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I guess this is goodbye, old friends

by in Site News | April 4th, 2011

Well, sort of goodbye.

To avoid hyperbole or unnecessary rambling: I’ve signed onto 247 Sports’ new venture with Inside Indiana. I will, unfortunately, be leaving this space, which has grown rather dear to me over the last year-plus.

I signed on with Alex and Ryan in January of last year, but the truth is, much like many of you, I had been reading Inside The Hall pretty much since its inception.

To be a part of the impressive growth the site has undertaken — even if just a small part — has been a real treat, and something I’ll probably treasure forever.

I guess this isn’t quite goodbye, as I’ll still be around. In fact if anything, my responsibilities will expand to covering football as well, so you’ll be hearing more from me than surely you could ever want to.

Again, I promised I would be brief — plus I’m awful at goodbyes — so let me please just say thank you to all of you for making my time on the site as fun and as wonderful as you have. It really was a treat.

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That’s A Wrap: Tom Crean

by in Commentary | April 1st, 2011

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Tom Crean.

Tom Crean stood at the lectern inside the Assembly Hall press room, his most common pulpit, and tried in vain to put into words what had just come to pass.

Crean’s team had just lost 70-64 at home to Northwestern, the Hoosiers’ fourth in a row and third on the run against a once-conference doormat that Indiana fans had long enjoyed beating comfortably.

The third-year Indiana coach looked perplexed, lost in thought. He was without his tie, taken off during the game itself, commonly viewed as a sign of unusual frustration. A man noted for his ability to speak prolifically, on this night, appeared void of explanations.

He talked about his team’s lack of accountability, lamenting that just one of his players (it turned out to be freshman Will Sheehey) actually asked to match up defensively with Michael Thompson, the Wildcats’ leading scorer on the night. That lack of willingness (or desire, if you will) from his more veteran players to meet that challenge head-on had Crean practically speechless.

It might have been as flustered and defeated as Crean has ever looked in his three years in Bloomington.

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That’s A Wrap: Guy-Marc Michel

by in Commentary | March 29th, 2011

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Guy-Marc Michel.

Final Stats: Did not play.

When Indiana recruited a 7-foot center from Martinique by way of North Idaho College, a fair bit of skepticism passed through the fanbase. The Hoosiers had just said goodbye to Tijan Jobe, and would soon part ways with Bawa Muniru, two project centers with impressive physiques and, in the end, relatively little impact.

But everyone around the program insisted: Guy-Marc Michel was different.

From the time he signed through the beginning of practice, players and coaches insisted Michel would be an integral part of the rotation. Tom Crean said when he talked to his players in the summer about their top-eight rotation, Michel’s name always popped up.

And then we got to see Michel in action, first at Hoosier Hysteria and then at Night of the Living Red, we sort of saw what his teammates saw: A deceptively athletic, physical center who had gelled with his teammates and moved well off the ball, in addition to providing an obvious presence in the post offensively and, especially, defensively.

Taking a second look at Michel, it wasn’t hard to see him bothering Ralph Sampson or Dallas Lauderdale.

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That’s A Wrap: Will Sheehey

by in Commentary | March 25th, 2011

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Will Sheehey.

Final Stats (32 games): 4.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 14 steals, 31 off. rebounds, 7 starts, 48.4 FG%

It’s probably safe to assume the expectations surrounding Will Sheehey were rather tame when the freshman forward arrived on campus last fall. The 2010 recruiting period had been somewhat quiet, and Sheehey didn’t have quite the marketable athleticism of fellow rookie Victor Oladipo. We thought.

Turns out that pot might have been called a little early. As the season progressed, Sheehey turned from energy guy off the bench to one of Indiana’s mot consistent and aggressive players at either end of the floor. He showed great strides in his defense and decision-making, and compared to his freshman counterpart looked a tad more physically ready for the college game.

And then of course, he did this:

Highlight-reel stuff for sure, but it’s important to remember the back story.

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Hollowell decision won’t determine Harris’ future

by in Recruiting | March 22nd, 2011

(Photo via Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)

His friend Jeremy Hollowell’s college recruitment appears to be headed toward its end, but Gary Harris says he’s still focused on “which school’s going to be the best place for me.”

Speaking to Inside the Hall on Monday night, the Hamilton Southeastern junior guard said he’s been impressed with the future being built in Bloomington, and he considers IU one of his “heavy hitters” right now. Still, the 6-foot-4 guard said he’s taking his time, an approach he’s been consistent in taking throughout his recruitment.

“They’re gonna have a pretty good team here pretty soon,” Harris said of Indiana. “Of course I’m gonna look at it.”

Hamilton Southeastern’s season ended with a 83-72 loss to North Central in the regional final at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Royals finished 20-4 on the season, and their only other losses to teams in Indiana were a two-point defeat against North Central in December, and a four-point loss at home to Pike on Feb. 15.

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That’s a Wrap: Maurice Creek

by in Commentary | March 21st, 2011

Welcome to “That’s A Wrap,” our attempt to make some sense of the 2010-11 season. Sit back. Relax. Grab some popcorn. Get your read on. Today: Maurice Creek.

Final Stats (18 games): 8.3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 38.9% FG, 80.8% FT in 28.2 minutes per game

The  player about which almost everyone has an opinion is the same one most Indiana fans would probably rather not talk about.

Maurice Creek was, at one time, the next great Indiana basketball player. What unfortunately remains to be seen is if he’ll ever match that potential again.

By now, I’m assuming I don’t need to tell you about his freshman scoring average, or his 31 points against Kentucky in 2009. On potential ability alone, Creek will always remain a prodigious talent.

A few things ought be noted about Creek’s newest knee injury setback:

  • It wasn’t the same knee.
  • It wasn’t a full fracture, according to Tom Crean, but rather a stress fracture that simply required too much time off for Creek to finish out what was already a pretty old season.
  • Assuming this injury is not so severe as the last, rehabilitation might not be as arduous a process, but obviously that’s not something we would say with too much certainty.
  • This is a bit less than objective, but Creek hasn’t seemed to be cutting the forlorn figure of a player for whom things just won’t ever work out. Actually sort of the opposite. That’s really, really, ridiculously opinionated and shouldn’t be lent full force of merit, but it’s an observation nonetheless.

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