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(01/13/03 5:18am)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Mental toughness, effort, and the desire to win are three key factors that contribute to a victory.\nThe IU men's basketball team lacked all three as the No.15 Hoosiers (11-3, 1-1) fell to the Buckeyes (8-5, 1-1), 81-69 Saturday night.\nIU coach Mike Davis and senior guard Tom Coverdale both noticed early warning signs apparent earlier in the day at the pre-game shoot-around. The IU team lacked concentration then, and it carried over to the game. With dismal defense, poor rebounding and an disastrous offensive attack, the Hoosiers first real road test was a bust.\n"It comes down to wanting it more than the other team, and it's pretty obvious who wanted to win more (Saturday night)," Coverdale said. "We just need to figure out how to play harder or we are going to get beat every game."\nWhile Coverdale, who finished with 18 points, dismissed the notion that the size of the Ohio State players was an advantage, the Buckeyes were able to grab nine more boards than the Hoosiers, and capitalized on assignment mismatches. \nWhile the Hoosiers have previously faced and beat larger-sized teams, the Buckeyes held the upper-hand, especially when the Hoosiers put 6-foot-3-inch freshman guard Bracey Wright on 6-foot-6-inch forward Shun Jenkins for a majority of the second half.\nJenkins, who finished with 22 points, scored six of the Buckeyes first eight points in the second half with Wright guarding him. This stretched the Buckeyes 10-point halftime lead to 15 within five minutes into the second half.\nBut with Wright under the basket, he was able to pick up a team-high eight rebounds, six of which were defensive boards. Wright was also the leading scorer for the Hoosiers with 20 points.\n"(Jenkins) weighs way more than I do," Wright said. "But I tried to keep him off the glass as much as I could. I got switched on him in the second half. I did an okay job on him; he had two or three baskets on me, and I had a couple of the rebounds. But for the most part I was able to keep him under control a little bit."\nBut with the defense not stopping Jenkins or Buckeye guard Brent Darby, who finished with 28 points, the Hoosiers were not getting any breaks on the offensive end.\nThe most disastrous part of the Hoosiers game, aside from the lack of rebounding, was the offense. IU put up 34 three-point shots, but saw only nine connect. The Hoosiers also attempted 63 field goals, but a mere 24 fell for them. By averaging just 26.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 38.1 percent from the field, the Hoosiers were completely taken out of the game by Ohio State.\n"We didn't dig in this game like we needed to," said senior guard Kyle Hornsby, who finished with 0 points after going 0-for-8 from the three-point range. "I don't know if we were ever in the game here. There's got to be some changes as far as what we are doing. Shooting's going to come; we shoot the ball too well. I'm not worried about that. Just defense and rebounding. They got so many second shots; it's ridiculous."\nCoverdale, Hornsby and Wright are all confident that the strong offense will return, and the defensive breakdowns can be fixed. But what is of most concern is the mentality of the team which appears to lack the passion to play hard against any given team on any given night.\n"It just seems like last year, (the mentality) was life or death, and that's not the same feeling we have with this team right now," Coverdale said. "We have to change it, or I think that if it doesn't mean that to you, then you aren't going to be on the floor from here on out"
(12/13/02 5:27am)
Junior guard/forward A.J. Moye hadn't even made an appearance in last Saturday's game, but the all-too-familiar cheers began anyway.\n"AJ MO-YE!" Clap-clap ... clap-clap-clap.\nAll Moye could do was shake his head at the packed Assembly Hall as he watched the IU men's basketball team win their seventh straight game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.\n"It freaks you out, because you haven't even done anything yet, but they'll start it before the game; start sometimes before I get in the game," Moye said of his fan following. "It's like added pressure, but you know, pressure's healthy. It's cool, and I appreciate it. I'm glad the fans like the way I play. "\nDuring last year's NCAA tournament run, it was Moye that drew fan attention and approval. With his overflowing emotion, both on and off the court, Moye built up a fan base that didn't cease over the summer months.\nThis much was apparent from the beginning of this season, starting with last October's Midnight Madness. When Moye's name was announced, Assembly Hall was rocked with loud roars and the trademark cheer.\nBut even though his fans remain unfailing, Moye has seen changes in his role on the Hoosier team. With a talented and stacked backcourt, and senior forward Jeff Newton and junior center George Leach stepping up in the frontcourt, the 6-foot-2-inch Moye is trying to find where he fits in on this team.\n"The thing is, I've got to find my groove at that spot," Moye said of the forward position. "I've never played it before, and the thing is once I find my groove, I may pick up and be out there a little more. But it doesn't matter."\nWhat matters to Moye is that the undefeated Hoosiers keep winning. And if this means that Moye is going to be watching from the bench, he said that he is fine with that.\nWhat Moye sees as his bigger role on the team is being a motivator and an inspirational leader, he said. In the huddle prior to games, Moye sees to it that he is getting the team pumped up. When the starting lineups are announced, Moye is always the last one in line to give the starters a word of encouragement as they run out to the floor. When timeouts are called, he's the first of the bench to offer a word of advice.\n"He gives us a spark," said Roderick Wilmont, redshirted freshman guard and Moye's roommate. "When he does get in the game, A.J. comes in and gets the crowd in it, and does the little stuff that people don't do. He does whatever he can to help the team win. When I got here, he let me know what the ropes are and what to do to get ready for the season. He's been a real positive roommate."\nLast year, despite being hindered by a now-healed shoulder injury, Moye played in all 37 games and during the NCAA tournament averaged eight points per game.\nBut arguably no moment was bigger for Moye than his block against former Duke player Carlos Boozer in IU's upset win over the Blue Devils. Moye lists that as his favorite basketball memory.\nBut this season has created upheaval in Moye's basketball world. With the addition of freshman phenoms Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland, Moye has had to adjust to the power forward position, where it is expected he will get most of his playing minutes.\nDespite seeing action in every game, Moye's minutes in seven games average just over 12, with an average of 3.4 points per game.\nBut even with his current situation, teammates said not to expect Moye to fade into the background.\n"He's the type of person to bounce back," senior guard Tom Coverdale said. "Everybody knows we need him to be a good team. He hasn't had his best games, and has been in kind of a slump, but I think if anyone can bounce out of it, it's A.J"
(12/10/02 5:32am)
IU men's basketball coach Mike Davis described Bracey Wright's double digit scoring as "quiet" in last Saturday's win over University of Illinois-Chicago. The freshman guard managed to score 16 points with little fanfare as teammate Jeff Newton grabbed his third double-double.\nMonday night, the packed Assembly Hall couldn't help but notice Wright, who came out firing in the first half to help the No. 7 Hoosiers pick up their seventh straight victory.\nThe Hoosiers defeated Vanderbilt 73-56.\nThe Hoosier fans expressed their pleasure in Wright's game with a standing ovation as he headed to the sidelines for a rest. Wright had 18 points when he took a break.\nAnd there were still more than 25 minutes left in the game.\n"I couldn't miss," Wright said. "A lot of plays were collapsing in the post, and they were just kick-outs. I was wide open on the backside a lot, and I was able to backdoor cut my man because they were playing tight."\nWright, who finished with a season- and career-best 31 points, came out firing almost immediately, draining a three-point bucket just under a minute into the game. His trey was the first of his next three consecutive shots as he solely built the Hoosier lead to eight.\nThe Commodores watched as Wright made his way inside for his second score of the game. Off a pass from junior center George Leach, Wright reversed and hit the shot under the basket. Wright continued to punish Vanderbilt with a pull-up three-point jump shot.\n"He's an incredible player," senior guard Kyle Hornsby said. "To come out and score our first eight points, I'm sure it sent Vanderbilt into a shellshock at the beginning. They tried to really focus on him for the rest of the game, but he already got his feel, and you weren't going to slow him down much."\nThe Dec. 1 Big Ten Player of the Week has drawn rave reviews from coaches, teammates and outsiders alike. ESPN commentator Dick Vitale listed Wright as one of his "Diaper Dandies." Davis constantly expresses his love for the freshman's game. Hornsby has praised Wright for his ability to make his shots and overall playmaking appear effortless.\nWhile Newton, who had his fourth double-double against the Commodores, and senior guard Tom Coverdale, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week Monday following his 30-point performance against Maryland, have been drawing more noise, Wright has managed to score in double digits since the start of the season.\nUntil Monday night's performance, Wright's previous season and career highs stood at 21 points. Wright scored his previous best in back-to-back games, first against Virginia in the Maui Invitational, and then at home against North Texas. Wright has also had at least one assist in each of the games, and more than three rebounds.\n"We knew it was coming tonight," freshman guard Marshall Strickland said after the game. "The way Bracey looked out there; he looked so smooth. He was on his game tonight, and when he gets like that, not many people can play with him. He's real smooth, he gets his shots and he makes it look easy"\nAfter his initial eight consecutive points, Wright was quiet for about four minutes before continuing to hit the three-point jump shot. Finishing 11-for-20, including 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, Wright hit back-to-back three-point shots to extend the Hoosiers lead to 15 in the first half.\nWright finished the first 20 minutes with 20 points, but wasn't quite done. Even with fatigue setting in -- he played in all but two minutes in the game -- Wright started the second half where he ended the first.\nPulling up to shoot a three-pointer at a spot that appeared to be at least six-feet away from the three-point line, Wright's shot hit nothing but net.\n"He took one shot, I thought he was at half court," Davis said, smiling after the game. "It takes a lot of nerve to take that shot. That was a really big shot, but he's made plays like that over and over again in practice."\nBut even with a career-best game, Wright continues to take it all in stride with his "laidback, nonchalant" attitude.\n"That's just how I am, both on and off the court," Wright said. "I don't really get excited about anything. I am excited (about this), but as a player, it's what you want to expect of yourself"
(12/09/02 3:27am)
Last Thursday and Friday, senior forward Jeff Newton was sidelined in practice because of illness.\nSaturday afternoon, Newton led the IU men's basketball team with 25 points and 12 rebounds in the 91-62 victory over the University of Illinois-Chicago (2-2).\nIllness or constant injury aside, Newton stepped up for the No. 10 Hoosiers yesterday, recording his third straight double-double, while helping IU stay undefeated at 6-0.\n"I didn't realize it, but it's good," Newton said smiling, about his scoring in double figures in every game this season. "I'll take it. I probably am more focused. Coach told me he would run the first five plays for me, so I just wanted to come out aggressive and take it to the hole and convert."\nHaving a mere eight points going into the locker room at the half, Newton was sent to the free throw line after being fouled on a dunk attempt just 12 seconds following the break. Perfect with the shots, he went on to score three of the next four Hoosier baskets, and helped extend IU's lead to 18.\nThe Hoosiers had the height advantage against the Flames, who started four players under 6-5, and with IU's backcourt being pressured by the UIC guards, it was Newton and junior center George Leach who were the go-to guys on Saturday.\n"We knew we were going to look to (Newton) more coming into this game," senior guard Tom Coverdale said. "(UIC) weren't as tall as some of the other teams we've played against and we wanted to take advantage of that. I thought we did a better job in the second half of getting him the ball more."\nBut UIC continued to battle back. The Flames had closed the 16-point halftime gap to 12 with just over 15 minutes left in the game.\nBut emotion got the best of UIC, who fouled sloppily, and sent the Hoosiers to the free-throw line 25 times in the second 20 minutes of play. IU took advantage of the free shots, averaging 88 percent in the second half.\nUIC's Martell Bailey, a 5-10 junior guard, exchanged words with Coverdale and Leach during the tense second half, and was booed by the sold-out Assembly Hall crowd for the remainder of the game.\n"I don't understand guys like that, who still talk when they are down 25-30 points," Coverdale said, who finished with 14 points and five assists. "He was just talking, but that's just part of the game. He was obviously frustrated about getting beat."\nIU shot 45.3 percent from the field, a much improved percentage from the 29 percent against Maryland Tuesday night.\nThe Hoosiers were helped by freshman guard Bracey Wright, who scored 16 points in 24 minutes of play, and by freshman guard Marshall Strickland who came off the bench to go 3-for-6 from the field, and was a perfect 5-for-5 on the line. Strickland ended with 13 points.\nThe Hoosiers quickly used the inside game to get an early lead thanks to consecutive jump shots by Newton. IU extended its lead by going on a 12-0 scoring run in the first half. The Hoosiers led by as much as 19 points, but went into the locker room with a 16-point lead.\nIU looks to extend their win streak to seven when they take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7 p.m. in Assembly Hall.\n"It's good," Wright said, of the win. "We have to learn to put teams away, and when we get teams down, we've got to keep them down. So hopefully this is a start to something we can get going"
(12/06/02 5:09am)
The No. 10 IU men's basketball team came close to putting a mark on the dreaded loss side Tuesday night in the victory over No. 9 Maryland.\nBut the Hoosiers pulled it out in the 80-74 overtime victory, remaining undefeated at 5-0. They hope to add to the left side once again 1 p.m. Saturday when they face University of Illinois-Chicago at Assembly Hall. \nThe Flames hope to keep a two-game winning streak alive when they roll into Bloomington this weekend, while the Hoosiers face the task of bouncing back from the emotional win against the Terps.\nBut don't think the Hoosiers will have any problem preparing for this game.\n"We shouldn't have a problem getting excited about the game," freshman guard Bracey Wright said. "It's not hard to get hyped about basketball. We have a lot of confidence; as well we should, since we have been playing well."\nThe Hoosiers are are enjoying their highest ranking in six years and off to a perfect 5-0 start for the fourth time in the past seven seasons.\nBut they are facing the UIC Flames for the first time in school history, and are facing a Horizon League team hungry for its first win against a Big Ten school in five years.\nThe Flames last picked up a victory against a Big Ten team in 1997, after beating Michigan State at home. The last time the Flames faced a Big Ten foe was last year in a loss to Purdue.\nBut now that the Hoosiers have put the demons of last season's NCAA Championship loss behind them, they can focus on the games ahead.\n"For our confidence, I think it will probably relax our guys," IU coach Mike Davis said, following the Maryland win. "We were so tight when the game started. If I would have called all the timeouts for how we played the first half, I probably would have had to borrow some from the next game. This should relax us for Saturday's game.''\nThe Hoosiers took Wednesday off, and returned to the court Thursday in a more subdued manner. Senior guard Tom Coverdale and senior forward Jeff Newton watched from the sidelines because of illness, and Wright and junior center George Leach shot around on the sidelines while other members of the team practiced.\nBoth teams look to keep their respective win streaks going. The Flames are fresh off a victory against Illinois State, in which they shot 70 percent en route to a 78-65 win. Junior guard Martell Bailey scored a season-high 20 points with nine rebounds and seven assists. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 67 percent from the field.\n"The coaches told us UIC probably won't be as physical as Maryland, but we didn't shoot particularly well either," Wright said. "We just have to make sure we've got energy, and the efforts got to be there."\nEspecially coming off a game in which the Hoosiers shot a dismal 29.9 percent in overall field goals, including going 7-for-39 beyond the arc.\nBut don't think IU is down about the uncharacteristic offensive performance.\n"I hope everybody knows how good of a team we can be and how good of a team we are," Coverdale said.
(12/04/02 6:48am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The IU men's basketball team needed all its big men.\nCoach Mike Davis made that quite clear after Sunday's win against North Texas. In addition to senior forward Jeff Newton and freshman forward Sean Kline, junior center George Leach needed to get over his rotator cuff injury that kept him on the bench Sunday, and quick.\nBecause if No. 10 IU was going to contend with No. 9 Maryland Tuesday night, the frontcourt had to be ready to play.\nAlthough Leach experienced the same slow start as the rest of the team, Newton emerged after the break, and Kline was clutch in the stretch as the Hoosiers emerged with an overtime win, 80-74. The Hoosiers remain undefeated in five games, as the Terps fall to 3-1.\n"Leach hadn't played in three or four practices, and he didn't play against North Texas," Davis said. "I didn't think he was impressive on the boards. But they had 30 rebounds at the half, we had 19. Then we ended up with 49, and they had 46. That tells you a lot about our guys. They rebounded the ball in the second half."\nDespite mild overall success, Leach made his return to the court known after his one-game absence. In a packed Conseco Fieldhouse, Leach made his first of five first half blocks against Maryland's senior Ryan Randle with less than two minutes after the start. \nWith fearsome holler, Leach knocked the ball out-of-bounds preventing a Terrapin score. Less than two minutes later, Leach again punished Maryland with a block that was diminished after a Hoosier foul away from the ball.\nBut Leach's biggest dunk was yet to come. With just over 10 minutes left in the first half, Leach punished Maryland guard senior Steve Blake by swatting Blake's lay-up shot well into the first few rows of fans, bringing the crowd to their feet.\nBut even with Leach's blocks, the Terrapins had the edge in the frontcourt in the first half. Randle, a 255-pound senior center, and senior forward Tahj Holden were huge under the basket in the first half picking up 14 of Maryland's 30 rebounds.\nHolden found himself in foul trouble early in the second half, picking up three within the first seven minutes. Holden picked up his fifth with a foul away from the ball, sending him to the bench for good.\n"Whenever you play against two guys that outweigh you by 50 or 60 pounds, it wears on you," senior guard Tom Coverdale said. \nBut with Holden forced to watch, the Hoosiers and Newton took charge of the game. Kline replaced Leach with less than 10 minutes into the half, but after Leach's first half defense, it was Newton's turn to take over.\nNewton had zero shooting success in the first half, going 0-for-7, with zero points. That changed in the second as IU clawed its way back from a four-point halftime deficit. Newton's first attempts at the basket in the half were blocked and mishandled, but as IU started to take over, Newton came up with key plays.\nHis first was a one-handed dunk after driving to the basket, and on the next possession, he made a jump shot under pressure, but missed the following free throw. \nNewton continued his offensive contributions by feeding senior guard Kyle Hornsby for a jump shot. To finish off his emergence, Newton brought the crowd to its feet with a huge open dunk.\n"It was tough under the basket," Holden said. "The Indiana big guys are pretty athletic, and they block a lot of shots. Newton is an athletic player. He gets up and down the floor really well."\nNewton completed the game, and his turnaround, with a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.\nBut it was Kline's entrance into the game that helped complete the Hoosier rally. As Leach returned to the bench for a rest, Kline stepped in. Finishing with 10 points and five rebounds, arguably none of his shots mattered more than his free throw shot with seven seconds left in regulation. Going one-for-one, Kline sent the game into overtime, and added five points in the extra five minutes.\n"It was tight," Kline said. "I was nervous up there, but I just tried to calm myself by thinking about practice, staying the same. It wasn't the same because I never made two in a row, but I hit the big one to tie it. I was mad at myself, but we came out on top"
(12/03/02 5:09am)
U football coach Gerry DiNardo came in the 2002 season with high hopes for his team. Wins, a post-season and a strong graduation record were what he promised to anyone who would listen.\nWell, I guess one out of three isn't bad. \nNo, I lied, it's horrible. Congratulations, your players are going to get their degrees. But what about the wins you promised? Cake wins against William & Mary and Central Michigan, and an upset of Wisconsin is hardly something to call home about. I mean, even Cam Cameron's team beat the Badgers.\nAnd a post-season? Ha. That one comes when you close your eyes at night, and hope your dream includes scenes from inside the Rose Bowl.\nBecause that's about as close to a bowl as DiNardo and his squad is going to get.\nSo what went wrong this year? Transitional seasons aren't always smooth, but in DiNardo's first season at LSU, he went 7-4-1. At Vanderbilt, he took a team that was 1-10, and helped them earn a 5-6 record.\nAt Vanderbilt no less! IU may not be known for its powerhouse football team, and yes, the Hoosiers lost a plethora of key players last year, but it doesn't matter. DiNardo was working in the Big Ten, and his team should have showed more improvement.\nSo where was the problem?\nPerhaps it was how DiNardo handled his adopted squad. Kid gloves were definitely not used with the team. DiNardo kicked players off the team, lost players to other schools and had kids just quit the team.\nIn his defense, DiNardo made it clear that second chances were not in his vocabulary, but when you take over a team that has been under a coach who was a rumored softy, you have to allow for a grace period. Even if DiNardo was used to taking over a coaching position, the IU players hadn't had to adjust to a new coach before.\nEspecially not one that appeared to make it a weekly goal to get one player off the team. Especially a scholarship player. What better way to enhance recruiting then to have a large number of scholarships waiting to be filled?\nWhich brings up another question: How far into the future was DiNardo looking when he took over? He got many of his recruits numerous playing time this year. Not only does DiNardo have all those open scholarships to offer his recruiting prospects, he can use the playing time of the true freshmen to lure them to the University.\nAn important rule in sports is never to look past the next opponent. Looking past any team is the ingredient for a loss.\nBut was DiNardo breaking this rule, looking ahead and seeing a team that consisted of his recruits, of his way of playing, of players that competed with the attitude he could drive into them from the beginning?\nOf players who bought into his coaching style without those nagging thoughts of where their head coached loyalties stood?\nMaybe DiNardo's overlooking of the present season wasn't entirely to blame, maybe it had to do with players finding themselves in new positions at any given moment.\nOr the yo-yoing of the quarterback. Hopefully behind close doors DiNardo sounded more confident than he did in press conferences with who was playing where and when, because it always seemed like even he didn't believe in what he was saying.\nOr maybe that it was just not the Hoosiers' year. Again.\nI wanted them to win this year, and for a couple hours into this season, I thought they could maybe even do it. \nBut that didn't happen. Neither did any of DiNardo's empty promises.\nSo to all you disheartened Hoosier fans, the only advice I can offer you comes from a saying by the old Brooklyn Dodgers fans.\n"Wait 'till next year"
(11/26/02 5:16am)
Purdue 34, IU 10. Just like that, the Hoosiers closed the door on another rough rebuilding season. In the week prior to the intrastate rival game against Purdue, it seemed that the Hoosiers were so pumped up, so excited and so ready to win the finale.\nInstead, the Old Oaken Bucket ends its brief stay in Bloomington, and IU has to reply to Boilermaker taunts with the usual, "Wait until basketball starts."\nIU should take pride though in the fact that its campus is prettier, better-smelling and has fans that don't feel the need to pelt opposing coaches with styrofoam.\nSo there were highlights to the otherwise forgettable football Saturday, so let's take a look back at events that transpired both on and off the field in West Lafayette.\n• In a surprise move to start out Saturday, the IU offense didn't go three and out on the first series of the game. Instead, it made it all the way to 38-yard line, until senior quarterback Tommy Jones was sacked for a loss, and the Hoosiers were forced to punt from the 33-yard line. It set up a nice 5-play, 81-yard series that ended in a touchdown for the Boilermakers.\n• IU coach Gerry DiNardo made an incredibly classy move by deciding to play both Jones and senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan. It was very nice of DiNardo to let both seniors play in their final game, although one wonders where this niceness was at last week's final home game against Purdue. Hamdan saw action only as the team's holder on kicks in his last time in Memorial Stadium. Perhaps DiNardo was sending a subliminal message that he was already looking forward to his sophomore season when he gets to play more of his recruits, while giving former coach Cam Cameron's the shaft? Hmmmm....\n• This next highlight was probably the best and most unbelievable play of the game. Purdue's quarterback had completed a pass to his wide receiver who came into contact with IU's freshman linebacker John Kerr. Kerr put one of the most unbelievable hits on this wide receiver. When Kerr reached the receiver, he didn't just tackle him. He lifted him completely of the ground and then slammed him onto the field as if this receiver was a rag doll instead of a 6-foot 2-inch 176-pound athlete. Even the Purdue side was so in awe that it showed the replay a couple times.\n• So this really isn't a highlight from the game, but it was still unforgettable. For some reason the Purdue press box, which is brand new and incredibly nice, smelled like a bad mix of 'BO' and smelly feet. And the IDS crew was stuck in the middle of it. But just when we thought the stench couldn't get any worse, the man next to me decided to mark his territory. This man, who had an odd resemblance to Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movie, had been squirming in his seat for about a minute until finally he leaned to his left and passed the loudest and smelliest gas on the planet. For the next five minutes, my fellow reporters and I were stuck gagging and giggling while the man pretended nothing happened. It was almost unbelievable as seeing male Purdue students walking around dressed up in full bunny costumes. Something is definitely a little off on that campus.\n• For Purdue, a highlight would be that the Boilermaker defense held IU to negative rushing yards until 1:07 was left in the third quarter. THIRD QUARTER. No wonder the Hoosiers lost. Between the yo-yoing of quarterbacks and the negative rushing yards, IU didn't have a chance. And at the end of the third, when the Purdue announcer was going over the most recent game stats, I feel he had a huge smile on his face when he read that IU had 18 rushes for 26 yards, while Purdue's total yardage was 391 yards.\n• It was nice to see that Purdue fans were as classless as Ohio State fans were on Saturday. By the way, watching Buckeye fans jump over huge fire piles trying to outdo each other just proves the point that Buckeye fans lack a plethora of brain cells. But in any case, Purdue fans stopped short of flipping over cars or burning anything, but they did take the opportunity to throw stuff on the field, including styrofoam cups and plastic bottles. So not only did your team line up on the wrong side to kick off just before this event, but you feel the need to throw objects that did nothing but heed an officials warning and make you all look like donkey's behinds. Very nice, indeed.
(11/25/02 4:46am)
The IU men's basketball team starts their season in paradise tonight. The No. 21 Hoosiers traveled to Hawaii Saturday morning to prepare for tonight's game against Massachusetts. The two teams meet in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.\nThe game, which will be aired on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. tonight, marks the fourth time that IU has played in the Maui Invitational. The last time the Hoosiers were in Hawaii was 1998, when the team fell in the championship game. Overall, IU is 5-4 in the tournament.\n"We're trying to prepare for a higher intensity as far as the other team is concerned," senior guard Kyle Hornsby said. "In Maui, the Big Ten or any other game, there is going to be a lot more pressure defense. We're going to have to get back because they are going to want to push it down the court as fast as they can and that's something we're trying to prepare for."\nIn addition to preparing for a more difficult challenge than the Hoosiers faced in the first two exhibition games, IU spent the week prior to leaving adjusting to the experimental rules that the Hoosiers will see in Maui. IU has to adjust to a wider free throw lane, which had been expanded by two feet. The three-point line has been moved back by nine inches, making the experimental length 20 feet, six inches. The third change is moving the free throw lane block farther back.\nIU played with these new rules in the Nike Elite exhibition game, and went 13-for-24 from the new three-point arc.\nFollowing the Nike Elite win, IU coach Mike Davis made his intentions in Maui clear.\n"Our main focus right now is to work on Maui, to go over there and make a good showing and try to win it," Davis said. "But it's tough when you're playing three straight games."\nThis is the first time the Hoosiers have faced the UMass Minutemen. Last year, UMass finished 13-16 under first-year coach Steve Lappas. Should the Hoosiers beat UMass tonight, they would be facing the winner of the No. 22 Gonzaga-Utah game. \nOne advantage the Hoosiers have going into the tournament was the benefits from the summer conditioning. The IU team has described the six-week intensive workouts as being similar to "boot camp." But these warm weather workouts will make adjusting to the steamy Maui climate easier.\n"The Maui Invite was quite a motivation throughout summer and preseason conditioning," assistant strength and conditioning coordinator Geoff Eliason said. "We had discussed the need to push beyond our limits this summer and preseason in our running to prepare for the adversity that we will face in Hawaii. It was to our advantage that this summer was uncommonly hot for days on end."\nProbable starters for the UMass game are Hornsby, senior guard Tom Coverdale, freshman guard Bracey Wright, senior forward Jeff Newton and junior center George Leach. Junior guard A.J. Moye and freshman guard Marshall Strickland are expected to make early entrances into the game.\nBut the Hoosiers aren't expecting Maui to be all work and no play. The team hopes to get a chance to enjoy the weather and the scenery.\n"I'm bringing two cameras," Strickland said. "I can't wait to see palm trees again, and I'm looking forward to the warm weather"
(11/22/02 4:49pm)
My respect for Purdue is now non-existent, and my opinion of Hoosiers fans has drastically declined.\nHere's why.\nWhile looking on Peegs.com, the IU fan Web site, I read an interesting posting on the football board.\nThe first post of this conversation was a link to a Sally Jenkins article on The Washington Post Web site. Ms. Jenkins is a sports columnist for the Post, and her column covers a wide variety of sports and other related issues. She is also the daughter of Dan Jenkins, one of the best sportswriters ever.\nIn her most recent column, Ms. Jenkins discussed the BCS standings, and how "quality wins" may not be so quality. She mentions Ohio State missing Iowa, making the Buckeyes perhaps a bit overrated. As a whole, Ms. Jenkins said that the Big Ten conference "doesn't look so great."\nWhich is true. The Big Ten just isn't that strong this year.\nBut the men who responded were offended. One man, a Purdue fan, even said "this is what happens when you let a woman write about football. It's like a guy writing about the experience of pregnancy." The worst was the silence of Hoosier fans to this sexist post.\nNow, I'm offended. As should Alexander Tsiaras, Barry Werth, Robert V. Johnson and Ian Davis. All men, and all have written books on pregnancy.\nCan those stuck with 19th century thoughts on gender roles please catch up to the 21st century. \nWomen can write about men's sports, and men can write about pregnancy. Sure, each side has its disadvantages to having full knowledge of those respective experiences. But it's not impossible.\nAside from Ms. Jenkins, women all across the country write sports for major newspapers. Jackie MacMullan is a lead columnist for the Boston Globe, and has worked for Sports Illustrated. Chris McKendry is a regular columnist on . Melissa Isaacson is the lone female of the Chicago Tribune sports columnists.\nAnd females aren't just columnists either. They are covering men's amateur and professional sports for major newspapers all over the nation. They do the play-by-play and color commentary on television and radio. Women in sports media isn't a new concept. In fact, it's become a regular career choice for females.\nUnfortunately, this is not the first time that I've heard rude comments about women and sports. When I wrote about my dislike for Ohio State, a Buckeye fan wrote me and said that I should put my apron on and get back to the kitchen.\nWell, I can tell you one thing, you definitely don't want me in the kitchen. Last year, I almost burned down a friend's apartment trying to make a frozen pizza. And that's one of the easiest things to make.\nThe real problem is that these two ignorant men's views aren't isolated. Gender roles, in sports and in life, are ridiculously skewed. \nNow I'm not asking for unisex bathrooms or men's professional sports to integrate women. I don't believe Augusta National should change its history, especially when all-female golf courses exist. Certain areas of life for men and women should be separate to keep a little identity for both sexes.\nBut as for sportswriting or the right to play sports -- no way. Title IX was a great law, because it gave women the ability to play sports and compete just like men. Sure, the level of competition is different, but that doesn't make females the weaker sex.\nAnd when a woman writes about sports, it doesn't mean she doesn't understand what's going on.\nMs. Jenkins has traveled to a variety of sporting events. Plus sports was likely a huge part of her childhood because her father covered sports. I know from personal experience. My dad was a sportswriter, and while my classmates' families went to Disney World, our family vacations were to Iowa for the CBA championships, or to Toledo for PGA tournaments. \nI grew up around sports, just like many females today. I love them, and I love writing about them. That's what makes a good sportswriter. Passion, ability, knowledge. Not their gender.\nSo next time, hopefully the men who disagree with what's been written don't consider the sex of the writer, but rather the content and the validity of the argument. Because really, that's all that matters.
(11/22/02 5:09am)
For 45 agonizing minutes, freshman Joe Haarman sat outside IU men's basketball coach John Treloar's office waiting for the news of whether or not he would be the next walk-on to join the team.\nHaarmon watched two other players walk in the office and get the news, including junior Jason Stewart, who got his good news right before Haarmon.\n"I didn't react really," Stewart said. "Joe hadn't gotten his news yet, so when I came out of the office, I just kept it to myself. I was kind of calm because I didn't want him to know that I had made it before he knew his news."\nSo Haarman saw the first person, a senior, receive word that he hadn't made the team, and watched as a calm Stewart walked out of Treloar's office.\nBut Haarman went in, sat down across from Treloar and was told that Haarmon's decision to bypass the chance to play at Div. 2 or Div. 3 schools was worth it.\nHaarman and Stewart were accepted as the newest members of the Hoosier squad.\n"It's just amazing, and a dream come true to be out here with these guys everyday," Stewart said. "It's not that I didn't think I had the ability to bang with this guys, it's just that I didn't know they were taking anybody, and if they were, they didn't tell me there were two spots. It was one of the best days of my life."\nFor three weeks prior to being added to the team, Haarman and Stewart endured practice with the better conditioned and more seasoned scholarship players.\nThe two forwards were in the front court, battling with senior forward Jeff Newton and junior center George Leach.\nThe hard work underneath earned them the right to wear the cream-and-crimson candy-striped pants and run out of the tunnel in front of the Assembly Hall crowd.\n"I just want to be part of the program and work these guys out in practice as much as I can," Stewart said. "Hopefully over the years, if I'm fortunate to make it over the years until I'm a senior, I'd love to be able to contribute to the team on the floor during a game. I know my minutes are limited as it is, if not zero."\nBoth Haarman and Stewart took different paths attempting to get on the team. Haarman, an Ohio-native, had a variety of different schools he could have attended, including Ohio, Clemson or South Carolina. But he wanted to take his chances at IU.\nFor Stewart, the idea of being a walk-on never left his mind. During his first two years at IU, Stewart spent his time playing basketball at the SRSC and HPER, all the while dreaming of his shot on the team.\nStewart had originally called the men's team during his sophomore year, but he didn't get a call to try-out until this past summer.\n"I came in and just started working out," Stewart said. "The first couple weeks were the hardest time I have had in my life, coming out here and adjusting from being a student to a student-athlete."\nDespite having to adjust to new class, sleep and eating schedules, the pair has been adjusting to the intensity of college-level basketball.\nEven though Stewart is a junior, he describes himself as a freshman on the basketball court. But both Haarman and Stewart have been welcomed on the team, and have established their roles as being the "practice players who work the big guys out."\n"They're doing a great job as far as being able to push guys in practice," coach Mike Davis said. "They're really working hard. They are playing hard and working hard."\nBoth understand that playing minutes are going to be few and far between, and that it is in practice where they really have to execute.\nBut just being part of the storied IU basketball history is enough for them.\n"The best thing is just knowing that I'm part of the tradition of IU basketball and the great history that it has," Stewart said. "Knowing that I'll be a part of it forever, and when people talk about IU basketball, I can relate to it and I know I am a part of it"
(11/19/02 4:40am)
I was running a little behind Saturday, so instead of watching the IU-Penn State kickoff from the press box, I watched it on television from home.\nI left after the first offensive play of the game, an IU freshman running back Yamar Washington carry for four yards. In the five minutes it took to get from my house to the stadium, the IU football team had gone three and out and Penn State had already scored.\nNot a good sign.\nBut let's be reasonable. The IU football team was not going to win this game, especially if the first two scores of the game were both set up by the defense. In fact, the first one was scored by freshman safety Buster Larkins who intercepted Penn State quarterback Zach Mills at the 41-yard line. The second score was set up by freshman linebacker John Kerr who returned an interception to the seven yards to the 21-yard line.\nIt took the offense five plays to move the ball 21 yards.\nAnd for the second time in the game, the point-after attempt failed. IU had the lead, but the offense only had 17 yards.\nSad, pathetic, disheartening. Take your pick. The Hoosiers were only down 14-12 going into the second quarter, but with no working offense, the Hoosiers were not going to win.\nEspecially not with the IU defense having to figure out how exactly they were supposed to stop Penn State's amazing running back, Larry Johnson, and how they were supposed to help out an offense that couldn't move the ball.\nThe defense couldn't carry the game, and after halftime, they didn't. But it's not like Johnson really helped the cause at all.\nSo let's talk about Larry Johnson. For the second week in a row, I was envious of how the opposing crowd got to watch such talented players week in and week out. First it was Michigan State's Charles Rogers. This week, it was Johnson.\nBottom line, he was amazing. For the entire game, he rushed for 327 yards.\nIU's total offense had 275 yards.\nYes, those statistics are correct. Johnson rushed for more yards than the IU team had total. In fact, by the end of the first quarter, which Johnson closed out with a 69-yard touchdown run, he already had 100 yards. For Hoosiers fans, that's just embarrassing. But come on, IU does have the second worst rush defense in the Big Ten.\nThe worst is Northwestern. And the Hoosiers couldn't even beat them.\nBut back to Johnson, because, well, he's awesome, fun and just plain gifted. Sure, he was against a defense that definitely was not going to provide much difficulty for him to run around, but that doesn't jade the fact that he is a premier back.\nHe managed to break or put his name on just about every record imaginable. Johnson broke the Nittany Lions single game rushing record with his 327 yards on 28 carries. But get this, it wasn't just the first time he broke it, it was the third. Johnson is the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. For the third time.\nThe four touchdowns he scored were a career-high for the player who put his numbers in Big Ten history books when his 327 yards were the fifth-highest. Ever. \nShould I continue? Because I can.\nJohnson's 327 yards were the second-highest rush yards grossed in the country this year, and not since 1996 has a Big Ten player run for more than 300 yards. Of course the last time that happened, it was against a Mid-American Conference team, not a fellow Big Ten school, but whatever. \nThe list goes on, but for the sake of saving IU a little humiliation, I'll stop. Bottom line is, Johnson has a fantastic running ability, and if anyone should be an out-of-nowhere candidate for the Heisman Trophy, it should be him.\nEven if it all happened against the Hoosiers.
(11/15/02 5:36am)
The IU men's basketball fans got to welcome one of the newest members to the Hoosiers squad last Friday night. Fifty-six seconds into the game, this youngster stepped behind the arc and lofted a shot that landed perfectly in the hoop. \nLadies and gentleman, meet freshman guard Bracey Wright. \nWright has been making waves with Hoosier fans since Midnight Madness, and has played basketball to both near perfection and the crowd's delight.\n"Bracey can be a good player," IU coach Mike Davis said. "He's got to continue to work and try to improve everyday. He's a good guy and a special player. When kids have that (talent) they tend to act a certain way, but he's just really good."\nWright didn't stop wooing the crowd with his first three-point jump shot. He helped the Hoosiers jump out to an early lead in their 97-56 victory over Athletes in Action by dishing out assists, grabbing rebounds and scoring. Not long after Wright hit his first shot and assisted a senior guard Kyle Hornsby three, he showed the crowd his jumping skills.\nWright followed a fast break lay-up miss by junior center George Leach and scored a put-back dunk off the miss. The crowd went crazy, while Wright headed down the court to set-up for defense. It was all seriousness on the court for the Texas native.\n"He dunks the rebound the other night and it looks like he didn't even strain," Hornsby said. "That's impressive to me, because I'm never going to do that, ever. If I go up and dunk one, you're going to see a lot of straining. It just impresses me so much the way he does things and it looks effortless; it looks like he's not even trying. It's something he does and it looks so fluid."\nWright credits that "effortless look" to his high school coach in The Colony, Tex. His coach, Wright said, was the one that sat him down and told him how playing could look and be easy for him.\nIt was also his high school coach that told him to let the game become him, and it would just come naturally.\n"(The court) feels like home," Wright said. "I never have a worry, I just play. My high school coach put it in my head and now it looks effortless."\nAlthough Wright has talent that allows his game to be solid even if he's not all there mentally, Wright still has areas of his game he wants to work on.\nMost notably, his focus during practice and games. Hornsby said that while Wright's getting away with the lack of focus right now, during the Big Ten season, he could be even better if he keeps in the game.\nWright admits that this is one area he needs to work on.\n"I need to work on not so much physical, but just learning the game and being patient out there," Wright said. "Sometimes, as the game goes up and down I tend to get impatient as far as the basketball. So just be patient and let everything come to me"
(11/15/02 5:33am)
Just one problem faced the IU men's basketball team following the 41-point win over Athletes in Action last Friday night. The team went into Monday's practice with less focus and more ego.\nBut as practice progressed this week, the Hoosiers found their focus and hope to contain it for tomorrow's exhibition game.\n"The only thing scary out of Friday night's game is that our guys came back a little bit big-headed on Monday," IU coach Mike Davis said. "Really, AIA is a good team, don't get me wrong. But they don't count."\nNeither does the Nike Elite, who the Hoosiers face at 8 p.m. Saturday in Assembly Hall. But that doesn't mean IU wants anything less than a large victory.\nBut they face a Nike Elite team that has been on a whirlwind tour of college campuses since the early part of November. The team is slowly migrating west, but has yet to pick up a win. The Nike Elite has lost to Marquette, Syracuse, Massachusetts, Penn State and Ohio State.\nBut playing in college arenas is nothing new for the Nike Elite. Their roster is made up of former college standouts, including former Maryland player Exree Hipp and former Iowa State guard Dedric Willoughby. The team, who faced Michigan State Thursday night, dropped a game last Tuesday to the Buckeyes 73-59.\n"I hear that this team we're playing is much better than the team we played this Friday," freshman guard Bracey Wright said. "I don't know if they'll be as healthy or as rested, but I think Saturday will be a bit more of a challenge for us. But if we come out the same way we played Friday, with the same intensity, we'll be all right."\nBut the Hoosiers didn't feel the need to make many adjustments following last Saturday's blowout. After Monday's lackluster practice, IU regained their focus and worked on cleaning up offensive plays a bit and improving on transition defense.\nNot that the Hoosiers have much to worry about following last Friday's 97-56 routing of AIA. IU showed that the focus on the three-point shot has not wavered much, and was 18-for-35 beyond the arc. The more than 50 percent three-point shooting was even better than the overall field goal percentage, which was just more than 49.3 percent.\n"I know that I had some defensive plays that could have been better," senior guard Kyle Hornsby said. "It wasn't terrible but I know that I can get a lot better. As far as offensively, I think 7-for-8 is good, but if someone is shooting 7-for-8, then he should be shooting more shots."\nHornsby was the leading scorer for the Hoosiers last Saturday, picking up 20 points and going 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. \nOther notable offensive standouts last week included Wright, who tied with senior point guard Tom Coverdale and senior forward Jeff Newton, for 15 points.\n"I looked at the box score, and it's good to see we were the only team that beat (AIA) by a lot," Davis said. "But hopefully we can make shots like we did that night and that's a big part of our offense"
(11/14/02 5:57am)
So, we've established that the IU football team is the worst team in the Big Ten this year. Now, that's a pretty sad and pathetic feat for the season, but it could be worse.\nNeed proof? Imagine the following:\n10. Being the L.A. Lakers without Shaq. The Lakers are 2-6, and dead last in the Pacific division of the Western Conference. What a great way to prove that the only way you can win is by relying on your big man to carry you. Does this remind anyone else of the Chicago Bulls minus Michael Jordan in the mid-90's. They couldn't win without him. The current Lakers a dynasty? I don't think so. More like the Shaq dynasty with 13 peons.\n9. Being Ben Affleck. Can you imagine being engaged to a more flaky person? The IU Athletic Department could have saved money on figuring out how to change their image by watching a tape of Jennifer Lopez over the years. First she's Jennifer with a Latino husband, then she goes to J-Lo and hip hop with Puffy, threw in husband Cris Judd for fun and now she's Jenny with Benny. Next thing you know, she's sporting a Boston accent and reciting Good Will Hunting. How do you like them apples?\n8. Being part of the recent craze of running onto the field and getting attacked or being attacked. What is wrong with these people? Miami (Ohio) assistant coach Jon Wauford was arrested after sucker-punching a Marshall fan after the Marshall win. This comes after Kansas City Royals coach Tom Gamboa was attacked by a scary father and son duo. People, people, people, the IU football team lost to Northwestern and Michigan State, and no one got a beat-down in the process. If they can keep control, anyone can.\n7. You could be poor Northwestern, back on the Bottom 10 poll on ESPN.com. The Wildcats beat IU, yet the Hoosiers are not on the list, and Northwestern is No.10? That's just not fair, even if the Wildcats face Iowa this week. IU faces Penn State, on NATIONAL television. That's got to be worthy of at least a mention. \n6. You could be Bob Knight. Note to coach Knight -- it's called letting go. To sue IU two years after he was fired seems counterproductive. The fact that he's one of the best coaches in the history of college basketball is only strengthened by the job he has done at Texas Tech. He needs to move on from the past, because it's not going to change.\n5. You could be at a University where the colors still aren't consistent and the athletic department is in debt. Imagine the basketball arena at this University. The floor, banners and cheers are still one color, when everything else is another color. Hey wait a second. That describes IU. Darn.\n4.You could have to play on the same team as Barry Bonds. Bonds needs his own stadium for his ego and Creatine alone. Plus he's moody, rude and is the one person who has managed to find an "I" in the word team.\n3. You could be part of the Michigan basketball program. The Wolverines penalized themselves before the NCAA could take action after it was discovered an alumni gave former players money. This includes taking the Fab Five out of their record books, forfeiting 112 games and taking down various banners from the past 10 years. Erasing the history of the best recruiting class ever? Heartbreaking.\n2. You could be an athletic department that doesn't know the definition of the word "deadline." Here's some help. It is "a time limit, as for payment of a debt or completion of an assignment." Can you believe some athletic departments set deadlines then don't even abide by their own timeliness? Oh no -- this is IU again! Damn!\n1. Being a member of the Indianapolis Ice and having to seriously play hockey with Manute Bol. Hello! He's 7-7, an NBA disaster and actually participated in the show Celebrity Boxing. Are they trying to turn themselves into the biggest joke in minor league hockey? Mission accomplished.\nSee, being the worst isn't so bad after all.
(11/12/02 4:38am)
Dun-da-da-da. They're baaaaack. \nThat's right. The weekly awards are making a return appearance. And why not?\nBy losing, or getting destroyed, by Michigan State, the team self-appointed themselves into the position of the worst team in the Big Ten. Give them a crown, or even a banner. \n"2002 Big Ten Bottom-Dwellers."\nCongrata-freakin-lations. What an honor. IU coach Gerry DiNardo said in his post-game press conference that he felt really sorry for the seniors that they wouldn't be able to play in a bowl game. Let us not forget, however, that the team should have sewn up a bid by this point. But by blowing it against Iowa, unexplainably losing to Northwestern and getting completely embarrassed by the Spartans, the Hoosiers ruined their chances all by themselves.\nSo while we ponder how it is that a team can lose both their captains and their coach within a two-week span, go on the road and then beat up on the home team, let's hand out some awards.\nBiggest sham at Indiana University\nThe IU athletic department. Has it escaped everyone else's attention that the original price for basketball tickets was $11.50? And if it hasn't, can anyone explain why the students who purchased the tickets are only getting refunded $11 per ticket. Hmmm, apparently the athletic department is experiencing counting problems again. And why, if IU is $3-million dollars in debt, pay former Athletic Director Michael McNeely $800,000 to go away. The University is still paying former IU football coach Cam Cameron and former basketball coach Bob Knight. Does anyone wonder why this school is in debt? What's needed is a complete overhaul of the administrative and athletic department staff. We need reasonable people to run this school. And by the way -- it's not McNeely's fault football ticket sales sagged. When you're worst in the Big Ten, not so many people want to come to the games.\nItem most needed by IU Saturday\nStick-em's for the receivers. A lifetime supply, pronto. IU quarterback Gibran Hamdan was 11-for-25 with two interceptions before being taken out once the game was out of control. The running backs for IU were less-than-impressive, gaining a mere 124 yards total, so the offense had to look elsewhere to move the ball. But when receivers are dropping balls that hit them in the numbers, you know there are problems. \nBest part of the entire game\nGetting a chance to watch Spartan wide receiver Charles Rogers. Wow. I may not be a fan of Michigan State -- but they are worth watching just to see him in action. Rogers twice caught balls that to anyone else appeared completely uncatchable. The first time was when State scored in the endzone to go up 21-7. Rogers caught the ball while being smothered by the IU safety, and somehow managed to fight for and grab the ball. The second was a 17-yard reception that set-up the next Spartan touchdown. Once again, Rogers was covered. And once again, he was money.\nMost understandable event\nWhen the crowd got up and streamed out of the stadium at halftime. The score was 42-7. At this point, there was no reason to stay.\nMost hope-inducing event\nEven though the Hoosiers were down by five touchdowns, the defense right out of halftime was impressive. After Gibran Hamdan was intercepted on the first series of the second half, the defense came in, kept the Spartans out of the endzone and blocked a field goal attempt. Freshman cornerback Leonard Bryant was responsible for keeping the Spartans out of the endzone, with nice coverage on Charles Rogers. Then senior cornerback Antonio Watson blocked the field goal attempt. Too bad those plays came too late. \nBiggest letdown\nThe season in general. The results turned out far, far less than expected. The players said they were playing the next two games for pride, now that a post-season isn't going to happen. Playing for pride is respectable, but they should be playing for a decent bowl bid.
(11/07/02 5:05am)
Lately, I have been hit with various questions about the IU football team and other random events. These seem to be pressing inquiries that deserve to be answered, so here are the top 12 questions of the week, complete with answers.\nWhy was former Michigan State coach Bobby Williams so bad at his job?\nBecause he obviously cared more about being a pal than being a coach. Williams is probably not the only person in the Spartan program that had knowledge about all the problems with the team, but he was the one with the ability to put an end to all the outside drama. That is one good aspect about IU coach Gerry DiNardo. He holds his players to high standards on and off the field. Williams should have done the same.\nThat was the most predictable event?\nThat once Williams, an African-American coach, was fired, several people would be crying that he was fired because of his race. Never mind the fact that the program is in such disarray that the Spartan players couldn't even produce against its most historic rival, Michigan. It doesn't matter what color the coach was; because of the situations, anyone in that position should have lost his job.\nWhy does MSU's quarterback Jeff Smoker have such a drug problem?\nHe found inspiration in his last name. \nHow angry is MSU's wide receiver Charlie Rogers?\nCharlie who? Just kidding. Rogers should be livid at his teammates, especially the supposed captains, Smoker and newly-kicked off Dawan Moss, for the state of the team. Rogers is one of the most talented wide receivers in the country and had his name thrown around Heisman talks. He leads the Big Ten in receiving yards and is also fourth in the nation. But Rogers has gotten lost somewhere in all the controversy. If anyone is worthy of sympathy, it's him.\nShould we be concerned that Michigan State is now in the ESPN Bottom 10 poll?\nYes. It's the same ranking Northwestern had prior to the IU game, and apparently the Hoosiers can't even beat teams that are considered the worst. It's a miracle the Hoosiers aren't on the list. Apparently the people that make those polls are smoking the same thing State's quarterback was.\nWhy aren't you more positive about the Hoosiers?\nShow me something positive, and I'll write something positive. But the last three games have provided zero to be optimistic about, and IU's been given the benefit of the doubt one too many times.\nSo, is the team going to win?\nNo. \nWhere did IU's rush defense go?\nThe same place Jeff Smoker's substances went. Up in smoke.\nWhat's most encouraging about the IU team?\nOk, so the underclassman players are providing a glimmer of hope for the future. The list of players includes sophomore Courtney Roby, one of the top receivers in the Big Ten, running backs Yamar Washington and Chris Taylor, two freshman who ran all over the field against Northwestern, linebacker John Kerr, cornerback Damien Jones, fullback John Pannozo and receiver Tyke Spencer, among the others. Even as youngsters they are impacting the team this season, so the next couple of years should only get better.\nWhat would be most embarrassing for the Big Ten?\nThat the first year the Big Ten is given the chance to send seven teams to a bowl game, and only fill five. Technically, Wisconsin should be eligible because it has six wins, but they are struggling this year. I mean, the last win IU had was against the Badgers. Enough said.\nHow big of waste is the luxury boxes being built in Memorial Stadium?\nHuge. How about you work on attracting students to the games? But as the IU Athletic Department has shown over and over again, their motto is "Money Talks." Which leads into the next question...\nHow much is the IU athletic department in need of counting lessons?\nWhat is with this over-estimation of interest in tickets for the men's basketball season? It's great that so many students want to see games, and even better that IU gets more students into the games than other Big Ten schools. But the stink of it is, not only do the students see fewer games this season, they get stuck in the balcony for most of them. Hope the public enjoys the coziness of their lower level seats. Can we see where the priority lies?
(11/06/02 4:05am)
By the time the IU basketball team started the Big Ten season last year, the Hoosiers were 7-5, and drawing critical responses from their fans. \nBut as coach Mike Davis said, playing "cupcakes" in the preseason is not what helps improve a team, and IU showed that first hand.\nAfter losing to such teams as Butler, Southern Illinois, Miami and Kentucky, the Hoosiers started their Big Ten season on the road against Northwestern. The road trip to Evanston sparked a 7-1 run by IU over the next eight games, and led to arguably one of the more anticipated games of the season.\nFour games down, and still undefeated, the Hoosiers traveled to Columbus to take on the then-undefeated Buckeyes. This game would determine who had sole possession of the Big Ten.\nBy the end of the game, it wasn't the Hoosiers. They fell 73-67 to Ohio State.\n"I am really proud of the way my team played," Davis said, following that game. "I am not happy that we lost, but I thought we played well. We needed to make shots down the stretch and just didn't get it done."\nBut the IU squad bounced back from the disappointing loss to continue toward reaching that ultimate goal of winning the conference title.\nAfter routing Penn State in Happy Valley, the Hoosiers protected their home court by taking care of Illinois and Purdue. During the 88-57 win over the Fighting Illini, the Hoosiers showed off their knack for long-range shooting by setting a school and Big Ten record with 17 three-pointers.\n"Defense wins games," senior guard Tom Coverdale said, following the win. "That is the best we've played all year as far as both sides of the floor go."\nWith a 7-1 record in hand, the Hoosiers traveled to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers. The week before the IU-Minnesota game, the Golden Gophers upset Ohio State. Next, they took down the other Big Ten leader.\nMinnesota experienced a second half resurgence after a weak first half, and as the Hoosiers shooting went cold, the Golden Gophers warmed up, and went on to beat IU 88-74.\n"This game is just one example of how tough it is to win on the road in this conference," Davis said, following the loss. \nThe Hoosiers won four of their next eight games, and were the co-Big Ten Champions with three other teams. IU clinched the title with a 79-67 win over Northwestern.\n"We still have a long way to go until our season is over," then senior Dane Fife predicted following the win. \nBut before they got started on the their NCAA run, the Hoosiers lost to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament by a buzzer-beating shot by Luke Recker. IU fell 62-60, and went home to wait for the NCAA selection show that Sunday.\nThe first game of the tournament pitted the Hoosiers against Utah. As the No. 5 seed in the tournament, the Hoosiers faced a recent history of not faring well in the opening round of the tournament. But as Utah, and UNC-Wilmington found out, history would not be repeating itself. IU had no problem getting past Utah, picking up the 75-56 victory. \nLed by Coverdale's 19 points on a bum ankle, the Hoosiers second opponent was waiting to play upset kings. But UNC-Wilmington couldn't overcome IU in the 76-67 Hoosier victory, and for the first time since 1994, IU was headed to the Sweet 16.\n"Duke is a team that deserves a lot of respect, but I think if you psyche yourself out at this point coming into the game you shouldn't be in the Sweet 16," Coverdale said prior to the game. "We are not the type of team who will come in scared; we will fight to the end like we have all year against every other team."\nBut it looked as if the Hoosiers did come out intimidated, falling behind by as many as 17 points in the first half. But thanks to the play of sophomore Jared Jeffries, IU battled back into the game.\nCoverdale had only one field goal in the game, but it gave IU its first lead with just under a minute to play. The Hoosiers were up by two points, and junior guard A.J. Moye widened it to four as he hit two free throws. But just when it seemed the Hoosiers had pulled off the improbable upset, Fife fouled Duke's Jason Williams, who was shooting a three-pointer, with 11 seconds left. \nWilliams made the three -pointer, but missed the tying free throw, giving the Hoosiers the victory, and the spot in the Elite Eight. \n"We took our best shot and we got them," Fife said following the game. "Coach had us believing in ourselves from the get-go. It just took us some time to settle down and run our offense."\nThe Hoosiers faced Kent State in the Elite Eight game, and had no trouble getting past the Golden Flashes to the Final Four. Kent State had eliminated the Hoosiers during the 2001 tournament, and thanks to three-points shots, IU returned the favor.\nWith the 81-69 victory in hand, IU headed to the Final Four to take on Oklahoma. The Hoosiers upset the Sooners in the Final Four game, thanks to the strong surge from senior forward Jeff Newton. Newton scored 19 points, with six rebounds and four blocked shots, helping IU to the 73-64 win.\nThe Hoosiers were in the NCAA championship game against No.1 seed Maryland.\n"The run this team has made has been unbelievable," Jeffries said after the Oklahoma win. "For us to be able to come out in the NCAA Tournament and play this well to this point is really remarkable."\nBut the clock struck midnight for the Hoosiers against Maryland. In an unusual offensive absence, IU was unable to get shots to fall, while Maryland rolled. The Hoosiers were the nation's runners-up with the 64-52 loss.\nFor the team, it was a magical season, but one they plan on repeating again this year.\n"I think we have the same hopes that we had last year," Coverdale said. "We just want to win a Big Ten championship, get to the Final Four and be playing our best when the season is over"
(11/05/02 8:14pm)
Since Bill Carmody took over the helm at Northwestern, the Wildcats have improved drastically. \nLast season the team won seven games in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1983-84 season and went 10-3 on its home court, good for the second-best record at Welsh-Ryan Arena in 50 years.\nBut Carmody said he has not used words to turn the program around. Instead, he has emphasized actions.\n"You go out there and you just try to win. I mean, I'm not a great motivational talker," he said. "I don't think motivation is with words always. You go out there and you work hard and you establish habits, so the team has good habits because they practice and they work and work."\nThe Wildcats will look for senior shooting guard Winston Blake (13.6 ppg) and junior point guard Jitim Young (12.1 ppg) to provide leadership for a team with three seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.\nAmong the freshmen, Carmody said he has been most impressed with forward Jimmy Maley and point guard T.J. Parker whose big brother, Tony, starts at the same position for the San Antonio Spurs.\n"TJ's very fast and he's going to mature beyond his years. I think he's gonna help us," Carmody said. "Jim Maley who's a local kid, I think is a very good player. People question him because he's so skinny, but he's a tough nut. And as long as he's not afraid I don't care if he's skinny or not skinny"
(11/05/02 8:14pm)
Coach Jerry Dunn had his work cut out for him last season with only one senior on the Penn State roster. A youth movement was necessary, and Dunn's freshmen and sophomores logged nearly two-thirds of the Nittany Lion's minutes. \nThat translated into a last place finish in the Big Ten (3-13) and an abysmal overall record (7-21).\nThe team will again be one of the youngest in the conference but, coming off its third-worst campaign in school history, Dunn said it will be better.\n"I think we're a stronger, more physical team, and obviously a deeper team. And with us it's going to start with defense," he said. "It's going to start with the mindset that we need to stop people and do a better job on the boards and then we'll go from there."\nSophomore forward Jan Jagla is expected to be a big part of the aggressive mentality. He became a starter early last season and led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding (5.8) and blocks (1.29).\nThe starting backcourt will consist of senior Brandon Watkins and junior Sharif Chambliss, who averaged 13.3 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.\nThe Nittany Lions have a difficult pre-conference schedule, which includes games against Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Temple. Dunn said the schedule will give him a chance to evaluate how far along his young team has come. \n"I certainly think we're going to find out very quickly where we are and what we need to do," he said. "I often think playing too many teams that are not of (high) caliber, you don't really get a good gauge as to where you are and the things you need to improve upon before you get to the Big Ten"