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(01/20/10 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Ashley Rhoades, a high jumper on the women’s track and field team, has set lofty goals.Luckily, she’s used to leaping great heights.Her most recent effort resulted in a 1.84 meter-high bar clearance, making her the first female Hoosier to clear 6 feet in IU’s history.“A lot of times coach will have me think, ‘Just do the same thing as the previous jump’ because, usually, I’ve been composed, I didn’t worry about the height on the last one, and I clear it by enough that I probably will have the height on the next bar,” Rhoades said of her pre-jump mindset. “I just have to ignore the fact that it is that high and just go and do what I am able to do.”In a sport where it’s just her and the bar, that mental toughness is necessary.She and sophomore high jumper Derek Drouin epitomize the maturity and discipline needed to clear the bars they set for themselves – not just in their event, but in life.In last year’s NCAA Mideast Regional, Drouin displayed this poise as he faced off against Tone Belt, a national champion in the long jump in the 2007-08 season and fifth-place performer in the high jump the year prior.The way the story goes, Belt made efforts to intimidate the younger, less-experienced Drouin, staring down the then-freshman as he came off the mat and roaring after crossing the bar.Drouin was unfazed. He walked to the starting point, took off his warm-ups and completed the same jump. He quietly stepped off the landing mat.He then went on to win the regional.“Both of them have the ability to focus in on what they’re doing and not get lost in a lot of the other minutia that’s going on around them and not get caught up in too many other thought processes,” said IU coach Jeff Huntoon, who focuses on the jumpers squad. “They’re going to focus on the one or two little elements that allowed them to miss the last bar and just go out there and give another good attempt.”That level of focus comes from intense practice time, Drouin said. His regular three-hour routine in preparing for his events allows him to have a clear head going into meets. That preparation brings the confidence it takes for him to soar.“Once I get to a meet, it’s easy to go through my head and be like, ‘OK, this isn’t anything. I’m used to it. I’ve seen this height before. I can jump this,’” he said.He’s been working on clearing a 7-foot-4-inch high bar regularly in practice, but he’s reached greater heights. At the Indiana Open on Jan. 9, Drouin leaped a quarter of an inch higher, meeting the automatic qualifier for the NCAA competition. The jump also made him the first person on U.S. soil to clear that height this year – collegiate or otherwise.He then attempted to beat the bar once again, going for a 2.28-meter clearance, which would have made his jump top in the world for high jumpers at the time.From looking at tape of the jump, you can’t tell if it was Drouin who knocked over the bar or a gust of air from the vents in Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse.The best part about their event, Rhoades said, is that the only thing limiting how far jumpers can go is the same thing they have defeated to get this far – themselves.“It just motivates me that there’s always another mark,” she said. “There’s always another goal that I can reach. If it’s a centimeter, if it’s a couple inches, there’s always a little bit better that you can do. There’s always another standard that you can hit.”To overcome the fears and doubts that the bar represents, to beat your biggest enemy, is something many people try their entire lives to achieve.These two college students have found it already.Drouin started competing regularly in the high jump in high school during his junior year. That same year, he went to the World Youth Championships in the Czech Republic, placing 10th in the high jump.The level of maturity needed to compete at a high level at such a young age, he said, toughened him.“Really, getting thrown into the deep end, I just learned to swim,” he said.Now, he’s learning how to fly. And it’s safe to say, for both himself and Rhoades, the sky’s the limit.
(01/13/10 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman forward Sasha Chaplin has been riding the stationary bike for a while now.A white towel draped around her shoulders, she grimaces in pain as she pedals.Her left leg, covered in a gray medical boot up to her knee, pushes down. She winces.That wince tells the story of the women’s basketball team’s pains since Chaplin injured her left foot during a period IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said was critical to the Hoosiers’ conference success.“You have to find a way to be successful early,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s very difficult late in the season to try to make leeway.”After a women’s National Invitational Tournament appearance last season that culminated in a quarterfinal loss to Illinois State and a 21-win campaign, IU is facing pressure to perform and make it to the big stage in the NCAAs this year, or at least place itself in a position to do so once again.Every game counts. Every possession counts. And that’s why Chaplin’s injury spells trouble for the Hoosiers.A six-foot-three-inch forward, Chaplin leads IU in rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks, along with her average of nearly 10 points per game. It will be difficult for any Hoosier to fill the shoes of the tallest member of this squad – something that has fallen to sophomore forward Danilsa Andujar. Chaplin has offered her encouragement to Andujar. As a roommate, player and friend, Andujar is thankful for the help.“She talks to me at home about what I’ve done,” she said. “In practice, she keeps my head on when I make mistakes ... She helps me out a lot. I really appreciate the help she’s given me.”Big Sash, as her teammates call her, is more than just an on-the-court presence, however. She is a vocal leader and a mentor to many members of the team, including junior forward Hope Elam. Chaplin is Elam’s “Hoosier Sister,” a program set up to guide new members of the team.“After our tough loss on Sunday against Penn State, she and I had a talk about how I need to step up, how the other players need to step up, since she’s missing,” Elam, a junior college transfer, said. “She’s basically just motivated us to get better.”As she slides off the bike, finding it hard to balance, it is clear Chaplin will probably not be playing for at least the next few games, including Thursday’s matchup against Michigan and a critical contest against No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday. She takes some sips from a green plastic Gatorade bottle and heads down the court to shoot free throws.At first, she seems tentative. That might be because she has known this feeling before, having redshirted after a season-ending injury last year. She misses the first foul shot, but cannot chase after the ball. She stands and waits as a manager runs it down for her. He passes it to her. She shoots again. And so it goes. It’s about all she can do during practice – shoot free throws, ride the bike and watch her teammates try to play without her. And, of course, she can show her support.It comes time for Chaplin’s “Hoosier Sister” to shoot in front of the team, taking 3-pointers as the group cheers her on. Chaplin cracks a smile, begins to clap and chuckles as she watches her friend and sister drain shot after shot, basket after basket.Maybe it isn’t so bad after all. The team, it seems, is in good hands. Junior captain Jori Davis said every team member has stepped up to fill her shoes.“You can’t really worry about that,” she said of Chaplin’s injury. “You just have to keep playing and keep working hard as a team and hope that she gets back sooner or later to help us out in the Big Ten conference.”As her teammates run the floor in the final minutes of practice, Chaplin takes to the side court to shoot more free throws. The ball spins slowly, making a low arc toward the net. As her teammates hurtle down the main court of Assembly Hall, yelling out plays and shouting to other players, you can hear the quiet tickling of the twine as her foul shots fall.Again, she misses. She tries to chase it down, but stops. She smiles. Not quite yet.But she knows it will be OK. She might be Big Sash, but each of her teammates is just as big in heart and desire to win.That, it seems, will propel these Hoosiers through the conference season – with or without the long arms and legs of their premier forward.And for Chaplin, that’s nothing to wince about.
(01/05/10 11:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the six freshman players on IU’s men’s basketball team, their Wednesday matchup against Ohio State will be a new experience.They have been on the road before in their games in Puerto Rico and at the Madison Square Garden in New York. However, they have not experienced a true road game.Sophomore forward Tom Pritchard is one of the few Hoosiers that has played in what IU coach Tom Crean called a “totally hostile environment.” He’s seen the pandemonium of Kentucky’s Rupp arena and played in Purdue’s Mackey Arena in the heated rivalry setting. “I think they just gotta experience it,” he said. “I think they’re gonna notice once they get on the floor that a road game’s a different atmosphere. We’ve been practicing for that. It’s just something that we gotta work through, and we’ll be fine.”Crean said it is necessary for the team to focus on the fundamentals of the game and not get frustrated if shots don’t fall. Despite the Buckeyes allowing more than a third of opposing 3-pointers to fall and the Hoosiers’ hot streak from beyond the arc lately, without execution, he said “those numbers are not good.”“We just have to understand that we pack our shoes, we pack our uniforms,” he said of the road trip. “That doesn’t necessarily mean our jump shot is getting packed. It doesn’t necessarily mean our free-throw shooting is getting packed.It’s corny, but they have to make sure their ability to guard, their ability to get on the glass, their ability to share the ball – those things have got to come with us. We can’t focus on ‘this person’s gotta make this many shots’ or ‘we’ve gotta get this guy that many shots.’”Pritchard said it its important for IU to play its game, not OSU’s.“We have to focus on our offense and defense and really stick it to them,” he said.Ohio State, which started out the year as No. 16 in the nation and has since dropped out of the top-25 teams because of losses to Wisconsin and Michigan in Big Ten play, is currently 10-4, with its other losses to North Carolina and Butler, both currently in the top-15 in the nation.Crean affirmed that OSU is still dangerous, regardless of their conference record.“Every one of those guys can get to the basket,” he said. “Of all the teams we’ve played, this team really wants to attack the middle, and they’re very good at it.”In order to keep the Buckeyes from getting to the middle, freshman forward Christian Watford said the Hoosiers must play as one.“Just play with each other,” he said. “Just have each other’s back. No one guys going to beat us.”IU’s first road experience will be a valuable lesson to the Hoosiers and allow them to continue their search for leadership, Crean said. His team, regardless of talent, is not a veteran squad yet, and needs to continue to learn.“Going on the road helps you understand that,” he said. “If you’re not together on the road, if you’re not talking and echoing and all those things that go on, it can get away from you in a hurry. We have to learn how to do all of that, and I’m anxious to see how we do.”
(01/05/10 10:58pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU fans received bad news before the Hoosiers’ Wednesday matchup against Ohio State.The Buckeyes’ top scorer and Player of the Year candidate, Evan Turner, might hit the court for OSU. After sustaining a back injury in his team’s 111-60 win against Eastern Michigan, ESPN reported he would not play for the next eight weeks.A month later, it is possible the Hoosiers will have to contend with the likes Turner, who averaged 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game before his injury.“We’re preparing for him, certainly,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “We’ve been since we really started our preparation.”Turner, Crean said, certainly makes a difference when it comes to OSU’s success.“Our opinion of their program, their team, is that without him, they’re an excellent team,” he said. “With him, they’re a national title contender.”IU freshman forward Christian Watford agreed with Crean, saying he doesn’t think the Buckeyes would have a chance at a national title without Turner. Regardless, the Hoosiers will have to contend with a top-25 team that has a chip on its shoulder after two Big Ten losses thus far.“It really doesn’t change anything,” he said. “The team’s great with or without him.”Crean agreed, saying there are other threats IU must deal with on the court, as well.“It’s not like you can drop everything you’re doing and say ‘Evan Turner’s back, let’s really focus on him.’” he said. “Jon Diebler has played extremely well against us. William Buford averaged 21 points last year as a freshman in the two games against us. David Lighty we didn’t face last year, and he’s a major-league athlete on both ends of the court … So we’ve gotta really be locked in to what our game plan is.”However, the game would change should Turner return for this game.“You hate to say that it’s two preparations,” Crean said. “We’ve tried to really make sure we focus on how we want to defend and the things that we want to attack, but certainly you have to adjust for him to being in at a different position or being in at the point guard spot, and that’s exactly what we’ve tried to do. “Turner is such a big threat to opposing squads because he can score and also effectively distribute the ball.“He does so many things with the ball that create for everybody else.,” Crean said. “They can all get their own shot. They can all make shots on the perimeter and they can all get their own shot.”Sophomore forward Tom Pritchard said another concern is dealing with the emotions associated with OSU getting its top scorer back. If they do, then there might be a spurt of energy to come with it at the beginning of the game, which could spell trouble for the Hoosiers.“Any time a team gets one of their best players back, they’re obviously gonna be on a high or ready to play, and I think it’s something we gotta counter with pressure defense and offense – just pushing the ball and doing what we want to do,” he said.One advantage for IU, Watford said, is that OSU’s look hasn’t changed much since the Turner injury, giving the team more time to focus on a single set of defensive strategies in practice.“All their systems they ran for Turner, they really just gave them to Lighty,” he said.Crean said his team has to be ready for the possibility of Turner, even if it is only that – a possibility.“Our players are certainly aware of how good he is, and it only makes good sense to prepare for him,” he said.
(12/31/09 4:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>You could have heard a pin drop in IU’s locker room before their 71-65 win against the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday at Assembly Hall.Unlike most would assume, IU coach Tom Crean wasn’t speaking. Freshman guard Maurice Creek’s mother, Pam Morgan, was.“It was a heart-touching moment,” sophomore guard Verdell Jones said. “We really wanted to come out and win it for him and for Matt Roth and for our whole team. It was really a solid moment.”That moment propelled IU to a strong first half in which they shot better than 50 percent from the field and three-point range and were 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.That moment helped Jones to 20 points, 5 assists and 3 steals, all team-leading figures.That moment gave IU the strength to overcome the loss of their leading scorer in Creek and haul in their first Big Ten win – a feat that took them until February of last season and only happened once.“We know how to finish games now a lot better than we did last year,” Jones said. “The leaders are starting to come forth and show their talent in any game.”Freshman forward Christian Watford was faced with matching up against Michigan forward DeShawn Sims, a hybrid forward who hit 27 3-pointers and made nearly half of his shots before Thursday. Watford limited Sims to 12 points and 3 rebounds, miles away from his usual numbers.Watford also brought the Hoosiers 19 points and was 5-for-8 from the free-throw line in his battle against Sims, who is 15 pounds heavier and slightly shorter than Watford.Watford made the most of the height advantage in his movement in the post.“I just tried to face over it and just shoot the ball over him a little because he’s a real strong guy,” Watford said.In the end, it came down to the free throw line.IU was 20-for-29 from the foul stripe, sinking twice as many free throws as the Wolverines.Freshman guard Jordan Hulls was the key player from the line in the closing minutes.He knocked down eight free throws, as many as he’d taken all season. At the end of the game, his two foul shots put IU ahead for good and cemented their six-point victory.He said he was nervous. But once he got to the line, he took a breath. A deep breath. And he sank them.“Coach has been telling me I need to get to the line,” he said. “When I got the opportunity, I was able to knock them down.“It all kind of went away,” Hulls said of his pre-shot jitters. “Growing up here in Indiana, it’s kind of a dream. You always want to have the big shots. And I got to have them.”By glancing at the result, the absence of Creek was not noticeable. But the players said they knew they were playing for him from the moment Morgan set foot in their locker room to speak before the game.Crean said bringing Morgan in to talk to the team was an impromptu idea he had as he was she entering Assembly Hall. It could have gone either way – either the emotion would help the Hoosiers get out to a fast start or it would cause them to crumble and try to force their game.Either way, Crean said, it was necessary.“I just thought it was something we needed to do,” he said. “It worked out.”
(12/23/09 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As IU took the court against Loyola (Md.), IU coach Tom Crean said he thought his team was ready.“I thought our preparation was excellent,” he said. “I thought we worked very hard. I wouldn’t change anything. I had no read, necessarily, that we weren’t going to come out and play well … but we got into a hole.”That hole, which began with a 3-pointer by Greyhound guard Robert Olson 30 seconds into the game and only closed after a rally that took a total of nearly 35 minutes, was big enough to bury the Hoosiers in their 72-67 loss Tuesday.The shocking 15-point lead the Greyhounds jumped out to without the Hoosiers even making a shot to begin the first half, Loyola coach Jimmy Pastos said, had its beginnings when his team saw IU was on its schedule.“Our guys had this game circled,” he said. “We’re a mid-major. We play in front of 2,000 people. This is a big deal for us, and we were fired up to go.”Greyhound players confirmed their coach’s belief that the team started out hot because of their excitement.“We were just so amped up to play this game,” said Greyhound guard Brett Harvey, who put up 25 points on the night. “It was just all adrenaline.”Meanwhile, IU, freshman guard Maurice Creek said, was wracked in disbelief.“We were pretty stunned,” he said. “They hit a lot of shots. They hit a lot of tough shots, they hit a lot of open shots. “Heading into halftime, Loyola held a commanding 18-point lead.“We built ourselves that hole, and when you’re going against any team … it’s going to be tough to come back,” IU junior guard Jeremiah Rivers said.Then came the second half.IU started out in a 22-point hole and began to inch its way out of it. It started with a three by Creek at 13:22 to go in the half. Then, he hit another about half a minute later. Sophomore guard Verdell Jones cut the lead to 11 with another three on the next possession.Suddenly, IU was on its way back up. The crowd was hysterical. And it didn’t stop there.Creek, inspired, yelled to his teammates at one point. “Right here,” he shouted. “Right here!”Despite his screaming, despite the team’s tear at the Greyhounds’ ankles, despite coming back to lead by three with 3:48 to go – it wasn’t enough.“We thought we had them,” Creek said. "We made big plays at the end and we fought hard and we did a lot of things that we really didn’t think we were capable of doing. They just made big plays at the end and they got a lot of calls. It went their way.” Harvey said his team’s composure is what kept them in the game and allowed them to claim the game-winning edge.“We were up big and that press really messed us up,” he said of the Hoosiers’ defensive look. “But once they went up three, we just told ourselves we have to stick together, stay calm. And it worked out at the end.”It came down to about half a minute left, with Harvey holding the ball at the point. IU senior guard Devan Dumes was standing in front of him, waiting for a move, a pass – anything.Harvey was the best free-throw shooter in the nation last year. Crean said they did not want to foul him, which is why Dumes waited until there were 17 seconds left before doing so.Harvey came to the line. And, as the referee gave him the ball, the screams from the stands of Assembly Hall reached a fever pitch.“The crowd was real loud,” Harvey said of the moment. “I just had to stay calm and focus and make the foul shots. I’ve been here for four years. I’ve taken some tough foul shots before. But these were real big foul shots.“I know if I hit that, the games over, basically.”He hit the foul shots. And the game was over. IU would come no closer, and the Greyhounds closed out the upset. Crean said he gave credit to Pastos and his team for their victory. It was, he said “a tale of two halves,” and Loyola did what it took to win the ballgame.“They earned it,” he said. “They earned it. There’s no doubt about that.”
(12/21/09 9:20pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In late December last year, IU lost after a 21-0 run in the first half against Lipscomb in one of the Bisons’ five road wins of their 2008-09 season.Some would expect IU coach Tom Crean to use that loss as a lesson to his players, reminding them to always play hard – especially since Crean said IU’s opponent Tuesday, Loyola (Md.), is a Lipscomb-type team.However, Crean is not following that strategy. After all, nearly a third of this year’s team wasn’t present at the time of that loss.“We lost to Lipscomb last year because they were a better team than us,” Crean said. “But that was a year ago. It would be kind of silly for me to bring up a lot of Lipscomb where six guys would really have no idea what I’m talking about.“There’s not a lot of talk about anything other than what we need to do to be better after Saturday night and how we’re going to defend Loyola.”The Hoosiers do have some experience with a team like Loyola, though. Their coach, Jimmy Pastos, was an assistant coach at Maryland, a team IU lost to 80-68 in their first home performance against a high-major team.The Hoosiers will look to correct several mistakes they made against Maryland and use their experience to their advantage, freshman guard Maurice Creek said.“We got out of our game plan,” Creek said of IU’s failings in their game against Maryland. “They got easy shots and easy post feeds and stuff like that. “Although there are similarities, Loyola is no Maryland. With the same record as IU (5-5), the Greyhounds are near the bottom of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and IU has a 6-0 record all-time against MAAC teams.Still, Crean said there is reason to take this game seriously.“This will be one of the hardest-playing teams that they will play at any point,” he said. “There’s no question about it … It’s a team that will do what it takes to win.”Among the things Loyola does to win is running a “myriad” or defenses, Crean said. He listed six defenses the Hoosiers would have to be ready for.The adjustment to those changing looks, Crean said, will be difficult. He has tried to give his team the necessary preparation without overwhelming them.“You can’t give them too much, but we’ve just gotta have a couple of things that are automatics,” he said.The biggest part of that preparation, Crean said, has been impressing on his team the importance of challenging every shot. Loyola makes about 42 percent of its shots on average and averages 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc.“If we get careless defensively and we move on the catch and we don’t challenge shots better than what we’re capable of, then we don’t win the game, no matter what kind of game it is,” Crean said. “The number one thing that we have to improve on as a defensive team outside of the rebounding … is to really get up and challenge shooters. “Don’t short arm it. Don’t be late. Like I keep saying all the time, move on the pass, not the catch. And really get our hand up on people. And when we do that, we’ll be a much better team, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
(12/21/09 9:14pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In late December last year, IU lost after a 21-0 run in the first half against Lipscomb in one of the Bisons’ five road wins of their 2008-09 season.Some would expect IU coach Tom Crean to use that loss as a lesson to his players, reminding them to always play hard – especially since Crean said IU’s opponent Tuesday, Loyola (Md.), is a Lipscomb-type team.However, Crean is not following that strategy. After all, nearly a third of this year’s team wasn’t present at the time of that loss.“We lost to Lipscomb last year because they were a better team than us,” Crean said. “But that was a year ago. It would be kind of silly for me to bring up a lot of Lipscomb where six guys would really have no idea what I’m talking about.“There’s not a lot of talk about anything other than what we need to do to be better after Saturday night and how we’re going to defend Loyola.”The Hoosiers do have some experience with a team like Loyola, though. Their coach, Jimmy Pastos, was an assistant coach at Maryland, a team IU lost to 80-68 in their first home performance against a high-major team.The Hoosiers will look to correct several mistakes they made against Maryland and use their experience to their advantage, freshman guard Maurice Creek said.“We got out of our game plan,” Creek said of IU’s failings in their game against Maryland. “They got easy shots and easy post feeds and stuff like that. “Although there are similarities, Loyola is no Maryland. With the same record as IU (5-5), the Greyhounds are near the bottom of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and IU has a 6-0 record all-time against MAAC teams.Still, Crean said there is reason to take this game seriously.“This will be one of the hardest-playing teams that they will play at any point,” he said. “There’s no question about it … It’s a team that will do what it takes to win.”Among the things Loyola does to win is running a “myriad” or defenses, Crean said. He listed six defenses the Hoosiers would have to be ready for.The adjustment to those changing looks, Crean said, will be difficult. He has tried to give his team the necessary preparation without overwhelming them.“You can’t give them too much, but we’ve just gotta have a couple of things that are automatics,” he said.The biggest part of that preparation, Crean said, has been impressing on his team the importance of challenging every shot. Loyola makes about 42 percent of its shots on average and averages 37 percent shooting from beyond the arc.“If we get careless defensively and we move on the catch and we don’t challenge shots better than what we’re capable of, then we don’t win the game, no matter what kind of game it is,” Crean said. “The number one thing that we have to improve on as a defensive team outside of the rebounding … is to really get up and challenge shooters. “Don’t short arm it. Don’t be late. Like I keep saying all the time, move on the pass, not the catch. And really get our hand up on people. And when we do that, we’ll be a much better team, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
(12/20/09 5:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tom Pritchard started all 31 games of IU coach Tom Crean’s inaugural campaign with the Hoosiers.In the game against North Carolina Central on Saturday, a 81-58 victory for IU, he started somewhere he’s never started before – on the bench.After being the best player by far in practice this past week, Crean said, Pritchard took a seat to start the game. The reasoning? Pritchard’s practice performance hasn’t translated to games in its fullest form.Still, he was set to bring out that potential in his time Saturday night.“We’re privy to see what Tom Pritchard is capable of in practice,” Crean said. “I think you really started to see that. He responded to a challenge. “Pritchard said he didn’t really know exactly how to characterize the problems he has going into game situations.“I don’t know,” he said of what the main issue might be. “Maybe aggressiveness. I’m going to try to be more aggressive and just take my head out of the game. I think it’s really mental.”Until that aggressive mentality manifests itself on the court, he won’t give Pritchard unearned minutes, Crean said.“When you have real competition, you’ve got to go with it every day, and you’ve got to reward it,” he said. “There’s nobody in this building or in this town or in this state that has higher expectations of Tom than me."When you know somebody is capable of a lot, if you don’t hold their feet to the fire to get that, then you’re cheating them. I’ll have things said about me as time goes on, but I don’t want it to be that.”IU freshman guard Jordan Hulls sees Pritchard’s intensity in practice nearly every day.“He does well all the time – rebounds the ball, puts it up, dunks on people, that kind of thing,” Hulls said of Pritchard. “Just being really tenacious. That’s what we need from him (in games).”Hulls also said he and his fellow Hoosiers have taken it upon themselves to get Pritchard to bring forth the level of intensity they see from him day-to-day when fans fill Assembly Hall's stands at game time.“It’s different coming from a player telling him to pick up his offense or defense, whatever the case may be, rather than coming from a coach,” Hulls said. “They’re always on him, and if players get on him, as well, that’ll help him out.”Pritchard admitted his play hasn’t been up to par – for fans, coaches, fellow players or himself. However, his concerns were eased by his 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 21 minutes Saturday.“Obviously, I don’t think it’s showing in games,” he said. “A lot of people are going to see that. But I think I’m starting to get a hang of it. New guys, new team chemistry – we’re all still bonding together. But things are going to come around … we’re going to be a great team.”Hulls said there is little to worry about with Prtichard's future.“He’s fine,” he said. “He’s fine. Tom’s a great player, and he’s going to do well for us.”
(12/02/09 5:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a disappointing 12-10-1 IU men’s soccer season, IU Athletics Director Fred Glass will not renew former IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag’s contract.Glass made the decision after taking a “deliberate, sober, dispassionate view” of the program.“If we felt the program was going in the right direction, I could handle the record,” Glass said. “But, we ultimately concluded that the program was not going in the right direction and that we needed new leadership.”Glass said the search for a new coach will begin today.See idsnews.com for updates on this developing story.“We’ll try to do it as expeditiously as possible,” he said. “It’s more important that we get it right than that we get it fast, but we’ll try to get it fast.”He mentioned “multiple IU alumni” might be involved in the search, bringing to mind Todd Yeagley, son of Jerry Yeagley and current coach of the Wisconsin program.“It’s the first hire that I’ll make, and it’s really with our premiere program,” Glass said. “I take this responsibility very seriously.”It was a decision, Glass said, to be made, and he has no doubts about that fact.“Renewing Mike’s contract would have been the easy thing, and it would have been the safe thing,” he said. “But it just wouldn’t have been the right thing. I wasn’t eager to make that change, but I was absolutely convinced that it was the right thing to do. That’s why I did it.”
(11/30/09 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In IU’s 90-72 win against Northwestern State on Saturday at Assembly Hall, freshman guard Maurice Creek looked like the player that would step up and lead the squad in the first half.With 13 points and two rebounds, assists and steals, Creek outscored the rest of the starting five combined.But in the second half, Creek was much quieter. With only four points and 12 minutes, other Hoosiers had to step up.Fortunately for IU, freshman forward Christian Watford did just that.Watford, a starter in all of IU’s games thus far, matched Creek’s first half total. IU coach Tom Crean said the counterbalanced performances were not by design.“Those guys took good shots,” Crean said. “Those guys are going to be big moving forward.”The game against Northwestern State, considered by the team as a critical win following IU’s losses in Puerto Rico and considering the upcoming contests against tough opponents Maryland, Pittsburgh and Kentucky, was about what Crean has been stressing in practice since the beginning – a defensive mind-set and the little things.“By no stretch of the imagination are we playing great,” he admitted. “But we are playing hard. We’re playing with a real purpose. ... It’s gotta get done by the rebounding. It’s gotta get done with the defense.”From shooting nearly 50 percent from the field to making 34 of 44 free throws (compared to Northwestern State’s 29 attempts), the Hoosiers played physically and made the most of their opportunities.That, Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy said, was a major difference from last year’s team.“IU came out and did a very good job today,” McConathy said after the game. “Coach Crean made them a lot better today.”The energy that came from bench play was another factor in the game, Creek said. Players such as freshman forward Derek Elston, who put up 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and snatched the ball from Northwestern State players four times, brought electricity to the court.A dunk from Elston sent the crowd into a frenzy with eight and a half minutes to go in the second half. With every layup from senior center Tijan Jobe came shouts and standing ovations. Sophomore guard Daniel Moore threw in six points and was perfect from the free-throw line.“They bring it all,” Creek said. “Everybody contributed today. That’s how it’s gotta be for everybody. That’s just how it is. Everybody has to bring the defensive intensity, the offensive intensity, the rebounds, the steals.”Elston said he enjoys his position on the team and knows he will not get a spot in the starting rotation anytime soon. However, he said what matters is making the most of his time and keeping the team mentality.“I kind of spark the team a little bit,” he said. “It just helps me a lot to know I’m one of those guys who can get the team going.”Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers had 10 assists, and Crean said he has to have a big game every game – in a way marking him as the leader of this IU squad.However, Saturday’s game was just the way Elston said it had to be – it was a team effort.“I never just look at it about me,” he said. “I never say what I do well. It’s about the team.”
(11/29/09 12:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In IU’s 90-72 win against Northwestern State on Saturday at Assembly Hall, freshman guard Maurice Creek looked like the player that would step up and lead the squad in the first half.With 13 points and two rebounds, assists and steals, Creek outscored the rest of the starting five combined.But, in the second half, Creek was much quieter. With only four points and 12 minutes, other Hoosiers had to step up.Fortunately for IU, freshman forward Christian Watford did just that.Watford, a starter in all of IU’s games thus far, matched Creek’s first half total. IU coach Tom Crean said the counterbalanced performances were not by design.“Those guys took good shots,” Crean said. “Those guys are going to be big moving forward.”Northwestern State, considered by the team as a critical team to beat following IU’s losses in Puerto Rico and considering the upcoming contests against Maryland, Pittsburgh and Kentucky, was about what Crean has been stressing in practice since the beginning – a defensive mindset and the little things.“By no stretch of the imagination are we playing great,” he admitted. “But we are playing hard. We’re playing with a real purpose … It’s gotta get done by the rebounding. It’s gotta get done with the defense.”From shooting nearly 50 percent from the field to making 34 of 44 free throws (compared to Northwestern State’s 29 attempts), IU played physically and made the most of their opportunities.That, Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy said, was a major difference from last year’s team.“IU came out and did a very good job today,” McConathy said after the game. “Coach Crean made them a lot better today.”The energy that came from bench play was another factor in the game, Creek said. Players such as freshman forward Derek Elston, who put up 12 points, grabbed six rebounds and snatched the ball from Northwestern State players four times, brought electricity to the court. A dunk from Elston sent the crowd into a frenzy with eight and a half minutes to go in the second half, and with every layup from senior center Tijan Jobe came shouts and standing ovations. Sophomore guard Daniel Moore threw in six points and was perfect from the free throw line.“They bring it all,” “Everybody contributed today. That’s how it’s gotta be for everybody. That’s just how it is. Everybody has to bring the defensive intensity, the offensive intensity, the rebounds, the steals.”Elston said he enjoys his position on the team and knows he will not get a spot in the starting rotation anytime soon. However, he said what matters is making the most of his time and keeping the team mentality.“I kind of spark the team a little bit,” he said. “It just helps me a lot to know I’m one of those guys who can get the team going.”Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers had ten assists on the day, and Crean said he has to have a big game every game, in a way marking him as the leader of this IU squad.However, Saturday’s game was just the way Elston said it had to be – it was a team effort.“I never just look at it about me,” he said. “I never say what I do well. It’s about the team.
(11/17/09 6:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In America, 66 percent of the homeless have a substance abuse problem.Joseph Braun, who asked that his real name not be used because of privacy and job security issues, was one of those people. His addiction to alcohol was capped off by a trip to prison for a repeat drunken driving offense, after which he lost his home, truck, fiancee – everything.Bobbie Summers – director of Martha’s House, the place that took him in two months ago – said substance abuse is a pivotal issue among those Martha's House takes in, citing that 50 percent of the people there have or have had a substance abuse problem.Now, however, Braun is taking steps to be more than just one of those people – more than just a number.“I had to pull together – try to quit drinking and all that,” Braun said. “I had to get back to work and save some money up ... To achieve what I’ve lost.”Braun grew up in Columbus, Ind., with a mother, father, brother and sister. His father was a professional firefighter and owned his own business, and Braun said he was rarely left wanting anything as a child.“I wasn’t in a poor family or anything like that,” Braun said. “I grew up in not a really wealthy family, but we never went hungry or nothing like that.”Tragedy struck later in life when his parents died from cancer and his brother also passed away. As he mourned his losses and his life seemed bleak, Braun turned down a dangerous road, searching for an escape from the pain.“A lot of it was depression,” Braun said of his drinking. “That depression, too, I can’t let that get me down no more, either.”He still thinks about his family every day, he said. From fall trips to Brown County State Park to spring fishing trips with his father and the holiday season, Braun thinks of them on a daily basis.“Words can’t explain it,” Braun said of his losses. “It’s just a matter of time. It takes a day, then a week, then, after weeks go by, it’s lightening up, then, next thing you know, it’s a year. You always miss them, but you always remember them, too.”At the time, though, he resorted to drinking to deal with his issues. Eventually, he realized his life was out of control and something had to be done.It took hitting rock bottom to finally see that.“Waking up and being in prison – seeing myself in prison,” he said of the moment he knew there had to be a change in his life. “Not only that, you know, but just knowing I can do better for myself. Just basically getting tired of being locked up.”After serving his time, Braun faced another problem – left with nothing, he had no one to turn to. Luckily for him, there were people willing to help – the people at Martha’s House in Bloomington.“When I got out, I just didn’t have nowhere to go,” Braun said. “My parole officer brought me over here.”Every time he has woken up in his room at Martha’s House for the past two months, he said, he has thought of what he’s given up. What he could be. What he was before it all went down the drain. That is why he works from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. at Baxter Healthcare Pharmaceutical, trying to save up money to afford an apartment. That is why he sits at a bus stop, despite how much he hates being seen there, every time he has to go anywhere out of walking distance from Martha’s House. That is why he says he is more motivated than ever to bounce back from the depths of despair and earn his life back – and be more than a statistic on a sheet of paper.“Seeing what I had and everything and what I lost, what I want back ... I know what it takes if I want it back,” Braun said. “I can do it.“I’m struggling. It’s rough, but it’s like I said, I know I can do better. Jobs are just hard to find right now.”He has faced nearly insurmountable obstacles. He has faced nearly inescapable temptations. But his journey back to the life he once knew is a process, and he said he knows what steps he has to take.“Staying sober is one,” Braun said. “I just take it one day at a time – staying sober, saving my money up to get my apartment back – and things are progressively getting better.”He said he might go back to school to begin an apprenticeship in the heating and cooling industry. After a motorcycle accident in July caused him to fall back into drinking and lose his apartment, that might be necessary.He awaits an MRI to see if he needs surgery. If he does, his original trade – welding – might no longer be an option, and he might need to miss work. Along with the fear of reverting back to alcoholism, that is his biggest worry.“I don’t know if I’ve got to have surgery yet,” Braun said. “That’s another thing because I can’t afford to take off work. I’m doing good right now – I’m saving money. That’s another scary thing right there.”His current troubles only add to the temptation to drink. He said some days are better than others, the bad ones being especially hard on his will.“I’ve had days like that,” Braun said. “I just tell myself I gotta be tough and look at my situation. I’m working, at least. I got some money coming in. It’ll get better. I just gotta keep my head up.”Keeping his head up is hard, though, when times are tough. That makes his struggle against his biggest demon even more excruciating. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about (drinking),” Braun said. “But I know I just can’t. I know what it takes to stay away from it. But the temptation is there.”Braun is praying he doesn’t have to miss anymore work and can stay on the right track. That is to be expected from a man who has tried his hardest to escape the trap he has fallen into. He hopes to leave Martha’s House in the next month. However, if his injury proves to be severe, his options become limited.Don’t expect him to give up, though. Braun refuses to do so. As he said, “I’m getting tired of being sick and tired.”Braun already sees himself in a better position. No matter how long it takes, he believes he will escape from his troubles and find his way back to an easier path.“I’m headed for a good road,” Braun said. “If everything turns out alright – I don’t know the situation exactly in my future – but I want to go down to Florida ... Maybe retire living down there.”Braun said the plan for achieving those goals is simple – the execution is another story. However, as he walked down the hall, heading off to sleep after an eight-hour night shift, he reiterated how dedicated he was to it.“Just doing the right things,” he said as he walked toward an uncertain future. “Just doing the right things.”
(10/28/09 2:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Athletics Director Fred Glass confirmed today that football coach Bill Lynch will remain in his position as head coach of the IU football program at least until his contract expires in two years.“I think contracts need to mean something again at Indiana University,” Glass said. “He’s in the second year of a four-year contract … I hope that and really think that coach Lynch will be very successful.”He mentioned Sports Illustrated’s prediction that IU would win two games total this year and that he believes, but for a few plays, IU could be 6-2 this season. He also does not place the blame for the loss to Northwestern on Lynch.“There’s been encouraging things and discouraging things,” Glass said. “I reject suggestions that that was a loss related to the coaching staff. I don’t agree with that.”Glass said he believes Lynch will outlive that contract and the program is heading in the right direction. He said he is not thinking ahead to the possibility that the improvement does not come and the team continues to struggle.“I don’t get into the what-ifs,” Glass said. “I certainly don’t want to speculate on if this set of circumstances happen or that sort of circumstances happen.”
(10/16/09 5:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Athletics Director Fred Glass received his undergraduate degree in political science in 1981. He graduated again in 1984 with a degree in law.But his ties to IU began long before that. Cream and crimson have flowed through his veins ever since he can remember.“My mom went to IU,” Glass said. “We always had IU stuff around the house. She always had IU games on the radio and TV and always talked about IU and who won and what was going on.”Those ties brought him to campus often in grade school as family friends took him to games. He watched a lot of IU football, including the 1968 Rose Bowl.“That’s when I got that little ball that’s in my office, which was a real connection to IU,” he said. “With all of the different moves that I’ve made in college and after college and here and there, for some reason, I’ve always kept hold of that Rose Bowl ball.”He recalled rolling down the hill in the South End Zone, watching and listening to IU basketball games and the passion it sparked within him for the University. He remembered pretending to be Jade Butcher, a wide receiver on that Rose Bowl team. He reminisced about the time he played hookey to welcome back the IU men’s basketball team after they won the NCAA national championship in 1976.For a fifth grade art project, he cross-stitched the IU logo with yarn into a frame made of an egg carton.“It was kind of like listening to the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day afternoon,” Glass said. “It was just part of growing up.”Those ties to the University made his college choice easy.“I was pretty much set on going to IU, in some ways, my whole life,” Glass said. “When I was a junior in high school, I came down and visited an older brother of a friend of mine and just fell in love with the rest of campus. We stayed over in his room in McNutt and had a really fun weekend. From then on, it was pretty much for sure that I was going to IU.”While at IU, Glass went to all the football and basketball games. However, he said he regrets not being as integrated in the University as he could have been.“I wasn’t as involved as maybe I might have been in University events like homecoming or things like that,” he said. “That’s kind of why I’d like to highlight those and make those special and available to all students. I’m hopeful that we can create some traditions and awareness to maybe get the people that are normally less engaged to get more engaged.”Before the Ohio State football game Oct. 3, Glass rode around the tailgates in his smart car to speak to fans and make his presence known to the Hoosier faithful.He met with some women, who laughed with him, saying, “You must have been sitting behind us for the last 20 years at football games because all the things that we’ve talked about, you’re doing.” Glass took that statement as a compliment and credit to the thoughts he had of what could be improved while he sat in the stands all those years.“Now, I’m in a role where I can actually do something about that and what I’m finding is that it wasn’t so much because I was so smart or anything ... It’s just that I’m an IU person, and I went to IU events,” Glass said. “One of the wonderful things about this job is I get to try some of those things, and I think part of the reason a lot of them have been well-received is they are not inconsistent with a lot of the observations that other people who have been going to the games all these years have as well.”Glass then spent time in the student section talking to the younger members of Hoosier Nation, a duty he sees as a necessity for his job and a great deal of fun. “It’s really rewarding, and it makes me feel like the time is well spent and that I’m doing my job,” Glass said.A game-day proposal Glass has been attending IU football games since he was a young boy.The ties to IU athletics have been a family affair for Glass. In college, he sat in the corner of the student section near the end zone. That’s where, during his junior year, he met his wife.“We were up there in the corner where we always sit, and we had common friends, so I met her there,” he said.A few years later, Glass sat in the stands during the IU-Michigan game, “nervous as hell.” “I knew I was going to take her over to Brown County State Park and propose to her after the game,” he said.He did, and she accepted.
(10/16/09 4:12pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This story starts with a picture.It is the picture of a 1981 graduate of IU – a man known as Fred Glass, but listed as George.In the black-and-white photo, placed in the middle-top section of a 1981 copy of the Arbutus yearbook, Glass is wearing a suit and tie, with hair down to about the middle of his ears and a smile that stands out among the 41 other portraits on the gray-toned page.About 28 years later, he got his portrait taken again, this time in color.The hair is still the same style, parted in the middle with most of it flowing to the left, but it’s a gray now and not nearly as long. He is wearing an IU windbreaker with white stripes down the shoulders over a crimson shirt, a less formal getup than in the previous picture.And this time, he is not smiling because he is close to graduation. He is smiling because, after nearly three decades, he has earned the position of his dreams.He has become the IU athletics director.***Now, picture this. Glass is standing in front of chapter leaders of the Indiana Alumni Association, about six hours before kickoff Oct. 3, wearing another IU top – this time a crimson fleece with Hoosier Football etched across the front – speaking about IU’s success during the week against their opponents, including a win against Purdue in volleyball on its home court, which he attended.“I was so proud to watch those smug, arrogant Boilermakers walking out with their heads down,” Glass says.His smile still stands out in the room, and he shows it proudly as he talks about how great a privilege it is as a fan to be IU’s athletics director.The second he steps away from the podium, he is bombarded by his fellow alumni, asking him questions and complimenting him.“We appreciate you making yourself available,” says Larry Alt, the Lakeshore region chapter president.Glass smiles as if he is looking at a life-long friend – mostly because he, in a way, is. As alumni, they all share a connection, a bit of cream and crimson that now runs through their blood.A 2008 alumnus, John Potts asks Glass to pose for a picture with his friend, Brooke Dyer, and himself.Then, Potts asks a question only a true fan would.“Can I get one with just him?”***The Smart Car Glass drives around the tailgating fields is picture perfect for visiting students and fans around Memorial Stadium and in Hoosier Village, the Alumni Association’s tailgating area.“Fred Glass” is written in cursive script across the top of the curved frame of the cream and crimson car, which hits top speed at 29 miles per hour. With Glass driving, that happens quite often.“You’re gonna have to hold on tight,” he says as he climbs in.He waves out the doorless car to fans, honking as he drives past them with “Indiana, Our Indiana” playing in the background.“Thanks for being here,” he yells to the groups of fans.His first stop is the Schroeder tailgate, where he meets up with an old college friend and fellow alumnus, Mike Schroeder.They crack jokes about the good old days, although both agree not to talk about the more embarrassing blackmail they have on each other.“Fred was a great student and a fan when he was here,” Schroeder says with a grin. “Best thing that happened to the University.”A female fan snaps another picture as Glass drives past on his way to the stadium.“How do you get one of those?” she asks.Glass, smiling again, shouts back, “Gotta be the athletics director.”***Glass’ excited grin as the game inches closer minute by minute is picturesque.Thanks to visiting with every fan that stops him – including some of the Buckeye faithful – he has now fallen off his original schedule and has to make up for lost time.But forget the schedule – there are fans to tend to.“Hey Hoosiers!” he yells as he flies by plots in the stadium parking lot. He greets everyone with that same grin and that same child-like excitement – from students to the mayor of Kokomo.“I’m thinking an all-out blitz – first play,” a fan suggests to him. “And then maybe a late hit.”Another fan is in Bloomington for her 31st birthday, which Glass finds particularly thrilling.“There’s no better way to spend it,” she says in agreement.As he heads toward the tents near the western part of the stadium, the Fred mobile suddenly screeches to a halt as Glass pulls out his phone.He puts on his glasses and begins to read. Then, that smile surges back again.“Purdue got beat by Northwestern,” Glass says. “Is that great or what?”He stops by yet another tailgate. IU fans are roasting pig and drinking Miller Lite as they talk about the prospects for the day’s game.As Glass pulls up, he is immediately recognized.“You guys got it going on,” a fan says to him. “You just gotta keep it going.”He stays to eat after one of the cooks talks him into a bit of pulled pork, pasta salad and a diet Coke.One of the fans mentions a wooden post holding up a tree branch in the middle of the fire pit area, signed by various passersby. Of course, Glass picks up a marker and heads toward it.Again, the camera flashes fly, and that smile shines. ***Several pictures and another diet Coke later, Dunn Street is packed with cars full of fans trying to find a place to park prior to kickoff. Glass heads to the wrestling, baseball and volleyball tailgates to speak with recruits and meet with the teams.As he rides by, the cheerleaders begin to chant the theme of the game – “Go IU! Roast the Buckeyes!”Next stop is the traditional “Walk to the Rock,” which Glass leads along with IU football coach Bill Lynch. As they walk down the row of fans, they give out high-fives like candy, showing unparalleled enthusiasm as they make their way toward the stadium.As he leaves the main entrance afterward (he has much more to do before kickoff) he is greeted by three members of the track team. One, wearing a fake crocodile head hat and light green argyle socks, is third in line to get in once the stadium opens. He thanks her for supporting the other teams at IU, and she smiles and thanks him for all he’s done for the student-athletes.As he works his way back toward the smart car, there are more loony costumes, including a man in a chicken suit and one dressed in Reno 911 attire. This time, Glass takes a picture of the group for them with their camera. But in the end, as usual, he winds up in the picture, as well.***A picture of Glass flashes on the screen at Memorial Stadium, just minutes before the game is set to begin.He is out on the sidelines, clapping along to “Fight IU” just as he did as a student. He points out a fan in the stands wearing a top that says “Worst State Ever.” The outline of the shirt looks like Ohio.“You see that shirt?” he says. “That’s good.”As “Indiana, Our Indiana” plays, Glass again claps along, finishing with the IU hand gesture nearly every alumnus knows.As the game begins, he slaps Terrence Turner and Justin Pagan, an IU starting wide receiver and offensive lineman, on the shoulders, saying “Let’s go get them.”He then goes on to his next self-given duty – walking through the student section to thank fans. As he makes his way down the aisles, shouts come his way.“You’re the man!” one says.“It’s incredible you are here,” another crows.“Fre-ed Gla-ass!” a group cheers.More pictures come as he weaves through the crowds, stopping every now and then to watch the next play. He runs into Emily Kasavana, co-captain of the IU rowing team, on his way to the band section.“This is amazing,” she says. “Look at this!”Again, Glass smiles. How can he help but do so?Now, he’s on to the Hall of Champions, where he greets fans who have bought out the corporate dining area for each of IU’s six home games.He meets another old friend, and as a few fans off to the side take pictures, they talk.“You’re the luckiest man in the world,” his friend says.Glass pauses, that smile flashing forward once again. This time, it’s brighter than ever.?“I know,” he says.
(10/15/09 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Athletics Director Fred Glass learned the strength of IU’s student body during the University’s last home football game, when IU students bought 11,000 student seats – an expansion of more than a third of the normal seating for students.“The Ohio State experience taught us that we really could, actually could, sell out of student tickets,” Glass said. “We had a lot of disappointed students.”In a move to prevent students from being left out in the cold again, IU Athletics has announced a promotion involving men’s basketball season tickets for students. Until 8 p.m. Monday, every student who purchases the $220 ticket package will be guaranteed a ticket for every home game and also given no more balcony seats during those games than they are given main level seats.“We wanted to create some motivation for people to go and get those tickets,” Glass said. He added that another reason for the promotion was an attempt to set the rotation for games for students between balcony, main-level and floor-level seats early.Glass said he knows the question of whether the program becomes “too successful” is an issue he might have to address, but there is already a plan in place.“I would love to have that problem,” he said. “What we would do is have the student section spill over and become larger. I’ve been assured by the ticket office people that they could – even if we blow over the number that we were thinking we would hold back for student tickets – we could still manage this balanced approach.”Glass said the department is already “way ahead” of last year’s sales, and IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean tweeted on Oct. 11 that student ticket sales were up 20 percent from last year’s total.As for future plans for a student section in Assembly Hall, Glass said, for now, the area in the south end of the arena will still remain the home to most IU students.“My hope is that, over time, we might do some additional things to make it feel more like a student section – maybe try to bring it more into the action,” Glass said. “Also, we’re toying with the idea of moving – not this year, but maybe in the future – to either a pure first-come-first-serve or a modified first-come-first-serve to build that excitement of people coming early and getting the best seats.”Tickets can be bought online at IUHoosiers.com, at the IU ticket office in Assembly Hall or by calling 1-866-IUSPORTS. Members of the Student Athletics Board will also be selling tickets during homecoming events and Hoosier Hysteria.“We’re really making a big push here because once Monday at 8 p.m. rolls around there’s going to be no guarantee that student tickets will be available,” Glass said. “There’s no guarantee that you’ll get as many main-level seats as the balcony seats.“We’re really trying to let kids know that this is their shot at it, and, as we demonstrated with Ohio State, we’re not crying wolf. We’re really serious about where we are with the season tickets.”
(09/30/09 3:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sporting an 8-1 record, the best start in women's soccer history heading into Big Ten play, the Hoosiers looked poised to compete for the Big Ten Championship in the coming year.However, following a 0-2 conference start against Northwestern and Wisconsin, IU's path to a championship seems more difficult.Still ranked No. 19 in the nation at the time this guide went to press, IU was also No. 1 in the Big Ten before its two losses Sept. 25 and Sept. 27. They are now 8-3-0 overall, with remaining games against No. 15 Purdue and No. 21 Ohio State on their Big Ten schedule.Next up for the Hoosiers are Michigan State and Illinois, who have also received votes in the top-25 polls. Both games are at home, with IU-MSU at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 and IU-Illinois at 2 p.m Oct. 4.
(09/29/09 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If students plan to attend the Oct. 3 game against Ohio State and participate in the dedication of the North End Zone, they have to act fast.Less than 1,000 student tickets remain and just more than 5,000 reserved seats are available for Saturday’s contest.The game is slated to kick off at 7 p.m.“We are encouraging everybody to get their tickets in advance,” said J.D. Campbell, IU Athletics’ assistant athletic director for media relations. “If you have any plans whatsoever to come over to the game, we want you to come over and get them as soon as you can. We want everybody who wants an opportunity to go to the game to be able to get a ticket, especially our student body.”Attendance for the last two games against Ohio State in 2003 and 2005 was 51,240 and 52,866, respectively. However, this high-revenue matchup has more to do with IU’s increased excitement about the program than in years past, said Pat Kraft, senior assistant athletics director for marketing.“It’s very pro-Indiana, more so than ever before,” Kraft said. “The energy and the excitement that’s been going on with Indiana athletics is a really key part of it.”Kraft said the fact that IU is playing the No. 9 team in the nation and the recent success and near-upset of Michigan last Saturday also contribute to the sales.Kraft said 350 tickets sold yesterday morning alone to people in Indiana, with 200 of those tickets going to students. “The atmosphere will be electric,” Kraft said. “It’s going to be an unbelievable crowd and an unbelievable game.”
(09/28/09 10:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If students plan to attend the Oct. 3 game against Ohio State and participate in the dedication of the North End Zone, they have to act fast.Less than 1,000 student tickets remain and just over 5,000 reserved seats are available for Saturday’s contest, slated to kick off at 7 p.m.“We are encouraging everybody to get their tickets in advance,” said J.D. Campbell, IU Athletics’ assistant athletic director for media relations. “If you have any plans whatsoever to come over to the game, we want you to come over and get them as soon as you can. We want everybody who wants an opportunity to go to the game to be able to get a ticket, especially our student body.”Attendance for the last two games against Ohio State in 2003 and 2005 was 51,240 and 52,866, respectively. However, this high-revenue matchup has more to do with IU’s excitement over the program than in years past, Senior Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing Pat Kraft said.“It’s very pro-Indiana, more so than ever before,” Kraft said. “The energy and the excitement that’s been going on with Indiana athletics is a really key part of it.”Kraft said the fact that IU is playing the No. 9 team in the nation in Ohio State and the recent success and near-upset of Michigan last Saturday also contribute to sales.Kraft said 350 tickets sold yesterday morning alone from the state of Indiana, with 200 of those tickets going to students. “The atmosphere will be electric,” Kraft said. “It’s going to be an unbelievable crowd and an unbelievable game.”