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(12/11/03 6:14am)
SOUTH BEND -- It was a team effort for IU (3-3) in its 66-63 victory over Notre Dame (2-3) at the Joyce Center, Wednesday night. Nine players from the IU roster scored in the contest, and the team had a total of 15 assists.\nIU coach Mike Davis tried yet another new starting lineup consisting of sophomore guards Bracey Wright, and Marshall Strickland, junior guard Donald Perry, sophomore forward Sean Kline and junior forward Mike Roberts -- who saw his first collegiate start.\n"I told Roberts that it was time for him to have confidence and step up," Davis said. "He played well."\nWright was IU's top scorer with 19 points as he also improved his consecutive free throw streak to 15.\nHe said the team was focused in the game, and it was obvious the players are finally buying into the team concept.\n"We controlled the tempo out there," Wright said. "They made a run, but we withstood everything they threw at us."\nIU was unable to hold back junior guard Chris Thomas, Notre Dame's leading scorer, who averages 18.5 points a game. Thomas was able to score 14 points in the first half and finished the game with 24. Thomas has now scored in double figures in 25 consecutive games, dating back to last season. \nSeven minutes into the first half, Kline made a drive to the basket and scored a field goal while drawing the foul from Notre Dame senior guard Torrian Jones. Kline sank his free throw to complete the three-point play, increasing the IU lead to 13-7. \nWith less than a minute left in the first half, freshman forward Jessan Gray-Ashley scored a field goal to help the IU lead 31-28. But Thomas had an answer for Gray-Ashley's basket and tied the game 31-31 with the last field goal of the first half.\nAs if Thomas' game-tying basket wasn't enough for the IU defense, Thomas came out and scored the first basket of the second half. It was another three-point basket giving the Irish their first lead of the game since the start of the first half.\nJunior guard Ryan Tapak sank a three-point basket giving IU the lead again, 42-41. Tapak finished the game with eight points. \nFreshman guard Colin Falls gave IU a scare with a three-point basket putting Notre Dame within two points of the Hoosiers, 63-61 with just over a minute left in the game.\nBut once again, Tapak stepped up for IU, giving the Hoosiers yet another three-point basket to make the score 66-61.\nA field goal from Thomas was the last the Irish would score ending the game, 66-63.\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said the win over the Irish was a team effort.\n"We're starting to realize that we can play well collectively," Moye said. "Individually, we're not blowing anyone out of the water, but we're going to be a great ball club if we just play together."\nWright said the road win was big for the Hoosiers, and it has given the team some confidence going into the Butler game at home on Saturday.\n"We need to put a string together right now," Bracey said, "and show everybody that we're serious."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(12/10/03 5:34am)
IU and Notre Dame are both looking to end two-game losing streaks tonight at the Joyce Center in South Bend.\nNotre Dame (2-2) was ranked the last time IU (2-3) made the trip to South Bend, and it was also IU coach Mike Davis' first season as head coach. IU was 3-3 at the time and upset the then-No. 10 Notre Dame, 86-78. IU hasn't lost to the Fighting Irish since a trip to South Bend in 1994.\nAfter a disappointing 63-58 loss to Missouri Saturday, Davis said there is still no reason for the team to hang their heads.\n"We are just trying to get better every day," Davis said. "And I really feel we're heading in the right direction."\nNotre Dame is coming off of a 69-68 loss to the Central Michigan Chippewas. The Irish played the game without top defender and senior guard Torrain Jones, out with an injured hip, and senior center Tom Timmermans, out with an injured back. \nIU is no stranger to injuries either, as senior center George Leach is still out with a left knee injury.\nJunior guard Chris Thomas currently leads Notre Dame with an average of 18.5 points a game. Thomas also leads the team with 19 assists this season.\nDavis said Thomas will be the man to hold back in the game tonight, and that junior guard Donald Perry will be the IU player to do it.\nPerry had a career-high 13 points in the contest with Missouri, his first start since his freshman year.\n"I think that we're capable of winning the game," Perry said. "We have the talent, but we just lose focus too quick."\nDavis also noted that the team hasn't showed up to play a full game with intensity yet this year.\n"We had a good half against Xavier and a good half versus Missouri," Davis said. "We had stretches against Greensboro, and at the same time, we're just trying to get into a rhythm. I just feel really good about where we are right now."\nIU was 12-14 (.857) from the free throw line against Missouri, and sophomore guard Bracey Wright has made 13 consecutive free throws. \nSophomore forward Sean Kline made all six of his free throw attempts in the Missouri game, a huge improvement from last year's 21-45 overall (.467).\nKline said he learned from the Missouri game that the team was capable of putting up a fight. IU led Missouri almost the entire game.\n"We definitely battled and knocked down shots and played good defense," Kline said. "We just have to learn to finish games and play for 40 minutes instead of 36."\nWhile Perry and Wright were both big parts of Saturday's game, Davis said he wants everyone to be a big part of the contest tonight.\n"We need some more of our guys to step up and play for 40 minutes," Davis said. "We are just going to see where we are (tonight)"
(12/08/03 6:30am)
IU junior guard Donald Perry scored a team- and career-high 13 points IU in Saturday's 63-58 loss to No. 4 Missouri. \nThe 6-foot-3-inch Louisiana native also started as guard for the Hoosiers, his first start since his freshman year.\nPerry said he found out he would be starting the night after playing Wake Forest.\n"I was in the gym, in there shooting, and the coach was in his office," Perry said. "He called me in there, and we had a long talk."\nThe guard joined a starting lineup of sophomore guards Marshall Strickland and Bracey Wright and forwards sophomore Sean Kline and freshman Pat Ewing Jr.\nThe team held a steady lead throughout the first half and the majority of the second half. It came down to the last four minutes when everything fell apart.\n"We've got to learn how to win close games," Perry said. "But we're a young team."\nThe only time Perry played more minutes than Saturday was his freshman year when the team played Texas. He played for a total of 35 minutes against Missouri and 38 against Texas.\nPerry made some crucial shots for IU in the first half and nailed both of his free-throw attempts in the game. He also had three assists and two steals.\nPerry said his job, as one of the starting guards, was to get the team to execute plays in their spot.\n"The first half was good," Perry said. "But the second half everybody was standing around trying to do their own thing."\nCoach Mike Davis said Perry played well and had some big three-point baskets. Perry was 3-4 in threes.\nKline, who was a perfect 6-6 at the free-throw line Saturday, also said he noticed the good things Perry brought to the court.\n"He played a wonderful game and really controlled the game," Kline said. \nPerry said the team now has to brush it off and learn from what they did right and wrong.\nKline said it was unforunate for Perry to play such a good game in a losing effort.\n"It's heartbreaking to lose a game when you're up 10 with four minutes to go," Kline said. "But Donald played a wonderful game."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(12/05/03 6:23am)
For the second time in a week, the IU men's basketball team will take on a nationally ranked opponent, as they face the No. 4 Missouri Tigers at 4 p.m. Saturday at Assembly Hall.\nTuesday, No. 18 Wake Forest gave IU more than it could handle when it defeated the Hoosiers 100-67.\nNow, the Hoosiers (2-2) are preparing for another big game against the Missouri Tigers (2-0), who are coming off a 70-61 victory over Coppin State Tuesday.\nIt will be IU's first game back at Assembly Hall since its victorious season opener against UNC-Greensboro Nov. 21.\nIU coach Mike Davis said he is confident in the home games the team will face this year, but that winning on the road will be the key. He added that the 2-2 record right now is what he thought the team would have.\n"It's no panic," Davis said. "The panic is the fans who want us to be 4-0, but we just want to continue to get better and get better on the road."\nDavis said the team often loses concentration on the road, and that if the members stay together as a team and not listen to what people are saying about the team, they will be successful.\nThe IU men's basketball team is the only team in the nation this year that will face six straight NCAA Tournament teams in its non-league schedule. \nIU and Missouri have met 16 times before, and IU leads the series 9-7. \nStill pacing the IU team is sophomore guard Bracey Wright. Wright scored a season high 27 points in the contest at Wake Forest and in the Xavier game Nov. 29. The Wooden Award candidate said it is his job to get everyone on the team ready for the Missouri game.\n"I've got to make sure when (Missouri) make runs, that we stay in the game with our heads and stay focused," Wright said.\nWright will look to stop the number of turnovers IU has seen this year in its games. He personally had five turnovers at Wake Forest, and the team total was 22.\nWith senior center George Leach out with a knee injury indefinitely, Davis was forced to change his starting lineup. Freshman forward Patrick Ewing Jr. took Leach's starting spot in the Wake Forest game in his first-ever collegiate start.\nEwing played 25 minutes, scored eight points and had three blocks. \nIU also improved its free-throw shooting percentage in Tuesday's contest with Wake Forest. IU was 19 of 22 (.864) from the charity stripe, and Wright has made 11 consecutive free-throws. \nSenior guard A.J. Moye has not started in the last two games because Davis said he likes the energy Moye brings off the bench. Moye posted a season-high seven rebounds at Wake Forest.\nThe 6-foot-3-inch Moye said the Missouri game is the only thing on his mind right now and that the improvements the team is making are becoming more apparent everyday. \n"We're focused more so than we've ever been this year," Moye said. "We really want to go out and get a win."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(12/03/03 6:41am)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- IU's 100-67 loss at No. 18 Wake Forest was more than just ugly, it exposed areas that need improvement before heading into the Big Ten season.\nThe loss leaves IU with a 2-2 record and the Demon Deacons remain undefeated at 4-0. The game also gave the ACC a win in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.\nSophomore guard Bracey Wright said the atmosphere at Lawrence Joel Coliseum was just as the team expected it to be. It was a "tough crowd" Wright said; he added that to make things even more intense, the game was aired on national television.\nWright scored a game high 27 points and was perfect in all nine of his free-throw attempts.\nThe Hoosiers came into Winston-Salem off a 80-77 win against Xavier.\nIU coach Mike Davis said the loss is just one loss and that the team can't measure the defeat by the margin of points or it would lose its season.\n"As long as our guys understand that every game that we play in preseason is a learning experience, then we'll be ok when the Big Ten comes," Davis said.\nIt wasn't only the Wake Forest crowd that made IU's road loss so ugly. \nIU made only two of its 11 trey attempts in the first half and while it made nearly 79 percent of its free throws, the team made only 33 percent of its field goals in the 20 minutes.\nIU also managed to have 16 turnovers before halftime and was down 29-51 at the half.\nWhile IU hoped for a brighter future in the second half, things still didn't go its way. The team picked up another six turnovers and the IU defense was unsuccessful at stopping the Wake Forest offense. The Demon Deacons scored 38 of their points off of IU turnovers.\nPlay on the court was rough, and with just five minutes into the second half, junior forward Mike Roberts was issued a technical foul while grabbing for a ball with Wake Forest forward Jamaal Levy.\nWake Forest coach Skip Prosser said his team's ability to be unselfish on offense helped win the game.\n"(We) are great basketball players," Prosser said. "We have a bunch of guys who genuinely like one another and love to play basketball."\nProsser also said it was a good experience for his team to play against Wright, one of the best guards in the country.\nEven with his stats, Wright said he felt responsible for the loss because of his lack of leadership and getting the team to fight hard on the court.\n"We've got to shake this off," Wright said. "As the point guard of my team it's my responsibility to get everybody going and I didn't do that."\nBefore play even started, Wake Forest was given an extra boost of enthusiasm when it lowered their "ACC Regular Season Champion 2003" banner into the gymnasium, right next to its "NIT Champion 2000" banner.\nStudents and players wore black and yellow tye-dye shirts and held up a number of signs bashing IU. \nWake Forest students took stabs at every IU player on the court. From reminding IU about its loss at Vanderbilt to just plain insulting what the IU players look like, Wake Forest students didn't stop heckling even when their team had a 38 point lead late in the second half.\nWright said luckily the players are so caught up in the game that they don't hear the comments fans yell out.\nWake Forest brought in its players off the bench late in the second half and didn't stop scoring until the buzzer sounded to end the game.\nWith heads held high and giving high fives to cheering fans, the Wake Forest basketball team left the court and went to the locker room.\n"The students really came out and they had a good crowd," sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said. "We're just going to try and bounce back and keep playing hard and see what we can do on in the next game"
(12/02/03 5:54am)
The IU men's basketball team has been busy at practice preparing for its tough road games early in the season. Now it has to do it without starting center senior George Leach.\nThe Hoosiers travel to No. 18 Wake Forest tonight as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge without their big man.\nLeach is out indefinitely with a left knee injury he suffered with nine minutes left in regulation of IU's 80-77 win over Xavier Saturday evening. \nIU coach Mike Davis said he thinks they will start freshman Patrick Ewing Jr. or maybe even junior Mike Roberts in his spot. Davis tried a starting lineup change last game, with freshman guard Roderick Wilmont starting for senior guard A.J. Moye. Davis said he liked the energy Moye brought off the bench.\nIU is 24-9 overall against ACC teams, but this will mark the first time IU and Wake Forest play each other. \n"Playing a good team on the road, that's a challenge in itself," Davis said. \nIU currently has a 2-0 record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Last season it defeated Maryland, the defending national champion.\nWake Forest will face IU with a 3-0 record, with four players averaging in double figures. IU enters the challenge at 2-1, its only loss coming at Vanderbilt. \nMoye said he is satisfied with the team's defense, but the offense is behind.\n"Because we're inexperienced, sometimes we break down on offense and it hurts us," Moye said. "We fought hard but we didn't fight smart in the Vandy game."\nSophomore forward Sean Kline has been a key player for IU this season. He is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.7 points per game, and tied for second in rebounding at 6.3 per game.\n"I'm expected to do my job and I know my teammates will do their job," Kline said. "Everyone has a common goal of winning."\nEven without Leach, Davis said the team is prepared for its challenge on the road against an athletic Wake Forest team that is coming off of an 86-61 win at Yale.\n"It's a short turnaround from Saturday, but it's the same turnaround for them," Davis said. "It's whoever has the will to win the game."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(12/01/03 6:09am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- IU sophomore Bracey Wright had a new responsibility in Saturday afternoon's contest with Xavier, and he must have done something right. IU beat the Musketeers 80-77 in overtime.\nFor the first time, Wright started at point guard, a position he needs to get familiar with since IU coach Mike Davis says it's where he wants to play him.\n"He was great for our offense," Davis said. "You want the ball in your playmakers hands, and Bracey can make plays." \nWright said it was different starting the game at point guard, and he had to fight himself not to rush things.\n"At times, it was frustrating because I'm the scorer and having the ball in my hands, you got to get everybody involved," Wright said. "I had some turnovers early, but for the most part I think I did OK."\nDavis also thought Wright did a good job in the win, but said Wright will need to cut back on the turnovers. \nBut Davis also said the team can't always assume Wright will score big in every game.\n"That's too much for him," Davis said. "We kind of waited around for Bracey to score and make some plays."\nThe six-foot-three inch Wright is one of 50 players on the list of preseason Wooden Award All-American Candidates, but wasn't the only candidate impressing in Saturday's game. Senior Xavier guard Romain Sato is also on the list.\nThe two guards were top scorers for their respective teams. Wright scored 27 points for IU while Sato scored 19 points for Xavier. \nSato might have been an even bigger threat to IU had he not fouled out with less than a minute left in regulation. It was his foul on Wright's three-point attempt and then Wright's two of three successful free-throws that put the Hoosiers within one point of Xavier, making the score 64-65.\nSato said it was tough to foul out, and it made the loss even harder to take.\n"Sato was too good to hold down," Davis said. "We're fortunate their best player fouled out in regulation. That really limited them offensively."\nSato, a 6-foot-5 inch player from the Central African Republic, is in his second year as a Wooden Preseason All-American Candidate.\nWhile IU knew of Sato's experience and skill, Xavier was also expecting a good game out of IU's Wright.\n"Bracey is a good player," Sato said. "I tried to chase him everywhere, but he's such a good player, and a good player will make good plays."\nXavier coach Thad Matta also said they were trying all they could to stop Wright, but that him being a big-time player means he does a nice job of moving.\n"You have to give IU credit, they do a great job of sending him off screens," Matta said. "They make it tough to guard."\nPlayers like Sato and Wright have the option to hold their heads high with their impressive stats and high scoring for their respective teams, but Wright still remains humble and knows it's a team game.\n"I like the way we never hang our heads in competition," Wright said. "I like the way we compete and the way we stay together as a team"
(11/24/03 6:25am)
Earlier in the week, IU coach Mike Davis wasn't sure who he could count on to be his top scorer. But in IU's 71-64 win over UNC-Greensboro, it was sophomore guard Bracey Wright who came out on top with 23 points, along with two assists and one block.\nWright, however, wasn't satisfied with the final score of the game.\n"I think that game should have been won by 25 to 30 points," Wright said.\nIU held the lead the entire first half but only by a few points at a time. \nPerhaps the reason IU never hit the 25-point lead Wright wanted was due to the poor free throw shooting percentage at nearly 42 percent. IU only made 5 of its 12 free-throw attempts in the first half.\nDavis acknowledged the problem and said it's an area the team has to improve in, especially on the road.\nThe IU defense held UNC-Greensboro's guard Jay Joseph to only two points in the first half. Joseph, a senior for the Spartans, was a preseason All-Southern Conference selection. \nAfter a team field goal percentage of only 35 percent in the first half, sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said Davis wanted to see more energy and to speed up the game a little bit to slow down the Spartan offense.\n"I think in the second half we went small and were really able to open it up," Strickland said. "We got a lot of good baskets out of transition in the second half."\nStrickland was IU's second top scorer with 17 points, and he added two assists.\nWhile IU (1-0) improved its shooting percentage to 52 percent in the second half and free-throw percentage to 85 percent, the team also blew the 17-point lead it had with just under three minutes left in the game.\n"We played overall pretty good defense except the last maybe seven or eight minutes of the game," Wright said. "I think if we would have executed a little bit better and not given them easy opportunities like fouls and miscommunication, we easily would have built upon that lead we had."\nAlso hurting IU in the second half was Joseph, who scored 18 points in the second half to help the Spartans come within seven points of IU with less than a minute left in the game.\nStrickland said the team's overall energy was average in Friday night's contest.\n"In our defense, we took breaks," Strickland said. "At the end, we let them back in the game."\nDavis said part of the problem that killed their lead was players who weren't watching the clock.\n"We had guys that were thinking 'Let's win by 20, let's win by 25,'" Davis said. "We've got to get better with the clock. Someone's got to take control and be aware of what's going on out on the floor."\nDavis also was concerned about his team's turnovers and assists. IU's eight assists and 16 turnovers told Davis a lot about "team basketball," he said. \n"You want to have 16 assists and eight turnovers," Davis said. "We've got to get better."\nSophomore forward Sean Kline was an important part of IU's win, Davis said, noting that Kline had a great game and was probably the only one rebounding and playing good defense.\n"He's been sick the last couple of days," Davis said. "To come out and play the way he's played, having not practiced the last couple of days, is good for us."\nKline finished the game with eight points.\nIU looked like it had the game wrapped up with a 10-point lead with under five seconds to go. It was UNC-Greensboro's forward Rodney Blackstock that scored a trey in the last second of the game to bring the final score to 71-64.\n"We let them back in the game at the end," Strickland said. "But I think we're moving on, and we're going to get better tomorrow."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/21/03 6:43am)
The 104th season of IU basketball officially kicks off tonight at Assembly Hall with a contest against UNC-Greensboro. \nEven after two wins in their exhibition campaign, IU coach Mike Davis said they still have a lot to think about.\n"We just have to figure out who's going to score," Davis said. "I can't sit here and tell you what guys are going to be in double figures, because I don't know."\nHoping for double figures in this game is senior center George Leach. He opened last season against Massachusetts with 19 points and 16 rebounds. \n"This year, I'm focusing on rebounding and being at the right spot at the right time," Leach said. "I'm not concerned about scoring. I just want to help the team by playing defense."\nSophomore guard Marshall Strickland said he thinks the offense is coming along nicely, and the team is starting to get an identity and a rhythm. He said they are starting to see where guys can score from and are feeling more comfortable with their game.\n"Coach has really been on us," Strickland said of their practices. "He wants to get what he wants from us, and everybody has had to make some adjustments and contribute their part."\nStrickland has been trying hard to do his part -- filling the shoes of former IU guard Tom Coverdale. Davis said it puts a great deal of pressure on Strickland to follow the position of a great basketball player like Coverdale.\nDavis said he's hoped for a lot of different improvements from the team since their first exhibition game against Athletes in Action when IU won in overtime, 70-68. \nIU's second exhibition game against the Southeastern All-Stars was a different story. IU dominated the court in their 98-70 victory.\n"I think in the last game, we really got our rhythm offensively," Strickland said. "We got to run some of our plays that we didn't run before."\nLeach and Strickland both agree the improvements in plays during practice are coming along, but are not always consistent.\n"Our improvements come in spurts," Leach said. "We're trying to get where we're good every single day instead of up and down."\nLeach has already faced one obstacle this year, injuring his shoulder during practice. He said the rehab has been helping, but he has not fully recovered.\nThe 6-foot-11-inch center wore a shoulder harness during the last game and described it as "the most frustrating thing ever." He hopes wearing the harness won't continue for more than a few games.\nThis will mark the first meeting for IU and UNC-Greensboro. The Spartans finished the 2002-03 season with a 7-22 record overall, and were 3-13 in the Southern Conference.\nUNC-Greensboro coach Fran McCaffrey is in his fifth year at the school and is no stranger to the Hoosier state. McCaffrey spent 11 seasons as head coach and recruiting coordinator at Notre Dame. \nStrickland said the team has been looking forward to the start of the regular season, and they hope to start off on the right foot with a win.\n"Everybody is just anxious and excited to really get the ball rolling and start competing," Strickland said. "We're seeing some of the games on TV, and we can't wait to get out there."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu
(11/19/03 6:54am)
Something is missing from the IU bench.\nDown the line of cream-and-crimson uniforms last season usually sat colorfully dressed, redshirted guard Roderick Wilmont.\nBut Wilmont did more than just add spice and color to the IU bench. He watched and learned from his fellow teammates. \nDuring each game he saw what he needed to do in order to be a good player the following year. \n"I learned about intensity and the little things," Wilmont said. "I learned about being at the right spot at the right time and how fast paced the game is just from watching."\nAt Miramar High School in Miramar, Fla., Wilmont averaged 31.9 points per game in his senior year. \nOffense is something Wilmont said he wasn't too worried about this year and that he feels his focus right now is on his defensive play.\nIU coach Mike Davis officially announced last November that Wilmont would be redshirted. He said he knew his potential and that the year off would help him become a better player.\nWilmont said his redshirt year helped him a lot, allowing him to focus a little harder on the fundamentals.\n"I was always the scorer in high school and that came naturally," Wilmont said. "I worked on other parts of my game last year when I was redshirted, like my footwork and things like that."\nWilmont said he also brings energy to the team and that being paired up with senior guard A.J. Moye could have an impact on the other players.\nSophomore Sean Kline remembers when he redshirted his freshman year and said that the year off helps players from a maturity standpoint.\n"You come in and you think you have college life figured out and really you have no clue," Kline said. "You might be there talent-wise, but you have no idea the skills you need to improve and the style you need to play."\nWilmont was pumped for his first game, Davis said, and even told the coach how excited he was to finally play in front of a crowd. Davis said Wilmont wouldn't truly understand college basketball until he was in the line of fire.\nAnd Wilmont did just fine in IU's first exhibition game this season against Athletes in Action. He scored six points and had two defensive rebounds.\nIn IU's second exhibition game against the Southeastern All-Stars, Wilmont played 19 minutes, had seven points and three rebounds.\n"Redshirting helped him a lot from the standpoint of him improving," Davis said. "We have enough tough games before the conference and that should really help him understand how competitive the league is."\nMoye said each of the freshmen impress him in different way, but Wilmont has been consistent in one key area since his first day at IU.\n"Roderick Wilmont always impresses," Moye said. "He always impresses because of his effort."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 6:53am)
They were the stars of their high school teams, leading them to conference titles and state championships. One of them even grew up as the son of one of the NBA's most notable players in history.\nNow it's time to play with the big boys, and freshmen forward Pat Ewing Jr., forward Jessan Gray-Ashley and guard Errek Suhr say they are ready to accept the challenge. \nFreshman guard Roderick Wilmont, who redshirted last season, will also join the group of freshmen looking for playing time.\nGray-Ashley, Wilmont and Ewing are all on scholarship, but Suhr, a Bloomington North High School graduate, walks onto the team as a true Hoosier looking to live out a dream.\n"I've been watching my whole life," Suhr said. "Everyone in the nation knows of (Assembly Hall) and I get to come in here and practice and shoot all by myself anytime I want to. It's a dream come true."\nSuhr said he has many memories of being an IU fan. His father Buck was an assistant coach for the IU football team from 1984-1995.\nA 2003 Indiana All-Star and Reebok North-South All-Star, Suhr is the all-time winningest player in his high school's history. He also shot 80 percent from the free throw line and averaged five assists per game in his high school career.\nSuhr, only 5 foot 8 inches tall on a team full of 6-footers, said his goal this season is not playing time.\n"My goal is to get better and help the team," Suhr said. "If I do get good enough to play, then that's good, but if I don't, well then I can say that I at least went out and tried my best."\nSuhr did get to play nine minutes in IU's exhibition contest with the Southeastern All-Stars. He finished the night with two rebounds and one assist.\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said Suhr is the kind of kid that gives everything he has. \n"His effort is unreal and we're going to need that," Moye said.\nGray-Ashley enters the IU roster from Davenport, Iowa, where he averaged 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game. \nMookie, as Gray-Ashley is called by his teammates and coaches, put on 19 pounds over the summer, and his teammates say he has already improved.\n"Jessan has gotten real good since I first saw him," Wilmont said. "He's learning the game and he's a real good shooter. You can't leave him open."\nLeaving Gray-Ashley open was a mistake for the Southeastern All-Stars as he scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in 14 minutes of play.\n"He has a chance to be a good player," Davis said. "He has a great feel for the game."\nWrapping up the list of new freshmen on the IU roster is Ewing, son of former NBA-great Patrick Ewing.\nEwing averaged 19 points, 12 rebounds and nearly three blocks for his high school, National Christian Academy, in Marietta, Ga.\nMore than anything, it's noticeable that Ewing brings an energy and intensity to the team that other players don't always have.\n"I'm an energetic kind of guy," Ewing said. "I'm very explosive and bringing that extra energy to the team is what I'm doing. That can be my role while I'm here."\nDavis says IU has never had a player like Ewing and his athleticism and energy rubs off onto the other players.\nSophomore Sean Kline said he thinks the freshmen have improved ten-fold since the beginning of practice.\n"They're really buying into the system and doing things that we need them to do," Kline said. "You'll see them getting even better as the year progresses."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 6:52am)
There's one thing that won't be getting in the way of a good season for the men's basketball team: team chemistry.\n"Last year you could see it on the court," freshman guard Roderick Wilmont said. "Everybody wanted to be the superstar and shot the ball. This year everybody has to do their part."\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said, with no disrespect to anyone on last year's team, he noticed the lack of team leadership in the 2002-2003 season.\nMoye said he is satisfied in taking the position IU coach Mike Davis trusts him to have when he leads the team.\n"(Moye) keeps the lines of communication open," Davis said. "The team chemistry is just unbelievable right now."\nDavis says the difference in this year's team is how vocal the players are. While senior center George Leach is quiet, like former players Kyle Hornsby and Jeff Newton, Davis said players like Moye and Wilmont are always talking.\n"This year, with Wilmont and Moye being outspoken and playing with energy, they can be contagious," Davis said.\nThe team says they have noticed the better chemistry this season, but junior forward Mike Roberts said they can't fully rely on the chemistry they share.\n"We're getting along fine, but the test is going to be how we respond when we go through a little adversity," Roberts said. "I think right now everything is good, but we will have tough times and we'll see how we respond."\nFreshman forward Patrick Ewing Jr. said the team is like a big family and they don't only spend time together at practice, but off the court as well.\nEwing also said he noticed a difference in chemistry coming from a high school team to a college team. He said the chemistry is better in college because of the experience on the team.\n"The guys are just closer and the camaraderie is there," Moye said. "Everything we do now is team-oriented."\nWright said he also sees a difference this year in team attitude and chemistry compared to last year.\n"To get this team to the Final Four we have to just have fun," sophomore guard Bracey Wright said. "Play hard together and just compete."\nLeach has been around the team for four years now, having redshirted his freshman year. He's seen players come and go and says the way the team has meshed this year is great.\n"We've really become a family," Leach said. "We are growing together instead of apart."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 6:51am)
They've been through it all.\nWhen former IU coach Bob Knight was fired, they were there.\nWhen coach Mike Davis took over as head coach, they were there.\nWhen the 2002 team upset Duke, beat Kent State and then upset Oklahoma to make it to the NCAA title game, they were there -- helping their team reach the national title game.\nSeniors A.J. Moye and George Leach want more than anything to be there again.\n"I've been waiting four years for this," Moye said of being a senior. "Coach sets goals and certain standards for me and George Leach to have and to attain as captains. I feel I'm up for it."\nSophomore guard Bracey Wright said the senior duo has been through everything and they know a lot about college basketball, having been here for four years.\nMoye, a 6-foot-3-inch guard from Atlanta, scored a season-high 18 points last year against Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.\nMoye's leadership has been appreciated with this team, Davis said. The seniors are looking for a good season and Davis said Moye is by far the best leader the team has had since he's been here.\nFreshman guard Roderick Wilmont, Moye's roommate, said he is proud of the leadership his roommate brings to the team.\n"He's been stepping up big and letting young guys know what to do and how to do their job," Wilmont said. \nLeach, a center from Charlotte, N.C., redshirted his freshman year. He is sixth on IU's all-time blocked shots list with 149 as of the end of his junior year. \nLeach recorded 79 of those blocked shots last season. \nThe 7-foot-1-inch center saw 12 minutes of play in IU's last exhibition game against the Southeastern All-Stars and scored seven points. Playing the defensive role as usual, he also recorded four blocks.\nBut this season, Davis said he also see's Leach as a scorer who can be just as successful as Jeff Newton was last year.\n"(Kirk) Haston, (Jared) Jeffries and then Newton, well now it's George's turn," Davis said. "Hopefully George can get it done inside and I feel confident that he can."\nFreshman Pat Ewing Jr. said Leach is one of the best shot blockers in the nation and even said he wants to be the same, modeling his play after the senior. \nAs leaders, Moye said he and Leach know their roles on the team and will do all they can to teach the younger players about the game.\n"We know that if we don't play hard and work hard, that's not the blueprint for success," Moye said. "Success is constructed through hard work and we understand that now."\nLeach, whom many consider a serious contender for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, said he isn't concerned with the personal achievements of the year. \n"I just want to fight for a national title," Leach said. "That's all I want to do.\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 6:51am)
Winning on the road in the Big Ten isn't easy. IU learned that lesson first hand last season. \nThe Hoosiers lost seven of eight Big Ten road games last season to finish out the conference season 8-8. \nAnd this year, five of IU's first seven Big Ten games are on the road.\n"That's going to be tough and hard to survive," IU coach Mike Davis said. "If you lose a couple of road games, I don't care who you are, your confidence is going to drop."\nFor the fifth year in a row, IU's strength of schedule ranks among the top eight in the nation according to the Sagarin Ratings.\nOut of the six defending NCAA tournament teams IU will face in their first eight games, three of them advanced to the Sweet 16 (Kentucky, Notre Dame and Butler).\n"We're not playing a cupcake schedule," Davis said. "To win games we have to defend and rebound."\nWith the loss of forward Jeff Newton and guards Kyle Hornsby and Tom Coverdale, the IU team hopes newcomers and familiar faces from last season will help in their struggle on the road.\nIn one road game, IU will look to revive its rivalry with Notre Dame after taking a year off. Dec. 9 at The Joyce Center in South Bend will determine whether or not IU will continue its seven-game winning streak against the Fighting Irish.\nNamed to the 2003-2004 John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-American Team, sophomore guard Bracey Wright said he is ready to be back in action on the court.\nLast year, Wright had a team-high 16.2 points per game average. That was the best by a Big Ten freshman and tied him for fourth in the conference overall. His impressive 486 points freshman year are the most since the 495 Calbert Cheaney scored in 1989-90.\nWright handed IU quite a scare last season when he injured his back and had to sit out four games. He underwent back surgery on May 6 to relieve nerve pressure on his lower back.\n"Bracey is fine now," Davis said. "We want Bracey to score and that's his role on this team, but we're not going to look for him to score 20 points in a game."\nDavis stressed the importance of not depending on one player to do the work for the entire team. He said he wants to see every player do his part.\nWright said he feels healthy, ready to play and that getting back on the court has been his motivation to recover as quickly as possible.\nThough considered by many to be last year's most impressive player, Wright appears humble and focused on the task at hand.\n"When we're out there on the court I'm just going to worry about playing my hardest," Wright said. "I'm not going to worry about getting caught up in egos."\nSenior guard A.J. Moye said the difference in this year's team is the fact that they aren't looking to win specific games. They just want to win. \n"We are just here to play and execute," Moye said. "It doesn't matter who we play. We don't have our schedules circled and every team we play is important."\nThere will be a familiar face on the IU coaching staff this season as former Hoosier standout Dane Fife takes on the position of administrative assistant for the team. \nDavis said Fife's impact on the team has already been apparent in the way some of the players are improving.\nIU will wrap up its regular Big Ten season with five of its last six games at Assembly Hall. Unlike last season, IU will play Purdue at home and away.\nDavis said he has defense and rebounding on his mind when it comes to worries about this years team. He said he wants to see more points off turnovers and more solid play.\n"With the way our schedule is set up it could be a long season," Davis said. "We will need all of our guys playing their parts."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/13/03 6:00am)
Last Friday, the IU men's basketball team barely pulled off an overtime win in their first exhibition game against Athletes in Action. Their two-point victory, 70-68, didn't come easy.\n"We probably should have lost the game by 15," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I see that now watching the tape."\nTonight at 7 p.m., the Hoosiers will take on the Southeastern All-Stars to wrap up their exhibition campaign. It will be the first time IU plays the Southeastern All-Stars.\nDavis said part of the problem is the team's focus and the players are sometimes just going through the motions. \n"The team I saw on Friday night, I hadn't seen that team since last year," Davis said. "And that was a scary feeling."\nRunning the offense and setting screens will have a big impact on IU's game, as will finding players to rebound, Davis said. \nFreshman guard Roderick Wilmont said the team looked like they didn't know what they were doing in the last game and that there's no way they can come out tonight and play like they did last Friday.\n"Last Friday night we were out of sync," Wilmont said. "I think we're improving, but we've got to improve faster and step it up real fast."\nDavis wasn't impressed with two of IU's guards who played a total of 69 minutes and had two rebounds total.\n"We have to find some guys that want to rebound and just play," Davis said.\nPicking up eight rebounds and nine points Friday was sophomore forward Sean Kline. Kline was starting forward for the Hoosiers and played 32 minutes.\nKline said the team was not satisfied by any means after its win over AIA and that the team has come in early in the morning to work on the things that need to be improved.\n"I think we've taken the steps this week in practice to improve," Kline said. "And going into games like this, we have to look at executing because that's what we didn't do on Friday night."\nLeading the Hoosiers last Friday was sophomore guard Bracey Wright, who had 18 points. Making his collegiate debut, freshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. posted eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.\nWilmont said Ewing brings a lot of energy to the team and that if he stays consistent, could be an even better player.\nDavis isn't the only one who's noticed how far behind the team is in practice and in games. Wilmont said the team has got to get it together before tonight's game and even more importantly, before the season opener against UNC-Greensboro Nov. 21.\n"That's our home opener," Wilmont said. "So we've got to get ready and get this show on the road."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/13/03 5:00am)
She is one of the few that hasn't sold out. And even though back in 1994 all she wanted to do was have some fun, Sheryl Crow apparently had a blast and a number of hit records without selling out and turning into an ass-shaking sex symbol. \nThe Very Best of Sheryl Crow really is the very best. It's got all the favorites like "Soak Up The Sun," "I Shall Believe" and "Leaving Las Vegas." \nOne of the new singles on the album, "The First Cut is the Deepest," is a remake of the Cat Stevens song. Crow does a good remake but it doesn't go beyond her originals that made her famous in the first place.\nCrow loves music. And she even plays instead of just singing into the microphone. Her lyrics are mature enough to go beyond the sexual and drug-driven music scene heard so often today.\nHow can one rip on the album of a musical princess and wonderful musician such as Sheryl Crow? The answer is, one can't. Some artists aren't worthy of an album with their greatest hits, but Crow has definitely made her mark on the music world and deserves to have an album named with the first three words: The Very Best.
(11/12/03 11:10pm)
She is one of the few that hasn't sold out. And even though back in 1994 all she wanted to do was have some fun, Sheryl Crow apparently had a blast and a number of hit records without selling out and turning into an ass-shaking sex symbol. \nThe Very Best of Sheryl Crow really is the very best. It's got all the favorites like "Soak Up The Sun," "I Shall Believe" and "Leaving Las Vegas." \nOne of the new singles on the album, "The First Cut is the Deepest," is a remake of the Cat Stevens song. Crow does a good remake but it doesn't go beyond her originals that made her famous in the first place.\nCrow loves music. And she even plays instead of just singing into the microphone. Her lyrics are mature enough to go beyond the sexual and drug-driven music scene heard so often today.\nHow can one rip on the album of a musical princess and wonderful musician such as Sheryl Crow? The answer is, one can't. Some artists aren't worthy of an album with their greatest hits, but Crow has definitely made her mark on the music world and deserves to have an album named with the first three words: The Very Best.
(11/10/03 6:12am)
IU coach Mike Davis said he would have liked to have won by 100 points against Athletes in Action Friday night, but he had to settle for a close overtime win, 70-68.\n"Last year we beat this team by 41," Davis said. "But as a very young team, we need to be in games like this to learn."\nIt was a night of sophomore domination -- the three top scorers were sophomores. Guard Bracey Wright had 18 points, guard Marshall Strickland had 12 points and forward Sean Kline had 9.\nWright, who also had two assists, said the game helped them realize their offense was behind, and that everything just needs to click right.\n"We struggled, and we got wrapped up in Joe Crispin," Wright said. "We can't get wrapped up in one player. We have to play the whole team."\nCrispin might have had 17 points in the game, but it was AIA forward Matt Hill that led everyone by scoring 22 points. \n"This is their (AIA's) best game by far," Davis said. "I knew it would be because it's their first time playing in front of a big crowd."\nAnd it was a crowd that cheered the loudest when freshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. made back-to-back blocks in the second half. He also scored eight points in his 31 minutes of playing time.\nEwing said it was nice to finally play against new people, and he thinks they underestimated the talent of the AIA team.\n"They're a really good team," Ewing Jr. said. "I feel that we stepped up pretty well, but there's still room for improvement."\nEwing stepped in for senior center George Leach who has an injured shoulder. Davis said he was proud of the effort Ewing put into the game.\nSenior guard A.J. Moye started for the Hoosiers but only saw 15 minutes of playing time. Moye injured his toe in practice and is still recovering.\nMoye said he didn't want to blame what he considered "not great" defense on his injury and said he's got to come out and do a better job at setting the tone defensively.\n"We've got to play with a lot more energy, and it starts with me," Moye said. "I won't blame any of these guys. They're young."\nDavis also commented on the youthfulness of the team and said he can't take them too fast for fear that they won't learn anything.\nIndiana shot 39 percent in Friday night's game, and the offense is something players like Wright said they need to work on. Davis also said their offense is behind and at this time last year, the team was much better on the offensive end.\n"The only player that has played a lot on this team is Bracey," Davis said. "It's going to take awhile, but we'll be OK."\nThe Hoosiers' win over AIA might not have gone the way Davis said he had hoped, but he said he's confident in the team and its ability to improve and win games. \nThe next, and last, exhibition game is at home Thursday against the Southeastern All-Stars.\n"We'll be better the next time out," Davis said. "Come out here next Thursday, and you'll see a new basketball team."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/07/03 2:43pm)
Even after a rough practice, IU coach Mike Davis says he loves his team. And while Davis said he thinks the team's offense may be struggling, the defensive part of their game is actually ahead of schedule. \nBoth coaches and players say they hope to have things together for tonight's 7 p.m. game with Athletes in Action.\n"They (AIA) are a good team," Davis said. "They always compete, and they beat a lot of people because they play a lot of games."\nJunior guard Donald Perry remembers his first exhibition game, also against AIA, and said he was pretty nervous before that first game.\n"You just want to go out there and play hard and come back and see what we need to improve on," Perry said. "For a lot of guys, this will be their first game so they might be a little nervous like I was."\nOne of the nervous first-timers will be freshman guard and Bloomington native Errek Suhr. Suhr said he remembers being a fan all of his life and that being a part of the team now is a dream come true.\n"When I was a fan last year, it was expected that Indiana would be good and come out firing," Suhr said. "Now I'm on the other side of it and as a player, I can see that it's still really early to tell what kind of a team this will be."\nThe health of its players will be a huge impact on what kind of team fans can expect. Davis said senior center George Leach had three amazing practices before injuring his shoulder, and senior guard A.J. Moye has injured his toe.\nDavis said it will take Moye a week or so to fully recover and he might play him in tonight's game, but as of Tuesday afternoon he wasn't sure. Whether Leach plays has not been decided. \nIU has played AIA for the last 12 years and has won five straight games against the team. AIA is currently 2-1 in its exhibition tour, with its only defeat coming to Saint Louis, 68-58. \nAIA's lineup will contain former Penn State guard Joe Crispin. He ranks second on the Nittany Lions' career scoring list with 1,986 points. Crispin is a player Davis said he doesn't want his players to know or worry about when it comes to tonight's game.\n"I'm not even going to tell them about Joe Crispin," Davis laughed.\nBut players like Perry seem confident in the direction the team is taking and said he hopes to come out tonight and show the fans a good basketball team.\n"I think we're a more athletic team," Perry said. "Lots of good things this year, and we're in better condition, too."\nIn a crucial time when coaches have to decide about red shirting, Davis said he isn't going to red shirt anyone this year.\n"I'm going to let them play," Davis said. "We've got some guys coming in next year we might have to red shirt." \nWith IU taking on AIA tonight at Assembly Hall, fans will get their first glimpse of this year's basketball team in action for a full game. Davis says games like this are important for the start of the season.\n"Exhibition games give you a point of reference," Davis said. "They give you that because they'll help us know even more what we need to improve on."\n-- Contact staff writer Natalie A. Trout at natrout@indiana.edu.
(11/06/03 5:00am)
Horror is described in the dictionary as an intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear. By that definition, horror is definitely not something viewers feel in today's so-called "horror" films. Maybe in movies like My Boss's Daughter and Rollerball people are often filled with horror but not the type of feeling that horror films are supposed to make us feel.\nIf horror is indeed an intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear, there are few movies that actually fit the bill. And most of them were made a long time ago before new and improved technology was around.\nNo truly scary movie has ever been awarded an Oscar, and since the taste of Halloween is still fresh in our mouths, here are my horror movie awards: