i guess we’ll know sometime around the ball state game…

What is the attraction to IU despite the poor facilities and the KS cloud? Trying to look through the eyes of a teen phonom I would have to say it is a few things….from a basketball standpoint IU is a “Nationally Exposed” program and the fan base is very knowledgeable and strong. I heard Jamarcus Ellis say at Midnight Madness was the largest crowd he has played in EVER in his life and has seen nothing like. I read one of the recruits at midnight madness say IU fans are very Knowledgable and he didn’t get that feeling on other visits elsewhere. Indiana basketball receives a lot of exposure and kids know that…..

Secondly, I think kids are far far more forgiving than adults are, which is the way our society works these days…..I think KS is very engaging to them and they can relate to them. In some cases he is that father figure they are use too or have not had and those things are attractive. I look at his interaction with the players and no matter which player it is, they all give him a balanced amount of respect. The sanctions I believe do not work against him when it comes to the “player” looking at IU…..(unless you know what happens with the ncaa..i don’t want to say the word”)

Finally, losing a scholarship I don’t believe will have a major affect on IU under the circumstances of our team….we are young, we have kids who may be leaving early, and the unfortunate incident with Bud…I am looking down the road but I think the effects will be minimal.

to clarify on IU losing respect nationally. i meant that it is easy to perceive the situation as bad press for IU basketball, not that “Oh my god, IU is now the worst program ever.” i believe i followed that statement by crediting sampson’s ability to win, which should ultimately outweigh this setback. i’d challenge you to make a case that self-imposed and/or NCAA imposed sanctions are good for a large basketball program, because it sounds as though you are in complete denial that this will have any effect on us. how can losing scholarships not affect us? even with bud mackey gone, could we not give the scholarship to someone else?

also, i’d like you to find a quote where i say that we are losing appeal due to facilities, you are assuming this is my stance because i just happened to make my remarks following paul’s comments. i read paul’s comment and thought to myself, “gosh, what is making people still want to come here? we’ve clearly had some bad issues that should theoretically push athletes away, yet we seem to still be recruiting top prospects. hmm, why is that?”

you have yet to even attempt to answer that question. it is practically an open-ended essay on why you are an IU fan.

i don’t know where the bob knight comments come from. i believe he was a great coach in his time, but he WAY outlived his time here. if you disagree with him being a good coach and for the most part developing IU’s winning tradition, then i feel that you should personally remove the banners from assembly. yet, i wouldn’t want him back right now either, his ship has sailed. in fact, i haven’t even proposed that we seek a different coach, just that we evaluate sampson at the end of the season (which i hope we do with all coaches at the end of every season anyway). unfortunately for sampson, he isn’t starting this season with a clean slate.

just so we’re clear..

i’m not anti-sampson. however, i’m extremely skeptical of him. he’s made the same mistake twice within a VERY short time span. believe it or not, the best predictor of a person’s future actions are the actions of his past. that’s not saying that people can’t change, or the sampson should be branded a cheater for life, it’s just an observation on society in general. i would love for him to get his act together and prove ‘NitWitt’s postulate of behavioral predictors’ completely wrong. i think IU basketball will have a lot of success on the court as long as he is the coach. however, success on the court isn’t the ONLY thing that is important in college basketball. unless he can guarantee every single one of his athletes a professional basketball career and no risk of injury, i think it is in the athlete’s best interest to go to class and graduate.

i must admit, your response was quite witty, no pun intended. i’ll be on the lookout for Mr. Hanson.

did i spell blog wrong? i didn’t get the B-L-O-G remarks.

regards,
witt

“it can easily been seen that IU is losing respect nationally. …..”

and ofcourse here is part of your hero’s quote…”What is the appeal of playing at IU. The coach is a cheater and the facilities are poor.”

Now I understand you are new to the computer world and that Atari 1500 has been hard to let go, when it comes to a “blog” spelled B-L-O-G, I and everyone else has to right to say what we want. I think Paul’s comments as well as yours are an indication that both of you are distant relatives of Bob but you just don’t want to admit it, you have a hard time separating the team and the coach, and if you think kids come to schools for facilities….you are sadly mistaken in 2007!

I won’t waste my time picking apart your quote of IU losing respect nationally because it has no foundation….oh wait yes it does…Kent Benson, Joe Hilman, and Ted “recruit my kid” Kitchel ALL believe IU is a step above Hell now. So DW yes if I feel something on this blog..spelled B-L-O-G is worth responding too I will……just as everyone has the right to do the same with my post.

I don’t find it odd because the trustees have not approved to build any new arena. They have approved recently the North End Zone Complex, the Basketball Development Facility, new Baseball and Softball Fields, and a decision not to renovate Assembly Hall but rather to replace it in the indefinite future with a yet to be designed new arena.

P.S. What about anything you have posted is “worthwhile conversation”? You’re just spouting off random incoherent statements.

i’m glad you have confirmed my assessment that you don’t open your eyes when you read. my post was to point out your closed-mindedness and not to take a side. just like you did with timmy boy, as soon as i called you out on your poor blog comment etiquette, you pounced on me like a young eager simba learning to hunt. if you actually take the time to read and think at the same time, you will notice that i did not credit or discredit much that you or paul had to say. i simply asked a new question intending to create some intelligible discussion on what exactly attracts recruits to iu.

naturally, your response is and will always be the same and something like this:

EJ, eli, jordan, roth, pritchard, ebanks, elston, deandre, etc…. it must be the best place ever if they are coming. >

however, though this may be a completely true and accurate statement-note my last post stating the amazing talent we have this year-it doesn’t answer WHY they want to come here. and when i say they, i don’t mean recruits that we already have, but recruits we are still trying to get, such as zeller, van treese, stephenson, and so on.

so i repeat….

what attracts recruits to IU’s program? is it the dorm food? maybe its the ugg boots with skirts and tights combo that the ladies fashion here? perhaps its kinsey institutes infinite supply of condoms?

conversely, what types of things detract from the IU program? could the strained relationship between IU campuses hurt our recruiting? or are the weather patterns just completely unattractive?

my point, kind sir, is that you just attack other people’s comments instead of contributing to worthwhile conversation.

to answer the only question that seems worthwhile, the cheater coach hurts the program when we can’t recruit as many athletes each year. lost scholarships cannot possibly by any twisted mind be conceived as a good thing.

thank you for your time,
witt

p.s. please read at least 3 times AND take a cold shower before going into simba mode.

i was just asking you not to jump all over people, i didn’t credit or discredit anything you have said, just your general attitude. and again, i call you out and you pounce like an eager simba learning to hunt.

i raised the question, what is the appeal of playing at IU? i was trying to open some discussion about what exactly makes recruits want to play for IU in light of the recent tragedies, but you gave your standard response:

EJ, roth, ebanks, eli, jamarcus, etc…. then it must be good.

however, just because we’re getting some great athletes right now, that doesn’t answer the question as to why they want to come here. you may also note that i stated that i expect success this year because of how much talent we have. so i’m not sure where you get this idea that i believe our program is hurting.

if i ever had the opportunity to play here (implying that i grew 4-10 inches and learned how to make a layup), IU would absolutely be on the top of my dream program list. yet, i don’t know why or at least how to verbalize what would attract me to the program.

so, i reapeat…

what about the IU basketball program appeals to recruits? is it the short skirts with ugg boots? or maybe the dorm food? perhaps it is the kinsey institute promising free condoms?

conversely, how does that compare to the things that may detract from our greatness? possibly the strained politics between different IU campuses? the missing oaken buckets? do i even need to mention sanctions?

thanks,
witt

p.s. please read at least 3 times and take a cold shower before responding.