.\n"T.J. Parker has been playing real well for us most of the year," Carmody said of his young floor general, who is the younger brother of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker. "We've been really happy with him running the team and the poise he's shown out there."\nParker is joined in the backcourt by junior shooting guard Jitim Young, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.\nAlthough the Hoosiers are 28-0 against Northwestern at Assembly Hall, Davis said they must step up their intensity if they expect to maintain that streak.\n"I think (Northwestern's) getting better week by week and that's what you want to do and we're really struggling right now because we have no leadership," he said. "At the beginning of the season I thought we were one of the best teams in the nation. If you asked me a month and a half ago, I'd have said we had a chance to win two games over them, but now they're improving and getting better all the time."\nThe Wildcats, who until recently were the perennial doormats of the Big Ten, have indeed become a much more competitive team. Their defense is perhaps their best asset as they are holding opponents to a stifling 59.3 points per game and are averaging 6.2 steals per contest.\nAlthough they have opened the Big Ten season with two losses against Iowa and Purdue, they were able to keep up with both teams. \nThe Iowa game came down to the wire before a couple missed three-point attempts by the Wildcats and three key free throws by the Hawkeyes.\nWhile the Wildcats trailed for nearly the entire game against Purdue, they trimmed the lead to 64-60 with less than six minutes to go before the Boilermakers pulled away to win 82-68.\n"I thought we played better against Purdue, actually," Carmody said. "We just weren't able to stop their best guy (senior point guard) Willie Deane. Now we have to go to Indiana where they have a lot of best guys. They have so many weapons offensively; you just don't know where to start."\nDavis, however, does not share Carmody's positive outlook on the Hoosiers. He explained that he may have to make some adjustments heading into tonight's game. The major problems he cited were a lack of rebounding and a reluctance to get the ball inside to forward Jeff Newton and center George Leach. \n"I need to make some personnel changes," he said. "I have guys out there who aren't showing any leadership, that aren't playing hard. Our guys pulled for each other last year, and if you watch, how many times have you seen that this year? There's some stuff going on that I don't like. I'm going to change it -- it will surprise a lot of people"
(01/13/03 5:16am)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- At half-time of the Ohio State-IU game Saturday night the national championship Ohio State football team took center stage while the 19,200 fans in attendance showed their appreciation with a loud standing ovation.\nThose cheers would carry over into the second half of the basketball game as Ohio State (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten) upset the No.15 Hoosiers (11-3, 1-1 Big Ten) with an 81-69 victory.\nOhio State coach Jim O'Brien went with a big starting lineup that included junior forwards Zach Williams and Shun Jenkins and junior center Velimir Radinovich, and all three of which were very effective in the frontcourt.\n"We were playing with three big guys against their three guards," O'Brien said. "We played zone defense, which was risky. We had our three big guys hitting the glass. Shun Jenkins was great. Zach and Vel came up huge on the glass."\nJenkins, whose best offensive effort had been seven points before Saturday's game, scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds against the Hoosiers. Williams finished the game with 13 points and seven boards while Radinovic contributed eight points and six rebounds. Overall, Ohio State out-rebounded IU 41-32.\n"(Jenkins) just overpowered our guys," Davis said. "He was so physical. He'd miss and he'd go back and get it and put it back in. We had no answer for him but that wasn't the problem. I think Darby's 18 points in the first half just put us in a really bad situation. He scored 18 points and the rest of the guys … didn't have a lot of points in the half. It was Darby."\nDarby scored 28 points on seven of 12 overall shooting; knocked down five of seven from the three- point line; hit nine of 10 free throws, and grabbed seven boards. \nIU endured one of its worst shooting nights of the season and struggled to find an answer to Ohio State's aggressive play. They shot an abysmal nine of 34 from the three-point line, good for 26.5 percent, and shot 38.1 percent overall, while the Buckeyes hit an even 50 percent from the field and nailed six of 10 three pointers.\nThe Hoosier's offensive woes sent them into the locker room at halftime down 35-25.\n"It was an off-shooting night," said freshman guard Bracey Wright, who had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Hoosiers. "We talked about that coming back from halftime. Shots were there. They just weren't falling and some nights you're going to have that."\nAfter the Ohio State football team presented the National Championship trophy to University President Karen Holbrook, the second half got underway.\nOhio State went on a 13-5 run in the first five minutes of the second period, pushing the lead to 48-30. Jenkins had eight points over that stretch, while Williams accounted for the other five.\nThe Buckeyes continued to dominate the game until the Hoosiers put together a late run of their own that began when forward Jeff Newton, who had 16 points in the game, hit a three from the top of the key with 3:17 remaining. The shot brought the Hoosiers within 11, at 64-53. \nFollowing a pair of free throws by Williams, point guard Tom Coverdale, who had 18 points and six assists on the night, brought the ball down the court and promptly sunk another three to bring the Hoosiers within 10.\nWilliams then split another pair of free throws before Coverdale swished another three to make the score 67-59 with 2:46 remaining in the game. \nBut it was as close as the Hoosiers could get. \nJenkins hit a layup on the following possession to put the Buckeyes back up by 10 and they closed the game out by hitting 12 of 14 free throws in the final two minutes.\nNo Hoosier sharp-shooter suffered more mightily on Saturday than Kyle Hornsby, who was 0-8 from the three-point line and 0-9 overall. But he said IU just needs to play more aggressively.\n"It's just rebounding, block your man out," Hornsby said. "They're big and they're going to push you. It just happens, it's Big Ten basketball. We've got to be able to hold our ground against guys like that and we didn't tonight."\nAlthough the Buckeyes were without the services of two injured starters, their production did not suffer. Sophomore point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham was out with a swollen left knee and sophomore forward Terrence Dials did not play due to a stress fracture in his back.
(01/10/03 7:12pm)
The No. 15 Hoosiers (11-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will face their first Big Ten road test Saturday night when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten). \nIU's only two losses have been on the road this season. The first came against Kentucky at Freedom Hall in Louisville, which was followed by a 71-64 loss at Temple in the next game. Although Kentucky fans are known for being rabid, and the Temple fans got behind their underdog team to provide momentum, senior point guard Tom Coverdale said a Big Ten road game is different. And it is something he looks forward to.\n"I love playing (in a hostile environment)," he said. "I hope the freshman love it too. They're really going to be thrown into the fire. They've got to be ready to go. I think (Ohio State) is one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten. If we get that win, we'll be ahead at the beginning part of winning the Big Ten."\nCoverdale, who played with his trademark intensity Wednesday against Penn State, is averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. Freshman shooting guard Bracey Wright, who has also been a centerpiece for the Hoosiers, will be relied on heavily during conference play as well. Wright was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the second time this season after scoring 31 points against Ball State to match his season high. \nIf the past provides any indication, Saturday's game will be a battle down to the wire. Nine of the last 12 IU-OSU games have been decided by six points or less.\nAlthough the Buckeyes lost four games in their pre-conference season, they weren't exactly playing against cupcake teams. They lost 54-48 to No. 4 Alabama, 91-76 to No. 1 Duke, 69-49 to No. 6 Pittsburgh and 72-64 in overtime to No. 19 Louisville. \nLast night they began their Big Ten schedule at one of the toughest road arenas in the country, No. 25 Michigan State's Breslin Center. The Buckeyes lost that game 66-55.\n"We're anxious to get into the conference part of our schedule, even though our first couple of games are against two of the better teams in the country," Ohio State coach Jim O'Brien said in a Jan. 6 teleconference.\nThe Buckeyes have been led this season by senior point guard Brent Darby, who is averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Sean Connolly has also been a strong presence in the backcourt with averages of 15.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.\nJunior forward Zach Williams has led Ohio State's frontcourt attack this season, scoring 11.3 points and pulling down 6.3 boards per game. \nBefore the game gets underway on Saturday night, the fans will honor the National Champion football team. Indiana Coach Mike Davis said he hopes the crowd doesn't get too fired up.\n"They're National Champs in football and what a great opportunity to give them the trophy before our game…hopefully the students won't be back," he said. "It's going to be a tough game. What we have to do is go in and keep our composure no matter what the score is"
(12/16/02 5:02pm)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome generally doesn't host a college basketball game until the NCAA or Big Ten tournament. But when IU and Purdue faced off in a pre-conference showdown Saturday night, many of the characteristics of a high-stakes conference or March Madness game were present.\nThe "Duel in the Dome" did not run short on aggressive play, and it was not missing an emotional crowd. \nFans clad in cream and crimson in some sections and gold and black in others erupted in loud cheers as IU and Purdue took the court for the opening tip.\n"Tonight was a perfect atmosphere, and we expected a fight," junior guard A.J. Moye said. "We tried to prepare for this mentally, and I think we did a good job of it. I wasn't at all surprised with Purdue's intensity. This is one of the better Purdue teams I have seen. They are tough, quick and are loaded with good ballplayers."\nThe Boilermakers scrappy defensive effort provided them with a two point lead at 29-27 heading into the locker room at half time. \nAs the game came down to the wire in the second half and the teams began exchanging the lead, the intensity of both teams was elevated.\nWith just under fifteen minutes to go in the game, junior center George Leach tied the game up at 33 all when he hit a jump hook in post. Purdue forward junior Chris Booker was fouled by Leach on the next possession, however, and put the Boilers back up by two. \nAs senior point guard Tom Coverdale brought the ball back up for the Hoosiers, Purdue senior guard Willie Deane stole the ball and was fouled hard by Coverdale on the ensuing fast break. \nThe referee called it a flagrant foul, which sent Hoosier fans into loud protest and Boiler fans into raucous cheers. \nBoth teams maintained the physical play for the remainder of the game.\n"Every time you play Purdue it's gonna be physical, and we knew that coming in," Coverdale said. "I just thought we did a good job of not backing down to the way they were playing. We knew it was gonna be that way coming in, and we were just glad we got the win."\nIU senior forward Jeff Newton, who had no points and two rebounds in the first half, came out in the second half attacking the basket. He drove the ball from the top of the key, posted up inside and drew six fouls from the Boilermakers. He ended the game with sixteen points and twelve rebounds for his fifth straight double-double, which helped the Hoosiers secure the 66-63 victory.\nNewton credited Purdue's defense with his slow start.\n"I think this was the best defense we have seen all year," he said. "This was Big Ten basketball. We knew going in it was going to be our toughest game yet. You get in this atmosphere and anything can happen. In the second half, we just tried to take it to the hole on them and break down their defense."\nIU coach Mike Davis said Newton's game was at its best when he was playing near the basket, rather than settling for outside shots.\n"Jeff is giving us some of the things that (Jared) Jeffries did last year," he said. "He's averaging a double-double, which Jeffries never did. He's really good at taking the ball to the basket…I told him to forget about the pull-jumper." \nLeach also provided strong inside play against the Boilers. He scored 11 points, grabbed 14 boards and blocked 4 shots in only 24 minutes of play.\nHe said the refs allowed both teams to maintain aggressive play. \n"It was a very intense game, and the refs actually let us play tonight too, so that was fun," he said. "(The refs) called a good game; it wasn't just one-sided calls. It was a good, physical game"
(12/13/02 5:26am)
An IU-Purdue basketball game has always meant a battle for bragging rights.\nThe level of play has always been intense and, on occasion, a player or two has lost his cool. Whether the game is at Assembly Hall or Mackey Arena, the fans are always rabid and the stadium is always packed.\nBut things will be a little different Saturday night when the No. 7 Hoosiers (7-0) face the Boilermakers (4-1) at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. \nFor the first time in the match-up's 102 year history, the teams will meet in a non-conference regular season game on a neutral court.\nThe "Duel in the Dome" was scheduled this year because both the men's and women's teams will only meet once during conference play, which is something Purdue Coach Gene Keady said he would like to see changed after this season.\n"Rivalries like Purdue-Indiana, in my opinion, should be protected by the Big Ten," he said in a teleconference Monday. "There is no reason that games like this should not be played home-and-home each season. There has to be some way that a matchup like that can not be removed from the revolving schedule."\nThe Hoosiers are off to their best start in 13 years, but senior guard Kyle Hornsby said protecting their perfect record will not necessarily provide extra motivation tomorrow. That's not really needed.\n"You just don't want to lose to Purdue," he said. "Just like they don't want to lose to Indiana, we don't want to lose to them. That's the way the state built it up way before my time, and we're gonna try to keep it that way. We're gonna try to keep Indiana on top in the series."\nAfter struggling against Maryland and the University of Illinois-Chicago, Hornsby found his shot against Vanderbilt, connecting on four of his eight three-point attempts. He will join freshman Bracey Wright and Big Ten Player of the Week Tom Coverdale in the starting backcourt Saturday. \nWright, who is the Hoosiers leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, will look to follow up Monday's career performance in which he scored 31 against Vandy. He said he has heard a lot about the IU-Purdue tradition but is looking forward to experiencing it firsthand.\n"They say it's bigger than (the) Kentucky (game)," he said. "The Purdue-IU rivalry goes back a long time, and it'll be a good feeling for me to play in that game to see how the fans are."\nPurdue hosted the Boilermaker Invitational last weekend, in which they defeated Middle Tennessee 85-56 in the first round before blowing out San Diego 95-65 in the championship game. The team boasts a balanced attack in which four of the starting five are averaging double figures.\nThe Boilers struggled last season, going 5-11 in the Big Ten and 13-18 overall. But IU coach Mike Davis, who is 3-0 against Purdue, said he has been impressed with them this season. He cited a tight game against the University of Louisville that they won 86-84.\n"They're playing well," he said. "They beat Louisville. I watched them play, and coach Keady's team is definitely back. They're playing hard. It's gonna be a tough, physical game."\nThe Boilermakers are led by senior point guard Willie Deane, who is averaging 15.8 points per game and has scored twenty or more points in two of his last three games. Deane is joined in the backcourt by senior Darmetreis Kilgore (11.3 ppg) and junior Kenneth Lowe (13.2 ppg). \nPurdue's solid guard play beyond the arc has resulted in a 43.6 three point field-goal percentage, the best in the Big Ten. \nBut the Boiler's backcourt will be facing a Hoosier squad tomorrow that leads the Big Ten in three-pointers made and has held opponents to a dismal 21.6 three-point field goal percentage on the season. \nCoverdale said past statistics don't matter when it comes to the in-state battle, however.\n"Whenever it's Purdue-Indiana anything that's happened in the past, or even this season, can be thrown out," he said. "It's gonna be a war, just like every other time I've played them"
(12/10/02 5:29am)
Two hours before No. 7 IU faced Vanderbilt Monday night, freshman guard Bracey Wright went onto the Assembly Hall court by himself for an early shoot-around. He shot some threes, practiced his free throws and went into pre-game warm-ups with some extra confidence.\n"In warm-ups, I felt it," he said. "I wasn't missing any shots … it just carried over."\nIn a big way.\nWright scored IU's first 8 points, had 20 in the first half, and finished with a career-high 31 in IU's 73-56 win against the Commodores, who were never really close. Wright's performance marked the highest scoring effort by a freshman since A.J. Guyton netted 31 against Purdue in 1997.\nThe Hoosiers are now 7-0, their best start since the 1989-90 season when the team opened with 10 straight wins.\nIU went into the locker room at halftime up by 14, and as the second half got underway, Wright showed just how confident he was. \nAfter senior point guard Tom Coverdale blocked a shot attempt by Vandy guard Russel Lakey, he pushed the ball up the court and passed it to Wright, who was well behind the three-point line at the top of the key. He pulled up and sank the 25-footer to put the Hoosiers up 46-31.\nVanderbilt attempted to fight its way back into the game behind the strong play of junior forward Matt Freije, who scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half.\nThe Commodores were within 11 with under 12 minutes left, but could get no closer. Senior forward Kyle Hornsby's drained one of his four 3-pointers to cap a 14-5 run and boost IU's lead to 20 late in the game.\n"I thought we played hard on defense, but we couldn't score well enough," Vandy coach Kevin Stallings said. "We didn't have enough offense to get the game where we needed it to be."\nVandy's struggles on the offensive end were due, in part, to a pair of solid outings by IU's front court tandem of junior center George Leach and senior forward Jeff Newton.\nNewton recorded his fourth straight double-double, scoring 10 points, pulling down 14 boards, and notching three blocks while Leach grabbed 14 boards and swatted six shots, tying his season high.\n"With George and Jeff, I think we have the two best shot blockers in our conference by far," said Coverdale, who was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week Monday. "Whenever you have (those) type of presences, it is hard for (teams) to score inside."\nThe fact that Wright began the game with such a hot shooting hand did not help Vandy's cause either. \nIn the first half it was all Bracey Wright. \nHe took over the game at the opening tip, scoring the Hoosiers first eight points. He knocked down a quick three, scored a baseline lay-up on an assist from Leach, and then hit another three from the wing. \nThe quick start boosted the Hoosiers to a 23-8 lead, to which Wright contributed 16 points.\nStallings attempted damage control, subbing in four players at the 9:53 mark in order to keep fresh legs in the game. He also began to double-team Wright. \nBut the extra attention given to the freshman shooting guard only gave wide open looks to freshman point guard Marshall Strickland and Hornsby, who both hit threes of their own.\n"(Wright) is very fluid and takes things at his own speed," Hornsby said. "It helps that he is athletically gifted. His own speed is a notch higher than everyone else's. That is a big reason for the way he is, and the fact that he can shoot the lights out."\nIU coach Mike Davis said Vandy was well prepared for the Hoosiers. He cited the outside shooting ability of their big men and their tough defense as the Commodores greatest assets.\n"Any time you're ranked in the top ten in the country, teams are gonna come out strong, Vandy did tonight," Davis said. "If they play the way they played tonight against everybody else, it will be tough to beat that team. They played well. Bracey just made some shots"
(12/09/02 3:25am)
After the No. 10 Hoosiers (6-0) defeated the University of Illinois-Chicago Saturday night, freshman guard Bracey Wright was asked how IU had prepared for tonight's contest against the Vanderbilt Commodores (5-1).\n"Really we haven't had a chance to (prepare)," he said. "We spent a lot of time preparing for (the UIC) game and whenever you play games back to back like that you don't have much time. You just have to deal with what you've got."\nThe Hoosiers have been going at a marathon pace since their season began two weeks ago, and when they face the Commodores tonight at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall, it will mark their seventh game in fourteen days.\nBut senior point guard Tom Coverdale said he isn't worried about the team wearing down.\n"I don't think fatigue is an issue," he said. "We've just gotta come to play every night. We played off two days rest before, from Sunday (Dec. 1 against North Texas) to Tuesday (Dec. 3 against No.9 Maryland), and we weren't that fatigued on Tuesday against Maryland. I think it's more of a mental thing. You've got to bounce back mentally after playing a game, especially being 6-0."\nVanderbilt will be playing on only two days of rest as well. The Commodores dismantled Tulane Saturday night 66-46 and were led by sophomore forward Brian Thornton, who scored a career high 20 points and pulled down six rebounds. \nThe 6-foot-8-inch, 255 pound Thornton has blossomed into a dangerous post threat for Vandy this season, averaging 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game. He will compliment junior forward Matt Freije down low, who is the Commodore's leading scorer at 17.3 points per game.\nAlthough the Hoosiers have proven to be a guard-oriented team, with Wright and Coverdale leading the way at 17.2 points per game apiece, senior forward Jeff Newton has also stepped up. He and junior center George Leach will be counted on to neutralize Vandy's tough frontcourt tonight.\nNewton had a career game against UIC, scoring 25 points and pulling down 12 boards. He has tallied a double-double in each of his last three games and is now averaging 15.7 points and 10.2 rebounds on the season.\n"We need Newton to have an inside presence for us," Davis said. "I think he's getting better game by game."\nBecause the Hoosiers are off to their best start since the 1999-2000 season, and are currently ranked as one of the best teams in the country, they now have a target on their collective backs, Davis said.\n"What our guys have to understand is that what we're doing right now is pretty special, and you're causing teams to come in and want to beat you," he said. "They're not going to come in and say 'well it's Indiana, they're not very good.' They come in saying 'well it's the national runner-up, they're in the top 10 in the country, let's win the game.' And we have to be ready for that fight."\nVanderbilt has already given one top-fifteen team a scare. On Dec. 1 they hosted No.11 Connecticut and, in a closely contested game, lost 76-70. \nCoverdale said the Hoosiers are well aware of the threat the Commodores will bring into the gym tonight and explained that, despite a lack of rest, they will be ready.\n"I don't think it's going to be a problem playing against a Vanderbilt team who came within six points of beating UConn," he said. "They're a very tough team. It's gonna be a very tough game (tonight), and I think everybody knows that"
(12/06/02 5:10am)
It was almost midnight.\nThe No. 10 Hoosiers had just defeated No. 9 Maryland 80-74 in an overtime classic that showcased a flurry of lead changes, clutch free throws and huge threes. \nThe quiet in IU's locker room was a sharp contrast to the raucous cheers that had filled Conseco Fieldhouse only minutes ago. The excitement had subsided a bit, and the fatigue of the marathon game had set in.\nIn a corner of the locker room point guard Tom Coverdale sat slouched in a chair with blood-shot eyes, talking to a cluster of reporters.\nHis stat line suggested why he looked so exhausted -- 30 points on 8-16 shooting, 5-10 from three-point range, 9-10 from the free-throw line, five assists, four steals and only one turnover. And he played in all but two minutes of the game.\n"I was getting tired (at the end of the game)," he said. "They asked me a couple times if I wanted to come out, but there was no way I was coming out in this game. I've got until Saturday to rest."\nThe Hoosiers struggled to stay alive in the first half when the Terps exploded with an 18-4 run that lasted until 4:16 remained. \nBut Coverdale then took over, making big play after big play to lead IU on a 14-4 run. He sunk a three on the wing, then stole the ball and got it to freshman guard Bracey Wright who was fouled as he scored on a layup. Wright returned the favor, assisting Coverdale on an acrobatic layup that closed out the half with the Hoosiers down by only four.\n"He's a big time leader," said Wright, who was Coverdale's backcourt mate for almost the entire game. "He knows when to step up; he knows when to make a play. He's the one that keeps consistency on the team. The first half we weren't shooting the ball that well (22.9 percent from the field), and we wanted to stick with him. He's the man on the team."\nIn the second half and during OT, Coverdale willed the Hoosiers to victory, scoring 18 of his 30 points.\nThe Hoosiers called a 30-second timeout down by four with 36.1 seconds remaining in the game, and as play resumed, freshman Sean Kline found Coverdale at the top of the key. He knocked down a quick three that swished through the net and brought down the house.\n"He told me at the end of the game, 'Coach, I want the ball,'" Davis said. "It was funny because I called a play that wasn't his play, and he looked at me like I was crazy. The big three he hit when we were down four (68-64), it was a backbreaker." \nAfter Kline sunk a free-throw to tie the game, and Maryland point guard Steve Blake's half court heave was waived off, Coverdale continued his big play in OT. And fittingly, with 7.4 seconds remaining, he stepped to the foul line and knocked down two shots that put the game away, 80-74.\nAs he walked down to IU's basket to score the final points of the game, he pumped his fists and yelled. He clapped his hands and slapped fives with fans in the front row. He waived his arms in the air to raise the volume of the roaring crowd.\nAnd that's just the way he plays, with emotion and fire.\n"He always comes up huge," Kline said. "The things he does, he's my player of the year, and he's the heart and soul of this team. He just carries us. We feed off him, off his energy and the things that he does defensively and offensively."\nCoverdale, with his bright red hair and stalky build, may not look like much more than a gym rat at the local Y. His teammates have said he sometimes comments that he looks more like a professional bowler than a ball player. But get him on the court in a big-time atmosphere in a big-time game, and that perception quickly changes.\nDavis explained that it's not necessarily athletic ability or pure skill that makes Coverdale the team leader -- it's something intangible that makes him a diamond in the rough. And although Davis has been hailed as one of the best recruiting coaches in the country, he's not sure how to find another player like him in the high school ranks.\n"I want (IU recruits) to be top 25 and top 50 players, but how do you recruit a Tom Coverdale?" he asked. "What do I look for when I go out to recruit a guy like Tom Coverdale? Because if I had to recruit him today, would I recruit him, seeing him in a high school jersey? And just look at the way (he plays). Thirty points. Thirty. You can't measure his heart"
(12/04/02 7:08am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The rematch began sloppy.\nIt ended with an NCAA tournament feel.\nIU exacted revenge Tuesday night beating Maryland 80-74 in an overtime thriller that was a rematch to last year's NCAA championship. \n"It was a match up between two teams who are really good and wanted to win," said freshman guard Bracey Wright, who finished the game with 19 points. "It was a dogfight the whole way."\nIU called a 30-second timeout with 36.1 seconds remaining in the game after scratching back from a double-digit first half deficit. On the inbound, Kline got the ball to senior Tom Coverdale who hit a huge three at the top of the key that brought the Hoosiers within one, 68-67.\n"I think he's the most underrated player in the country…you can never count Coverdale out," IU Coach Mike Davis said of his senior point guard, who lead all scorers with 30 points last night. "No matter who he faces, no matter how he ranks as a guard, nine times out of 10, he always wins the battle." \nAs Maryland attempted to bring the ball back up the court, senior forward Jeff Newton tapped it loose and dove to the floor with senior point guard Steve Blake in a battle for possession. A jump ball was called, granting IU possession.\nOn the Hoosiers' next play however, another jump ball was called and the Terps regained possession. \nBlake, who finished the game with 24 points, brought the ball up and attempted to dish it to senior guard Drew Nicholas on the wing. IU freshman Marshall Strickland intercepted the pass, however and got the ball to Kline who was again fouled on a layup with the Terps still up one and 7.1 seconds remaining on the clock. \nThe Hoosier fans again made their presence felt as Kline stepped to the line. They quieted down as he prepared to shoot and, when the ball went though, tying the game at 68, they resumed their deafening cheers. Kline missed his second shot, which gave Maryland one last chance.\nBlake threw up a 50-foot prayer that swished through the net as the buzzer was sounding. The referees went to the replay to determine whether or not the miracle shot would count. \nFor a tense couple of minutes they deliberated on the matter and finally called both coaches to mid-court, informing them the shot would not count. \nThe two teams prepared for another five minutes of play.\nThe Terps were the first to score in overtime, as Nicholas was fouled by Strickland on a drive into the lane. He made both free throws to put the team ahead 70-68.\nOn the Hoosiers next two possessions they again looked to the charity stripe for scoring. Coverdale and Kline both went one for two on their trips to the line, making the score 72-70 in favor of Maryland.\nWith 2:35 remaining in OT, Kline was again fouled and again split his free throws. Newton rebounded the miss on his second attempt however. He was blocked on his first try, but regained possession of ball and laid it in to put the Hoosiers up 73-72.\nAfter the two teams traded layups, Strickland knocked down a baseline jumper that put IU ahead by 3. \nWith 17.2 seconds left, Kline split another pair of free throws to extend the lead to 78-74. Blake made a final attempt from long range that rattled in and out. Wright grabbed the rebound and dished it to Coverdale who was immediately fouled with 7.4 seconds left in the game. \nAs he walked back to the Hoosier's end of the court with the game all but won, he slapped the hands of fans in the front row. He then calmly stepped to the free throw line and sunk both shots, putting the game away at 80-74 and exacting revenge on the team that beat them for the National Championship.\n"I've been thinking about this (game) all summer." Coverdale, who finished the game with a game-high 30 points, said. "That's what me and Coach Treloar talked about before the game, we've been waiting for this all summer. We wanted to be undefeated coming into this game and then get some revenge back and we did and we're happy about it"
(12/03/02 5:08am)
No. 9 Maryland (3-0) is not the same team that beat the Hoosiers in the National Championship game last year, there's no arguing that. But as IU travels to Conseco Field House in Indianapolis tonight, senior forward Jeff Newton said vengeance will still be on their minds.\n"It's gonna be very serious. Everybody's gonna be intense for it," he said. "We've gotta have it. It's kind of revenge. They stole something from us last year and we want to try to get part of that back."\nSince the No. 10 Hoosiers (4-0) fell to them in the national title game 64-52 last April, the Terrapins have lost four of their starters. \nAll-American shooting guard Juan Dixon is playing with Jared Jeffries on the Washington Wizards; center Lonny Baxter is a Chicago Bull; forward Chris Wilcox made the early jump to the NBA and was a lottery pick for the L.A. Clippers, and Byron Mouton, last year's other starting forward, was lost to graduation.\nThat's a ton of talent to lose in one year, but IU coach Mike Davis noted that the Terps have reloaded, retaining their status as one of the elite programs in the country.\n"(Maryland coach) Gary Williams is one of the best coaches out there and it's kind of like Miami football, it doesn't matter who he loses, they're gonna come right back and be the same team as last year," he said.\nSenior point guard Steve Blake, who has averaged 7.3 points and 8.6 assists through Maryland's first three games, is the Terps sole returning starter. But the team does not lack in experience, as Williams has started five seniors in every game.\n6-9 senior forward Ryan Randle has stepped into the starting lineup and improved his numbers to 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and senior shooting guard Drew Nicholas has taken over Dixon's role as the team's go-to guy. He is averaging 21 points per game this season.\nAside from the upper-classmen, three freshman have also made significant contributions. \nFirst-year forwards Travis Garrison and Nik Caner-Medley are both averaging seven points per game and have pulled down 5.3 and 4.7 boards per contest respectively. Freshman guard John Gilchrist is averaging 7 points per game as well. \nJunior guard A.J. Moye explained that the combination of fresh faces and improved seniors makes the Terps a very different squad this year.\n"It's good that it's Maryland but I've got to reiterate that it's two different teams," Moye said. \nThe Hoosiers will be bringing some new talent into Conseco as well tonight.\nFreshman shooting guard Bracey Wright, who is leading the team with 17 points per game, was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after his MVP performance in Maui. Wright is the first IU freshman to receive the award since Luke Recker did so in 1998.\nFreshman point guard Marshall Strickland has also come on strong for IU recently. \nHe said Maryland was among his top choices last year and, as a native of the state, admitted the game would have a little extra meaning for him as well.\n"It's a big game in all aspects," he said. "It would be a great win for us (or) for Maryland because we're both underrated teams."\nThe underrated tag may not apply to IU for much longer, as they jumped nine spots in the AP poll to earn a No. 10 ranking. In the ESPN/USA Today poll, they also jumped nine spots, from No. 20 to No. 11.\nDavis said he was happy his team gained some respect but explained that, as quickly as the high ranking was granted, it can be taken away. \n"This is a great reward for our program after winning four games this past week," he said. "However, we still have a long way to go, and the only way to stay up in the polls is to keep winning. We take a lot of pride in a tough non-conference schedule, and we have our work cut out for us, starting tomorrow night against Maryland"
(11/18/02 4:25am)
Before Mike Davis begins a post-game press conference, he always speaks a trademark phrase into the microphone.\n"I thank God for this opportunity," is what he usually says.\nBut Saturday night, after IU beat Team Nike 74-49 in their last exhibition game, Davis stepped to the podium in Assembly Hall and began the press conference a bit differently.\n"Well I thank God that game is over," he said. "What can I say? (It was an) exhibition game."\nDespite the 25-point rout, Davis said the Hoosiers looked sluggish on offense and gave up too many rebounds (18) on defense. \nIU got off to a good start, however, holding Team Nike to single-digits in scoring until forward Brian Watkins hit a three to make the score 31-11 with 5:36 left in the first half. \nThe hot shooting the Hoosiers displayed in their first exhibition game against Athletes in Action carried over into Saturday's game as well. They shot 56 percent from the field and made eight of their 15 three-point attempts in the first period and went into the locker room at halftime with a 44-15 advantage.\nDavis attributed the large halftime lead to Team Nike's cold shooting more than he did to the Hoosiers' defense. \n"I think it was more of Team Nike missing shots than us playing really good defense," he said. "I thought we played OK on defense. They shot 20 percent in the first half, but it was more of them missing shots than us playing tough defense."\nTeam Nike came into the second half with a better shooting touch, outscoring IU 34-31. \n"This is the first game that Team Nike has won a half, the second half, and that tells you a lot about our state of mind and how we played," he said. "But it's OK. I'm not upset with the guys because we have a very good basketball team, and for me to get upset about Team Nike is a waste of energy."\nSenior guard Kyle Hornsby, who had 12 points and three assists, said he thought the Hoosiers began the game strong, but relaxed when they built a large lead. \n"I think the first half was better; the second half was not," he said. "The second half I thought our intensity dropped off. And we've got to play a full forty minutes, and we've gotta play basketball and not worry about how much we're up by."\nDavis said a major reason for IU's second half slump was the absence of point guard Tom Coverdale, who played ten minutes in the first half but was only on the floor for three minutes in the second due to a bad back. He finished the game with four assists and only two points.\n"Coverdale's the key to our basketball team," he said. "And Tom hadn't practiced in about three days because of his back. And without Tom Coverdale being out there leading the team, it's tough for us to be a very good basketball team."\nFreshman guard Bracey Wright had another solid outing, finishing the game with 16 points to lead all scorers. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished out four assists. \nWhen asked about Wright's performance, junior guard A.J. Moye, who had 12 points and four rebounds, was uncharacteristically speechless.\n"He's comfortable," he said with a smile. "Ya'll see it, I mean, it speaks for itself. That's the only time I'm probably quiet, when talking about him. He's good. I can't do it so I can't talk about it. I don't know what he's doing. I wish I could do it."\nMoye said he thought the Hoosiers were further along at this point in the season than last year's team was, but added that their defense and intensity need to improve. \n"We missed a lot of block outs, and I think we really digressed in the second half. They outscored us," he said. "So if it's an eight-point game we end up losing maybe. But that comes. It's a feeling of complacency and satisfaction when you get a big lead like that. But we're pretty satisfied with the performance."\nTeam Nike played four Big Ten teams before matching up with IU, and Wright said the Hoosiers wanted to prove they were among the best in the Big Ten by beating the exhibition team by a larger margin than their conference foes had.\n"We came out really excited; we came out wanting to prove a point," he said. "We came out wanting to play hard and hold them to under what anybody else has held them to. They played Michigan State within one (56-55) and Ohio State within 10 or 15 (73-59) so we wanted to come out and make a statement."\nTeam Nike also played Penn State, losing 79-76 and lost to Michigan 81-77.\nWith their exhibition games now behind them, the Hoosiers will begin preparing for their trip to the Maui Invitational this week, where they meet the University of Massachusetts Nov. 25 for their first regular season match-up.\n"I think we're really comfortable," Wright said. "We're all starting to figure each other out. We're staring to gel with each other and things are gonna be alright come Maui"
(11/12/02 9:50pm)
To prepare for Friday night's exhibition game against Athletes in Action, the Hoosiers said they emphasized transition defense in practice.\n"We worked a lot on it," freshman guard Bracey Wright said. "We knew coming in that they shot a lot of threes and they really got on the fast break. So that was one of the key points, to get back on defense and run the floor on offense. So we did a lot of that the week before the game and it paid off."\nIU was able to successfully stop AIA's offensive attack in a 97-56 victory and, while they may have been worried about the exhibition team's 3-point shooting, it was IU that put on a show from behind the arc.\nThey connected on 18 of 35 threes for the game and recorded a better shooting percentage from long range (51.4 percent) than they did for their overall field goal percentage (49.3 percent).\nAIA left the Hoosier sharpshooters with wide-open looks on many of their 3-point attempts and had trouble hitting shots of their own in both transition and set plays. \nCoach Mike Davis attributed the visiting team's lack of offensive and defensive intensity to their extensive traveling and noted that the game in Bloomington was AIA's third in three days.\n"(AIA) really sagged off of us a lot," he said. "We got some good looks. Out of the 35 threes we may have forced five or six. When you have (senior guard Kyle) Hornsby shooting 6 for 7(from 3-point range) that's good, that's great. But I thought AIA was tired and … if you're open and you can shoot them, take them."\nHornsby recorded 20 points in the game, 18 of which came from beyond the 3-point arc. He led all scorers and was one of four IU players to score in double figures. Senior point guard Tom Coverdale, Wright, and senior forward Jeff Newton each had 15 points. \nHornsby said although the Hoosiers won convincingly, there were things the team needed to work on.\n"We've still got a long way to go," he said. "There are a lot of things that we need to improve on still … The everyday fan could see that we had mental lapses and we need to get all those out."\nThe Hoosiers got off to a hot start on both ends of the court to begin the first half, however. \nWright initiated the offense when he hit a three to put IU on the board. On the next possession Hornsby sunk his first 3-pointer of the game off an assist from Wright. \nAIA's Ryan Sears then turned the ball over and Wright skied through the lane on the ensuing fast break for a put-back dunk off a missed lay-up by junior center George Leach. \nOn the Hoosier's next possession, Newton stepped out and knocked down his only three of the game. Coverdale then got into the act, sinking the first of his five threes on the night.\nWhen all was said and done, IU had bolted out to 19-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game and went into the locker room at halftime with a 47-25 advantage.\nThe second half was more of the same as the Hoosiers sunk nine more threes and never gave AIA a chance to catch up.\nSophomore guard Ryan Tapak was substituted in for Wright with five minutes left in the game. \nAs Wright walked off the court, he received a standing ovation from the ten thousand IU fans in attendance for his 15 point, 7 rebound effort. \nDavis said Wright and fellow freshman guard Marshall Strickland will provide a talented duo in the backcourt for years to come.\n"I said this last year when we signed him, that I thought (Wright) was the best guard in the country at the two position," Davis said. "He's gonna be really good. When you put Bracey and Marshall in the backcourt for the next three years here at Indiana, it's going to be something really special. \nBut it's really good (for them) to be able to play with Hornsby and Coverdale. Those two guys are really good basketball players. They played in the ultimate game in college basketball and that's for a championship."\nDavis also announced Friday that he will redshirt freshman guard Roderick Wilmont.\n"I think Rod is going to be a very good player," he said. "From a talent standpoint he's pretty good. But he's a little behind as far as the fundamentals go in the game. I wish I could have redshirted (AJ) Moye, he was the same way."\nNow Davis will have six guards vying for playing time instead of seven and his talented backcourt came through Friday, shooting and distributing the ball well.\nCoverdale, who had eight assists to go with his 15 points, said the team was far from polished, but was well on its way.\n"It's a good start," he said. "We played the way we wanted to play, we executed well. Obviously we've got a lot to work on though. We could have played better defense on certain possessions and could have gotten better shots on certain offensive possessions. So we've got a lot to work on, but I think everyone does at this point in the year"
(11/08/02 5:19am)
Last year's exhibition game against IU didn't go so well for Athletes in Action. \nThe Hoosiers jumped out to a 19-0 lead to start the game, and didn't look back, posting a 105-59 shellacking over AIA. \nBut it's tough to blame the exhibition team, considering their November schedule sent them to college campuses all over the country to play back-to-back games, rarely giving them a day off.\nThis year's schedule is more of the same for AIA. Between Nov.3 and Nov.19 they travel to eight states and play in 12 games, 10 of which are paired up back-to-back. \nCase in point: after playing at the University of Alabama last night, they boarded a plane and flew to Bloomington where tonight they meet the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall for their fifth game in sixth days in four states. If they can't get a win, at least they can take a nice vacation with all their frequent flyer miles.\nCoach Mike Davis said preseason exhibition games offer a chance to gauge the team's progress.\n"You hope to get a good test," he said. "That is what this game is for. The thing with teams like AIA is that they play so many games back-to-back that it can really wear on their conditioning after awhile."\nAll of the players on AIA have Division I experience and all but one has played some pro basketball either overseas, in the American Basketball Association or the Continental Basketball Association. One player on their roster, 6 foot-11 inch center Casey Shaw, has seen action in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.\n"They're all good ball players," junior guard AJ Moye said. "They're grown men, they're 25-35 year-old range and they know the game so it's a good test."\nFreshman guard Bracey Wright said Davis has had the Hoosiers working on transition defense to prepare them for tonight's match-up with AIA.\n"They shoot like 30 threes a game," he said. "(Davis) said coming into (Wednesday's) practice that they'll shoot a lot of threes, so we've really got to get back on defense."\nThe Hoosiers have been working on their offensive plays and defensive tactics in scrimmages, but tonight will mark the first time they have an opportunity to test their strategies against a real opponent.\nMoye said they will try to touch on as many aspects of their game as possible.\n"You want to see where you stand offensively and defensively," he said. "The key for us in any game is our defense. We can bring our offense along, like last year our defense was the reason we were in most of the games and towards the end of the year our offense began to click. But it all starts with defense."\nThe Hoosiers have also been working on incorporating the freshmen into their game plan and, after a month of practice, Wright said the team is beginning to gel.\n"With the freshmen coming in, especially since the freshmen are going to play more, everybody's just trying to figure each other out-where everybody likes to be on the floor and where everybody's comfortable," he said.\nThe team will have one more exhibition next Saturday against Nike Elite before their regular season begins at the Maui Invitational Nov.25-27.\nDavis said he is more concerned with consistency in areas such as transition defense and floor spacing than with winning the exhibition games.\n"It's important that we get those fundamentals down early, because the Hawaii games will be a real test," he said.
(11/05/02 3:39pm)
An hour before Midnight Madness got under way on Oct. 11, as 12,000 IU fans poured into Assembly Hall, freshman shooting guard Roderick Wilmont waited in the wings to make his first appearance in front of a Hoosier crowd. \nHe said he wasn't sure what to make of playing in front of that many people.\n"The most people I've ever played in front of was about 1,000 in the (Florida high school) regional final last year," he said that night.\nThe early morning exhibition gave him a taste of what to expect from IU fans, and the fans caught a first glimpse of one of the most highly touted freshmen classes in the nation. \nThe group is headed by shooting guard Bracey Wright and point guard Marshall Strickland, who were ranked among the Top 20 freshmen in the country by publications such as Athlon Sports and ESPN.com.\nWright shot 56 percent from the floor as a high school senior, and averaged 26 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals per contest. The stat line earned him a spot in the McDonalds All-American game, in which he lead the West team with 16 points and 11 rebounds.\nBefore regular practice began in mid-October the team spent five weeks in individual workouts, focusing on strength and conditioning.\n"I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been in," Wright said. "I'm a lot stronger and quicker than when I came out of high school. I guess you could say I'm more comfortable playing at (the college) level now."\nStrickland has had more time than any of the IU freshmen to work out on his own. \nLast season the Maryland state court ruled that he had used up his high school eligibility in the 2000-01 season, thus he was not able to play with his South Carrol High School squad his senior year. \nBut the numbers he put up during the 2000-01 campaign were good enough to rank him among the nation's best freshmen point guards, despite the one-year hiatus. That season he averaged 30.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.\nStrickland said this season he hopes to combine pure point guard fundamentals with his scoring ability.\n"I want to be a leader on the floor, kind of a floor general," he said. "I want to get people shots, find the open man, and also play my own game and get shots."\nWilmont, who also had a penchant for high scoring during his prep career, rounds out the crop of freshmen guards. He averaged 31.9 points per game at Miramar High School in Florida, but said he could have scored even more had he utilized the type of workout routine he now has at IU.\n"I told my high school coaches if I had been in this kind of shape last year, I probably could have scored 60 (points) a game," he said.\nDavis said he expects Wright, Strickland and Wilmont to be understudies to the veteran guards this season. \n"I think they're really good, but you won't win in (the Big Ten) league with freshmen guards," he said. "People questioned me bringing them in, because we already have guards. But I wanted them to be ready (to start) their sophomore year."\nTwo frontcourt players will be new to IU's roster this season as well. \nDaryl Pegram, a 6-9 forward, played at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts the past two years. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and three blocks last season. \nAlthough undersized compared to most Big Ten forwards, at 193 pounds, he brings athleticism and an inside/outside game that has become a staple for IU forwards.\nPegram spent his summer in Bloomington with senior Jeff Newton and junior George Leach and said he learned a lot from the veteran big men.\n"Just being able to talk to those guys and watch them play (helped)," he said. "I've been (in Bloomington) watching film of the last two seasons and watching how George plays, how Newt plays, how Jared Jeffries plays. And (that) helps you out a lot."\nForward Sean Kline will also dress his first game as a Hoosier this season, but is not a new face. He redshirted last year and added 20 pounds of muscle, now weighing in at 230 pounds.\nHe surprised even his own teammates by winning the slam dunk contest at Midnight Madness and Davis said he will be a key contributor off the bench this season.\nKline said he will be ready to help the team in any way he can. \n"I just have a hard nose mentality," he said. "(I) go all out, balls to the wall, do anything (I) have to do-scrap, bite, claw -- everything to get it done whether it be getting a rebound, a loose ball, or just locking down (my) man"
(11/05/02 3:38pm)
In the national semifinal against Oklahoma last season, senior forward Jeff Newton stepped onto the court amid cheers from the many hometown faithful who had shown up to support the Atlanta native. \nAs the night progressed, those cheers grew louder and louder.\nFormer Hoosier big man, and current Washington Wizard, Jared Jeffries struggled under the Sooners' defensive pressure that night, and mustered only eight points, eight rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot in 27 minutes.\nBut Newton, who had been relegated to the bench for much of the season, played aggressively on both ends of the court. He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, six rebounds, four blocks and two assists, and did so in just 23 minutes. \nIt was the type of production that coach Mike Davis had always sworn was there but, before the Oklahoma game, had been displayed by Newton only in flashes.\n"That (game) was just the point where I knew what I was capable of doing, and my teammates knew what I was capable of doing," Newton said. "(Now) it's just about time I go out and show everyone else what I am capable of, and that's what I plan on doing this year."\nDavis said much of the team's success will hinge on whether Newton can step into a consistent starting role and become the team's go-to forward on offense and serve as an intimidating presence on defense.\n"I think (Newton) can be an NBA player," he said. "And in order for him to be an NBA player, I've got to do a real good job of coaching him and putting him in that position, because he has the talent. He's playing well right now, he's playing great, and he has to be good for us to be good this year."\nJunior center George Leach will also see his role increased on this year's squad. \nAs last season began the 6'11" Leach made his presence felt in the paint and worked his way into the starting rotation. \nIn the Hoosiers' first 12 games he averaged 4.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. Against Miami (Fla) he was three blocks shy of a triple-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.\nBut in IU's Big Ten opener at Northwestern, Leach went down with an ankle injury and Jarrad Odle stepped in for him, recording 16 points and 15 rebounds. Leach's injury sidelined him for three games and Davis moved Odle into the starting center role for the remainder of the season.\nBut Odle graduated last year, and Jeffries is playing in the NBA. Davis said a large portion of the Hoosiers' frontcourt minutes will now go to Newton and Leach.\n"Without Newton and Leach playing 25-30 minutes a game, it is going to be very difficult for us," Davis said.\nIn order to prepare for their promotions, both big men spent their summers in Bloomington instead of going home.\nNewton said he stuck to a strict workout regimen.\n"I'd get up and I'd go lift first around 9 or 10 (a.m.)," he said. "Then I'd shoot for probably about two hours. After that, I'd go grab something to eat, then I'd go back and lift again and then I'd work on my ball handling. I would be in (Assembly Hall) from 10 (a.m.) to like 4 or 5 (p.m.) everyday."\nLeach followed a similar schedule and said his game has developed significantly. He noted that working with guards A.J. Moye and Donald Perry, who also were in Bloomington all summer, also helped him improve.\n"My strength is a lot better," he said. "My hands are better. I'm catching the ball more solid now (and) I'm not dropping a lot of balls. I've gotten better with a lot of stuff by working with Donald and A.J. too-catching balls, post up stuff -- and then guarding Newt everyday (helped) because he's so quick."\nPutting on weight was another major goal for both Newton and Leach last summer. Leach has added 20 pounds of bulk to his frame and Newton said he has gained between 10 and 15.\nOn a team saturated with scoring guards, both said a major goal will be to lead the team's defensive attack.\n"We want to continue to block shots," Leach said. "Maybe me and (Newton) can average seven (combined blocks) a game, or more hopefully. We want to control the paint this year"
(11/05/02 3:37pm)
When asked who his go-to guys will be this season, coach Mike Davis doesn't name one or two players, he mentions several.\n"We have (senior Kyle) Hornsby, who stepped up in the championship game last year and played big," he said. "(Freshman) Bracey (Wright) can score, (freshman Marshall) Strickland can score, (senior Tom) Coverdale can score, (junior A.J.) Moye and (sophomore Donald) Perry, all those guys are ready to play."\nBesides their scoring ability, all six of these players have one thing in common -- they are all guards. \nThrow freshman guard Roderick Wilmont into the mix, who averaged 31.9 points per game as a high school senior last season, and Davis has seven players who will vie for minutes in the backcourt.\nSome may see this as a logjam, but Coverdale said it will work to the Hoosiers' advantage.\n"I think that's a good thing," he said. "Everybody talks about me and Kyle being seniors and a lot of talented guards coming in behind us. But that's gonna push us to be even better and the main thing is we all get along. It's competition on the court but after that we're all just good friends and like to have a good time.\n"So having that deep of a bench and backcourt, no matter who starts and who doesn't, it's gonna make us a really good team."\nAt the point guard position, three players are expected to see significant playing time.\nCoverdale held the starting position last season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. \nPerry saw limited time as Coverdale's backup, averaging 13.8 minutes, 2.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. \nStrickland enters the season touted as one of the best freshman point guards in the country. A Maryland court ruled that he used up his eligibility before his senior season at South Carrol High School in Winfield, Md., but as a junior he averaged 30.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.\nPerry said a three-guard rotation at the point will give IU options. \n"In a game we don't have to just count on one or two guys," he said. "If one guy's struggling, you just take him out and put the other guys in and there's no letdown and that way the team can continue to roll on."\nAt the shooting guard and wing positions the Hoosiers have four alternatives in Hornsby, Moye, Wright and Wilmont.\nHornsby saw the most playing time last season at 24.9 minutes per game. \nBut Davis said Moye who was IU's sparkplug off the bench last year, has shown strong leadership in the pre-season. He added that Moye's role will not strictly be as a guard.\n"Our weakness will be the inside positions. We will probably play Moye some inside," he said. "This year (Moye) is a leader. If I had to pick one leader right now it would be AJ Moye. He has worked hard."\nWright, a McDonalds All-American last year, will bring athleticism and a pure shooting touch to the shooting guard position. He shot 56 percent from the field as a senior at The Colony High School in Texas and balanced that with solid defense, averaging seven rebounds and four blocks a game.\n"My personal goal is actually to start," he said. "I really do have high expectations of myself and that's one of the big things for me -- being one of the best on the team."\nWith seven options in the backcourt, Coverdale said the Hoosiers won't necessarily have just one point guard and one shooting guard on the floor at a time.\n"I can even see us playing four guards at a time during a game just because we're so guard heavy," he said. "It's all up to what Coach Davis wants to do."\nDavis said he hopes the frontcourt can draw enough defensive attention that it opens up the offense for his backcourt players.\n"What we need to do is just have our big guys have a presence in the paint," he said. "If they can do that, then we will be decent.\n"We are going to space the floor out with our guards and be able to shoot the ball from the outside. If all them average 10 points a game, then that is pretty good"
(11/05/02 2:59pm)
When Mike Davis began his head coaching career at IU, he was smacked with the "interim" label. Critics did not expect him to last past the 2000-2001 season as rumors circulated about who would take the helm full-time once the year was up.\nBut after guiding the Hoosiers to 21 wins, notching four more victories than any first-year IU coach in school history, he promptly signed a contract with IU and the interim tag was dropped.\nDuring the 2001-2002 regular season some members of the media still questioned his ability to lead the team, despite that the Hoosiers went 11-5 in the Big Ten and earned a share of the conference crown.\nDavis said the constant skepticism often weighed on him during his first two years as coach.\n"You get tired of (the media) questioning whether you can coach or not. The only way you can judge a guy is whether he wins or loses," he said. "I can get my team to play hard and get my team to execute and that's all basketball is -- putting them in the position to be successful. And so I'm relaxed now because that question never comes up."\nAnd what finally silenced the cynics?\nDavis smiles and says two words: "Championship Game."\nAfter their Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament last year, which ended in a 64-52 loss to Maryland in the title game, much of the doubts and questions transformed into praise. \nThe successful postseason helped earn Davis a large contract extension that ensures his tenure as coach through the 2007-08 season.\nJunior center George Leach said if anybody qualifies for such recognition, Davis does.\n"He deserves (the extension)," Leach said. "He had a lot of pressure on his back last year and for us finishing as a top contender in the country, he deserves every bit of the (new) contract."\nBut Davis began his basketball career on the court, not the sidelines. He explained that, as a player, coaching was something he never considered.\n"Coaching never entered my mind until I was finished playing and (asked), 'what am I gonna do now?'" he said. "It wasn't like I was even thinking about it when I was playing. I wanted to play basketball for the rest of my life." \nHe grew up in Fayette, Ala. and in 1979 was named the state's Mr. Basketball, which earned him a scholarship to play at the University of Alabama. As a college player he received the school's Hustle Award in each of his four years and finished his career third on the Crimson Tide's all-time steals list.\nThe emphasis he placed on defense and intensity as a player has carried over into his coaching.\n"We do slides and defensive drills all the time," Leach said. "We do defensive stuff for at least an hour-and-a-half out of practice and it's hard. Your legs are burning and your back is killing you afterwards. It's worth it though."\nForward Jeff Newton added that if someone is caught slacking on defense in practice, they pay for it.\n"(Davis) keeps us in the (defensive) stance," he said. "In practice if you're not in your stance … there just might be a suicide (sprint) or something. So everybody's in that stance because you know no one likes suicides."\nWhen Davis' career was over at Alabama, he was picked in the second round of the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. \nHe played professionally in Switzerland and Italy for the next two seasons, and then came back to the States in 1988 for one season with the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association.\nDavis said it wasn't until after his final season in the CBA that he considered coaching.\n"If you're a player and you love to compete, then you want to be around the game," Davis said. "And coaching meant that I could be around the game."\nAfter one season as an assistant at Miles College in Birmingham, Ala., Davis landed a position with the CBA's Wichita Falls Texans. IU Associate Head Coach John Treloar was the Texans' coach at the time. \nWhen the Texans moved to Chicago in 1994 and changed their name to The Rockers, Davis came out of retirement to play one last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.\nHe then went back to his roots, working as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama for two years. In 1997, he was reunited with Treloar as an assistant at IU.\nInitially, Davis spent much of his time as a recruiter for the Hoosiers and was a major factor in players such as Newton's and Leach's decisions to come to IU.\n"He comes from a similar background as me, A.J. (Moye) and Newton," Leach said. "So we can relate to him on a lot of things. He comes with a real laid-back approach."\nDavis has been through the two-a-day practices, the punishing off-season conditioning, the balancing act between sports, a social life, and classes -- not as a coach, but a player. \nThis gives him a connection with the team that many other coaches don't have, point guard Tom Coverdale explained.\n"The relationship we have, I think, is a lot of respect," he said. "He respects me just as much as I respect him and he's like that with all his players. I think what makes him so successful is he can relate to all his players, because he's played college basketball and gone through all the things we have to do and he's just like one of the guys when he's off the court"