Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew. Send us a news tip at tips@insidethehall.com.
+ Chris Korman of the H-T/Hoosier Scoop has highlights from the Hall induction, including the full text of Bob Knight’s letter to Fred Glass that was read at the ceremony. {The Hoosier Scoop}
+ Michael Rosenburg of Sports Illustrated writes that it’s time for Knight and Indiana to move on and bury the hatchet. {SI.com}
+ Terry Hutchens writes that Bob Knight was recalled fondly at the Hall of Fame induction. {The Indianapolis Star}
+ IU Athletics celebrates 2009 Hall of Fame class. {IUHoosiers.com}
Quotable: “You are the only person in the administrative capacity at Indiana in the last ten years to say thank you for what we did, and I appreciate your doing so. You mentioned in your letter to me that you would like to sit down and talk with me any place or at any time. I would be willing to do this and would suggest that you bring Bob Hammel with you as he would be a great help in your understanding why I feel as I do. It is obvious that the people who replaced the aforementioned people over the years have not nearly maintained the standards with Indiana’s athletic program that those people established. I would hope that during your tenure you would be able to get Indiana athletics back where it once was and want to wish you the very best in that regard.” – Excerpt from Knight’s letter to Glass.
Moments ago we just learned that Bawa is completely eligible. If you see his smile as wide as it has ever been you will know why.
So yes: the NCAA has decreed Bawa’s lingering high school coursework is in shipshape, and he’ll be able to participate in game action now. Anyone else interested to see how his game fits in with Crean’s more up-tempo style of play this season?
After leading by just six at halftime, Indiana used a strong second half to win its exhibition debut 96-73 over NAIA opponent Grace College Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.
Six Indiana players scored in double figures, led by 19 points from Christian Watford and 14 from Jordan Hulls.
A couple of thoughts from Indiana’s exhibition opener:
Watford was very effective after he settled down. He looked a bit anxious early, which is to be expected for a freshman, but his athleticism around the basket made an instant impact. He got to the line nine times and connected on all of his attempts. Impressive debut.
The basketball IQ of Hulls will make him a fan favorite in Bloomington. He has a knack for setting up teammates and when left open, he was able to knock down some shots. And he didn’t register a turnover.
Verdell Jones picked up where he left off at the end of last season. Jones is still lanky, but he’s added some weight and is stronger in his upper body. He was a bit sloppy with the ball at times, but he turned in solid effort with 10 points and eight assists.
Jeremiah Rivers could be the defensive presence that Indiana desperately needs to win in the Big Ten. The Georgetown transfer was solid on both ends of the floor, but was especially effective with his on the ball defense.
Tom Pritchard had a couple of crafty moves around the bucket, but he still needs to do a better job at finishing point-blank opportunities. The good news for Pritchard is that Watford, Derek Elston and Bobby Capobianco should all help take pressure off of him in the post.
Elston and Capobianco both hit the glass hard. Elston had a nice reverse lay-up and is the more athletic option of the two. Capobianco brought intensity, but struggled with picking up unnecessary fouls.
Maurice Creek had an unspectacular debut, totaling just five points and five turnovers. Creek should bounce back with a stronger game Monday and will be an impact guy.
All in all, about what most of us expected from an exhibition debut with six new faces, right? Tom Crean probably won’t be thrilled with several easy baskets the Hoosiers allowed down low and in transition, but that’s what the pre-season is for. Indiana will return to action on Monday against St. Joseph’s at Assembly Hall. That game will also be broadcast on BigTenNetwork.com.
Pick to Click winner: Christian Watford (Phillip, StuHoo, favreDollarfootlong, ariufan, hoosier07, JerryCT, hoosierwhodey, CrimsonLaw1L, NMHoosier, Martin34, Kelin Blab)
+ Indiana coach Tom Crean appeared on Kravitz and Eddie on 1070 the Fan on Tuesday afternoon and talked about Wednesday’s exhibition against Grace, Bob Knight’s decision to not attend his Hall of Fame induction and Mike Krzyzewski’s comments a couple of weeks ago to ESPN.com. You can listen to the complete podcast here.
+ Crean also met with the media today and Chris Korman of the Herald-Times/Hoosier Scoop has the audio here.
+ Dave Telep of Scout.composted an update on five-star wing Jelan Kendrick and the Marietta (GA) product says he’ll likely wait until the spring to sign a Letter of Intent. Kendrick visited Indiana this past weekend and attended Saturday’s Haunted Hall of Hoops. (Subscription required to view link.)
+ Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com has a note on Will Sheehey in his “Weekly Whispers” column. Sheehey will visit Indiana this weekend and recently added an offer from Michigan. (Subscription required to view link.)
In case you haven’t heard, we’re starting something called the “Pick to Click.” A full, detailed explanation can be found here, but here’s the gist of it:
The Pick to Click, for Inside the Hall purposes, is your opportunity to select a player each game that you feel will perform the best based on a simple formula we’ve created. There will be a post for each regular season game where you’ll have the opportunity to select your Pick to Click in the comments. Postseason play, conference tournament games and exhibition games will not be tracked.For each game you select the player who ends up being the Pick to Click, you’ll get one point. Picks must be posted in the comments at least 15 minutes prior to tip-off and you’re only eligible to select one player per game. At the end of the season, whoever has the most correct picks over the course of the season will receive a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. And bragging rights, too. If we have more than one leader at the end of the season, we’ll split up the prize accordingly.
As stated above, exhibition games will not be tracked, but we’re going to use both games as a test for us and it’ll also give you a shot to try it out before the scoring begins. You can begin posting your Picks to Click in the comments until 6:45 ET on Wednesday. Good luck.
Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew. Send us your links to tips@insidethehall.com.
+ Game notes for Indiana’s exhibition opener against Grace, a NAIA opponent. {IUHoosiers.com}
+ One of Indiana’s top recruiting targets in 2012, North Central’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, recently underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus and will be out several weeks. {Indianapolis Star}
+ Mike Hutton writes that Indiana is on the fast track with Tom Crean at the helm. {Gary Post-Tribune}
+ Kyle Neddenriep looks at five players from around the state who are under the recruiting radar, but ready to soar. Indiana is mentioned with several including Kellen Dunham, Jared Drew and Collin Hartman. {Indianapolis Star}
+ John M. over at the Indiana SBNation site previews the returning players in Indiana’s backcourt. {Crimson Quarry}
+ Andy Katz ponders the question: Could this finally be the year at Northwestern? {ESPN.com}
+ Katz writes that Wisconsin doesn’t mind being picked low in the Big Ten. The Badgers are looking for their 12th straight NCAA berth this season. {ESPN.com}
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