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Report: Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis dismissed

By Alex | March 31, 2008

bassett236.JPGUpdate: J.D. Campbell confirms Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis have been dismissed from the team.

According to a report by Terry Hutchens of the Indianapolis Star, interim head coach Dan Dakich has dismissed Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis from the team. Here is the rationale, according to Hutch:

Both players missed two prearranged meetings last week. They were told if they missed the second meeting, they would be kicked off the team.

There has to be more to this story than missing a meeting. Both players were suspended at one point this past season for undisclosed reasons. As a fan, I must say I’m not real comfortable with an interim head coach kicking players off the team. At the same time, the players do need to listen to Dakich as long as he is in charge. The soap opera that is Indiana basketball seems to be getting worse as the days go by. Someone, please stop the bleeding.

Update: A report tonight by the Hoosier Scoop says both players hope to return to the program when a new coach is named.

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Viewing 83 Comments

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    and they told me to dig deeper, and then I cried. I might just have to start a revolution and become dictator to clean this shit up.
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    This is a sh*t show. Get Greenspan out, get DD out, and lets hire a coach. We arent getting any of the final four guys so we should be aggressive and have a coach in place or close to it by the weekend. We need to keep our players and salvage any recruiting we can.
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    Okay this is getting down right sadistic. I think we are starting to enjoy cutting our own throats!
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    Dakich will not BE the coach but Dakich IS the coach. He has the responsibility to keep the team disciplined and ready to play for IU whether they like it or not.

    No matter what his status he runs the team. The players do not run the team. if they don't want to listen to the coach they need to go home. IU doesn't need any player enough to give control of the team to them.
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    I'd like to share this Bowling Green blog with my fellow insiders. http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/02/24/2323...
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    ruuuuuunnnnn daaaannnn ruuuuunnnnnn!!! **spoken in my best Jen-ny voice!

    RUN and HIDE PLEEEEEEEASE!!!
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    Ok after getting past my pistedom at this entire situation...I really think Dak should not be kicking people off the team.....it makes "my 1 year olds" type of sense. What if Dak said you know what EJ you are gone to we don' t wan't you at IU cause you missed a class???

    Then new coach comes and has to deal with that.....

    This is ridicoulous and I want a NEW search committe to find an AD. It is obvious that Greeny has DONE nothing right to manage this situtation nor has he imposed his standards on this program and the athletes......

    The basketball program is the PRIMARY money maker for the athletic program Greeny and you are about to lose it like KS pissed his away. Get those kids in a room...tell them they are still on scholarship and you might want to mention....that IU does NOT have to sign off on a "TRANSFER" so they might want to make the meetings or walk on at Montana Tech.

    As far as Dak something stinks here......are you trying to scare off applicants???? What are you doing??? I read somewhere at Bowling Green kids left and got kicked off left and right. Dak it is NOT your place to start dismissing players....disciplining them yes but dismissing them NO.

    Recommend to Greeny that the athletic program hold there scholly's and if they want to leave.....enjoy JUCO, NAIA, or D-3 fellas......and kiss 17K each night good buy and say hello to a gym the size of Hickory High from Hoosiers!

    Despite EJ's woes this season.....his PARENTS should be commended and thanked for the type of son they raised. A DAMN good kid and I will support him no matter what decision he makes......
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    Kelin, as usual, you are rambling incoherantly. They missed a pre-arranged meeting. So they were issued a warning: once more and you are gone. They missed ANOTHER MEETING!!!! So they were kicked off the team. If your BOSS set's up a meeting with you, and you just don't show up, you are lucky to keep the job! They were given a 2nd chance and screwed that up also. Both players were also suspended during the year. What do you want the guy to do? Use your brain brah!

    Does anyone remember what Dakich said after the Arkansas loss? That basically IU needs to clean house, and start over. That started tonight.

    Tell me something...did you honestly LIKE this team? If you did, there are serious questions about your basketball IQ
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    If the substitute teacher tells a student you are going to fail my test tomorrow knowing they won't be there tomorrow you think the kid REALLY studies hard for the subs test????? Brah!

    Dakich has NO right to kick kids off the team and again YOU would be singing a different tune if you took out the names bassett and Ellis and replaced them with Eric Gordon.

    No one remembers what Dak said after the Arkansas loss because no one cares what Dak says including the players because he is the substitute teacher until an ACTUAL, CERTIFIED, TEACHER shows up with GOOD credentials....(hence 20 players leaving at Bowling Green)

    And YES I did like this team, not the coaching style, offense, transition game or defense. IU had Final 4 talent from Day 1, but the mess KS, Greeny, and the admin put them through pissed it away. .....Now as far as my basketball IQ can you really question that using an animal house logo????

    it is ok to disagree just bring it when you do.....
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    Kelin, whatever!

    Dakich had every right to kick those players off the team. Basic parenting skills can be applied here: when you warn a child to not do something or they'll be punished, and they do it... you'd better follow through on your warning! He warned them. They disobeyed. They're off the team! If they want to ruin their promising basketball futures (i.e. Ratliff), then let them be responsible for their actions. Teach them that there are consequences for every decision. I'm so tired of these punk players coming in thinking that they should be catered to and that everyone should bow down to them. They need to learn to respect authority, and apparently these two guys didn't, so who needs them! Let's get some good kids in there that have a good head on their shoulders that are not asking, "What's in it for me?" or "What does this school have to offer for me?" That's not a team attitude, nor a responsible adult attitude, which is what we're supposed to be teaching these kids! And I applaud Dakich for having the balls to do what he should have done, knowing that he was going to be viciously criticized by enablers like you, Kelin. Give me a break!

    And yes, EJ's parents can certainly be commended on how well they've raised that fine young man! Now THAT'S a kid with a good head on his shoulders! If I remember correctly, he showed up to that practice that the other "team leaders" decided to "strike." And even though I really wish he'd stay another year to hone his talent, as he was obviously lacking some skills (as all freshmen do), there's no doubt in my mind that he'll go far! Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon!!! I wish we could find more level-headed responsible kids like your son, and stop catering to a bunch of punk kids that can't keep their noses clean!
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    maybe i would agree with your point if these kids had been squeaky clean before, but they haven't. let's face it, jamarcus has been a problem ever since he stepped foot on campus. he had problems in high school as which partly attributed to his juco sabbatical.

    as for armon, i think he is a good kid. but, even he made some poor decisions this year which also resulted in a suspension.

    it's not like this is strike one for armon and jamarcus. i think dakich is totally justified in taking this action. even if he is the "subsitute teacher", he still was head of basketball operations...so i think he has the authority to make this call.
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    The kids couldn't help they were never actually "coached" nobody progressed on this team under Sampson. Then they get their coach fired and A stranger comes in as the new temporary boss. And a new boss that is known for being an extreme hardass. Greenspawn wen tout of his way to say how clean Mac was. So why didn't he name him Interim HC then if he was so clean. If your mom has been married 3 times and a new step dad comes in and tries to order you around are you gonna listen? I don't think so. Technically he had the right to kick them off. Common sense says he shouldn't. I've lost alot of respect for him and couldn't care less if he gets dumped at the steps
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    Brian K I agree 100%....Dak is on a power trip just like they said he was at Bowling Green
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    what the hell is going on? How can things continually keep getting worse and worse, this is absolutely ridiculous!
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    H-Ville I hate to scare you, when I thought it couldn't get worse, it did today......and here is reality.....it WILL get worse....

    Greeny....I would like to announce the new coach at Indiana University (Mike Montgomory, Lon Kruger, Dan Dakich)
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    Wow. And I've been a Pacers fan my whole life. It is amazing that I continue to even like sports. Let's see if it can get any worse!
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    Dakich lost this friggen team the day Sampson resigned, when he elected not to suspend any of the players for missing that practice for no good reason.

    That being said, Bassett and Ellis are showing a lot of immaturity for not honoring a pre-arranged team meeting.

    I know it sucks that your coach had to resign, and I know it sucks that you got blasted in the first round to Arkansas. But you are getting a free ride to play basketball, the least you could do is live up to your end of the bargain and show up to the meetings.
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    Ok....maybe this will be a poll at some point .....the lowest point in Indiana basketball history????

    1. IU NIT game vs. Vandy
    2. Mike Davis No Show
    3. Bob Knight leaving
    4. KS firing.eeerrrr I mean resignation
    5. IU after the KS firing

    Very tough call here.....
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    What happened to the first rd boooounce from Cleve State ? Scott May broken arm ?

    Lets show the boys how to handle pressure and not freak out

    I however have peed my pants
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    Any Scott may reference was before my time......

    When will the good news come???
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    I do not care who are coach is, because, whoever it is going to be, we will suck. We will not get any recruits with the new coach (because it is not a big named coach), the ones we have can't do anything at the D1 level without the help of other strong players. Losing White, Gordon, possibly Bassett, Ellis, leaves us with shit. This is going to take five years to recover from. Can a program make more of a change (negative) in the last 2 months than IU?
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    Story has been updated, players hope to return