The primary focus of our conversation was 2013 commitment Devin Davis Jr., but we did ask Graham about the recent hiring of his former Hoosier teammate, Calbert Cheaney, as Indiana’s director of basketball operations.

Here’s what Graham had to say:

What did you think about Calbert Cheaney going back to Indiana as director of basketball operations?

“I knew that was going to happen. It was just a matter of when. Cal’s been down there the last few seasons, golf outings and I know he has a great relationship with Crean. I think it’s good for Indiana basketball. This is something that’s been wanted for a long time. To finally have a coach to finally come in and have the guts to hire a Knight guy, that’s good. And I think that’s primarily where the separation with Hoosier nation is from. If you don’t have any former players down there who are involved with athletics, I mean, people around here grew up watching Knight and his players. I think you have to still keep that connection and that tradition going.”

Do you think that’s the biggest thing Crean has done, that the past two coaches didn’t do, is embrace the tradition?

“I think it is the number one thing. And people have been wanting that. Crean finally was brave enough and had enough confidence in himself to bring a player back. I mean, why not? He’s probably arguably the best player that the Big Ten has ever seen. I say that loosely, but he’s the all-time leading scorer (in the Big Ten). He’s a proven player, I think he can help with recruiting, I think he can help a lot of those guys develop their game.”

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has announced that forward Bobby Capobianco will leave the men’s basketball program and look to transfer to another institution where he can receive more playing time.

“Bobby has decided to go for a fresh start and transfer to a school where he can have three years to play two.” said Crean. “He has indicated he would like the opportunity to find a program where he can get more playing time and continue his education. We will help him accomplish this move in any way that we can and we all really want to see Bobby be successful. My hope is that he finds a school like Indiana, that puts a prominent emphasis in academics as it does in basketball, as he has done an excellent job here in the classroom. He will be an asset to whatever program he chooses and we wish him the best as he moves to this next stage in life.”

In two seasons, Capobianco averaged 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds and was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree this past spring. He is currently enrolled in summer session and will complete those studies.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Indiana, but I want to look for an opportunity to further my basketball and academic career at another institution,” Capobianco said. “I value the experience that I have had here and appreciate everything the coaches and basketball staff have done for me. I am looking forward to this new chapter, and will always have very strong feelings for my teammates, coaches and everyone associated with IU.”

Some White (No. 8 jersey) highlights from three recent Bobcats games.

For two and a half seasons, D.J. White lead a life of NBA anonymity.

He occupied the end of the bench in Oklahoma City. Spent time in the D-League.

But after a trade landed him with the Bobcats on Feb. 24, things have changed. White has seen steady minutes in a reserve frontcourt role under coach Paul Silas — in part because Tyrus Thomas has been out with injury. He’s averaging 8.3 points (52.1 percent shooting) and 4.4 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per contest.

White’s knocking down the mid-range jumper. He’s hustling down the court, beating the defense and dunking it home for two. He’s looking more filled out, mature and polished than his IU days.

White likely won’t ever be a star or even a starter.  (Silas saying he’d like White to play in the Summer League is an indication of that.) And this limited sample size of games with the Bobcats can’t paint the whole picture.

But if Charlotte retains Silas for next season — he was hired after Larry Brown’s swift departure earlier this year — it’s possible White will continue to factor into the team’s rotation. Which could set him up for a longer career in the league.

White is under contract for next season. But pending the details of a new collective-bargaining agreement, Charlotte will have the option to tender him a qualifying offer by June 30 of 2012 to make him a restricted free agent. Such an offer will a) either keep White in Charlotte for the 2012-13 season if no other team comes calling or b) have White signing an offer sheet with another team (which could be a multi-year deal) that the Bobcats will have the opportunity to match.

Lots to still be determined on this front. There are no guarantees.

But if he continued to toil away in Oklahoma City next season instead of potentially continuing to get run in 2011-12 with the Bobcats? A qualifying offer may have been less likely to come. And as an unrestricted free agent with little to no playing time under his belt, White could have faced longer odds of staying in the league.

The chances of an Eric Gordon NBA All-Star game appearance have just become slimmer.

The third-year LA Clipper and former IU guard, who is currently eighth in the NBA in scoring at just over 24 points per game, will miss the next three or four weeks with a wrist injury, reports ESPNLosAngeles.com:

The team said Tuesday night that Gordon has a sprained right wrist and a small bone chip fracture. After exams by multiple doctors, it was determined he would miss three to four weeks.

Gordon was probably a long shot to be selected to the Western Conference team, but this injury could keep him out past the All-Star break (Feb. 18-21).

The loss of Gordon is a significant blow to the Clippers, who sit seven games out of the playoff race, but are 7-3 over their last ten games.

ClipsNation weighs-in on how the loss of Gordon could affect the Clippers chances of reaching the postseason:

When Eric Gordon went crashing to the floor of Staples Center on Saturday night, the Clippers’ hopes of making a playoff push, however dim, probably crashed as well. The Clippers are now 0-3 without their leading scorer this season. Then again, they faced some pretty good teams in those games, the Spurs, Hornets and Mavericks. They were 6-14 in the 20 games he missed last year.

February 1, 2007.

That night, Gordon, inside North Central High School’s gym and an introduction to the big stage via an ESPN2 broadcast, cast a spell on Marcus and Jeffrey Jordan. Forty-three points on 17-of-25 shooting. A dominant, dizzying performance. Power and control at the rim. Range for days.

Air Gordon:

***
Gordon was often brilliant during his one-and-done, 2007-08 season in Bloomington before a wrist injury marred him in a shooting slump to end the year.

He led the Big Ten in scoring at 20.9 points per game. The league named him freshman of the year and granted him a spot on the first team all-conference.

He was too good for high school. Too good for college.

It was time for the NBA.

***

As the No. 7 pick in the 2008 draft, Gordon played well his rookie season. He started 65 games for Mike Dunleavy, averaged 16.1 points and hit an impressive 38.9 percent from three.

The Clippers finished 19-63.

In 2009-10, Gordon stayed the course: 16.9 points per game, 37.1 percent from three.

The Clippers finished 29-53.

So far, so good enough.

After two years, Gordon proved to be a good shooter that drew fouls at a strong rate, but wasn’t quite attacking the way he’d shown he was capable of in high school and college — his jaw-dropping power had gone underutilized.

But it is a new NBA season. And things have changed. Gordon has unleashed the beast in 2010-11.

With new coach Vinny Del Negro, Gordon is now getting after it a little more. He’s averaging 5.6 attempts at the rim per game (and connecting on an impressive 64.3 percent of them), up from 3.9 attempts his rookie season and 4.5 a season ago.

He’s doing things like this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

A quarter of the way through the season, Gordon is sporting a PER of 21.43, which ranks fourth among shooting guards behind Kobe Bryant, Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade.

His scoring average has risen to 24.3 points a game. With Baron Davis injured for part of the year and rookie Eric Bledsoe as his backup, Gordon has also had to take on a dual distributor role at times with Bledose, and is averaging a career-high 4.5 assists per game.

With a young core of Gordon (21), Bledsoe (20) and Blake Griffin (21), a rookie of the year candidate with an impressive highlight reel of his own, there’s a buzz around this team, despite their 5-17 record.

If there is a catch to Gordon’s rise in 2010-11, it’s that his 3-point shot has disappeared a bit. He’s only hitting 25.5 percent of them, which is well below his marks his first two seasons. (A bothersome shoulder could be to blame for part of the drop.)

But EJ is showing signs of taking the next step in his career so far this season. And if he can find that 3-point shot again, he’ll be that much more difficult to guard.

Some details from Eurobasket:

On Monday, Moye and another player collided with their heads, but the two players were able to continue to practice. On Monday night, the step father of Moye spoke with his step son and noticed that he had problems speaking. On Tuesday at the morning shoot around before the Eurochallenge game against Maccabi Haifa, there was abnormal behavior detected with the Los Angeles native. As his behavior got more intense, Moye was brought to a Frankfurt hospital. At the hospital his condition worsened. The diagnosis that Moye had a stroke has been confirmed in the hospital. Further diagnosis about his recovery and therapy can not be determined at the present moment.

Awful, tragic news. Our thoughts are with Moye and his family, and we hope after his recovery he’s able to again play the sport he loves at a high level.

(Via Peegs.)

–

Update: A couple of encouraging tweets to mention. First from JMV:

from reps of former IU player AJ Moye in Germany.After suffering a stroke he is doing well and full recovery is expected. Great news.

And from Hugh Kellenberger:

A.J. Moye is in good spirits and is showing no signs of paralysis or loss of motor skills, his agent, Aaron Smith, said.

The 2010-2011 NBA season will be important for the career prospects of former IU forward D.J. White. After battling injuries during his first two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, White has appeared in a total of just 19 games and split time between the Thunder and the Tulsa 66ers, a D-League affiliate. He’s entering the final fully guaranteed year of his contract.

White, who will be in Bloomington later this month for his second annual basketball camp, sat down with IUHoosiers.com for a Q & A, which is re-published below with permission from IU:

How has your rehab been going? Are you looking good for the start of the season?

“Recovery has been fine; just take it day by day. As of right now, I’m one hundred percent. Yes, I’m looking good for the season. I’ve been working out twice a day all summer in preparation and I’m looking forward to it.”

How have you avoided getting frustrated by your injuries?

“I just try to stay positive and not get down on myself. Things happen for a reason and it’s a part of basketball.”

When was the last time you were in Bloomington, and how often do you make it here?

“I was in Bloomington in July. I’ve been living in Indianapolis all summer and only made it down twice, so not as much as I wanted to.”

Your second annual camp is scheduled for September 18th, what makes you keep wanting to come back to your alma mater to do this?

“Bloomington and IU showed me a lot of love all four years I was there and I want to do my part to give back to the community that supported me and to give back to the kids that that grew up watching me, to teach them everything I’ve learned.”

What can kids expect by coming to your camp?

“Even though it’s only one day, kids can expect to learn different skills, ball handling, shooting, different techniques, as well as have fun in competition and games.”

Have you been able to see the new Cook Hall/are you looking forward to seeing it? What were your impressions?

“Yes, I have had the opportunity to see Cook Hall and I was very impressed with everything. I feel honored.”

What has been your best NBA moment so far? Has there been any moment that made you feel, “Wow, I’m in the NBA?”

“My biggest NBA moment so far was making the playoffs this year and taking the world champions (Lakers) to game six in the first round. Yes, being on the court with superstars and future hall of famers that I grew up watching.”

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweeted a short while ago that Rajon Rondo was cut from Team USA’s roster. Such a cut brings the roster down from 13 to the final number of 12, meaning former Hoosier Eric Gordon will be a member of the team for the FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

Gordon likely won’t get a lot of minutes, but he’ll provide a shooter off the bench along with Stephen Curry, a facet of his game Jerry Colangelo noted about two weeks ago as a reason why he had a shot at making the final roster.

The World Championships begin on Saturday. Team USA will take on Croatia.

The squad is guard and wing-heavy, so Gordon has some competition to make the final cut.

Here’s his lengthy quote in its entirety:

Well there was a guy that worked for me for years and many of you will remember the name –  he’s gone now — Cotton Fitzsimmons, who coached in the NBA for many years. I hired him out of Kansas State back in the 70′s in his first NBA job. He used the line: “You can never have too many shooters.”

So when you get down to looking at a roster, and if you truly believe in a team concept and components that you need to be successful, it’s not just a group of stars or the 12 best players. “Who complements one another?”

And people coming off the bench should be specialists. And shooters are at a premium — especially in international ball. So for that reason, I would tell you that Eric Gordon has a great opportunity. Now, he has to earn it during the course of what happens in the next few weeks. But he can shoot the ball.

He kind of reminds us of a few players — not that he’s that similar –but the name we keep coming up with is Vinnie Johnson, who played with the Pistons a few years ago. [Note:  It's been more than a few years.] Because Eric is a strong kid, big body physically, can really go to the basket when he gets a little speed up, but he can definitely fill it up. He can shoot it.

According to a report published today in The Indianapolis Star, former IU guard Eric Gordon made the cut from 19 to 15 players competing for a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey:

The 2007 Indiana Mr. Basketball from North Central High School will be named today to the national team that is going to New York.

However, Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com is reporting that no cuts will be announced by USA Basketball until Wednesday:

After originally saying they’d make up their minds by Monday, Team USA now says it will not decide until Wednesday which four players will be cut from the roster.  To me, this is a clear sign that there is an internal debate raging over which four players to cut.

Both USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski spoke highly of Gordon’s effort (16 points in 26 minutes) in last week’s training camp and Saturday’s USA Basketball Showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

“I said earlier in the week his elevator was rising and I don’t think he’s reached the top floor yet,” Colangelo said. “I thought he did a great job out there, and he shot the ball really well.”

Krzyzewski said: “He had a rhythm out there and he was knocking down shots. I thought Eric was impressive.”

Members of the 2010 World Championship team will be considered for the 2012 Olympic team.

According to a report by Rick Bozich of The Louisville-Courier Journal, former Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich is joining ESPN as a television analyst.

Dakich currently hosts The Dan Dakich Show on ESPN 1070 in Indianapolis (and it’s expected that he’ll continue this job), played at Indiana from 1981-1985 and served as an assistant coach under Bob Knight for 12 seasons.

Although Dakich’s role hasn’t been formally announced, speculation is that he’ll work Big Ten games and also do some work in the studio:

My people at ESPN say that his role has not yet been defined, but I’d expect to see Dakich work some Big Ten games because he knows the league well. There is an opening there with Steve Lavin leaving to coach St. John’s. I would expect he will also work in the studio.

Like the move for Dan and for ESPN. He did a stellar job in the studio last year for the Big Ten Network and is an avid supporter of our efforts here at Inside the Hall. It won’t be easy to fill Lavin’s shoes (if that’s indeed the spot he’s taking), but Dakich will certainly add a great deal of knowledge and insight to ESPN broadcasts.

Thirty-nine-year-old Leary of Carmel pleaded guilty in court Thursday to a felony charge of misappropriating title insurance escrow funds. His agreement with Allen County prosecutors calls for him to face up to three years in prison, with that cut in half if he pays nearly $295,000 in restitution before his October sentencing hearing.

If Leary faces jail time in the coming months, it stands to reason he won’t return as a radio analyst for IU next season, if that decision hasn’t already been made.

Related:

+ Leary enters plea of not guilty, surrenders passport
+ IU releases statement regarding Leary matter
+ Leary faces 17 felony charges in real estate scheme

And then, you hear of a story like the one below from The Post in Athens and are once again reminded that cleaning house and starting over was absolutely the way to go:

Athens police arrested an Ohio University basketball player for assaulting a doorman last night. According to a report from the Athens Police Department, Armon Dante Bassett assaulted a doorman at Courtside Pizza and Bar, 85 North Court Street, then fled on foot.

It appeared that the doorman had a broken nose, according to the report. Police arrested Bassett, a junior and guard for OU’s team, in the Verizon parking lot on North Court Street after 11 p.m.

This news surely won’t help Bassett’s standing in the NBA Draft, where he was already considering a long shot to be selected. And while we’re in police blotter mode, Xavier Keeling was arrested last week in Bloomington on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to The Herald-Times.

Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew.

+ Eamonn Brennan writes that after a long journey, Xavier guard Jordan Crawford has arrived. (ESPN.com)

+ Dave Curtis points out that Crawford found inspiration in a former teammate, Ohio’s Armon Bassett. (The Sporting News)

+ Bassett tells Stu Durando that he tries to take it all in stride and learn from everything he’s been through. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

+ Columnist Bob Ryan writes that so far, Ohio University’s long-range plan has been a hit. (Boston Globe)

+ Ben Allen says the fan support at Indiana was great, but he’s never regretted leaving for St. Mary’s. (Contra Costa Times)

+ Michael Vega writes that other programs shouldn’t try to out-recruit St. Mary’s in Australia. (Boston Globe)

+ KJ breaks down Michigan State’s opening round win over New Mexico State. (The Only Colors)

+ Eamonn writes that Ohio State’s supporting cast stepped up during an off-night for Evan Turner. (ESPN.com)

+ Trevon Hughes says that experience got the Badgers through their first round scare against Wofford. (Madison.com)

+ Jeff Washburn writes that Purdue put a dent in President Barack Obama’s bracket with a win over Siena. (Lafayette Journal and Courier)

+ Tubby Smith says he’s looking forward to returning to Minnesota. (USA Today)

Armon Bassett (yes, that Armon Bassett) went absolutely wild for Ohio in the Mid-American Conference tournament last week, scoring 25, 38, 28 and 25 points over four games to lead the Bobcats to a MAC title and an NCAA appearance.

Asked in the build-up to the NCAA tournament during yesterday’s media session about his checkered past, Bassett had this to say:

“I just got to thank God just for blessing me. I know I had some hiccups, but I managed to come out of those and weather the storm. I’m just happy to be here again.”

Not really sure I have anything to say about this per se, it was more just a little tidbit I thought I’d bring you. I know many of you probably still feel as though Bassett is one of those Hoosiers who bore a certain amount of responsibility for everything that happened in 2007/08, and you’re certainly entitled to your opinion. I just thought I’d put this up here, and let you digest it as you wish.

Enter Paul Daugherty of SI.com, who brings us this brief piece about Jordan Crawford finally settling in at Xavier. Crawford, you’ll recall, was essentially the last of Sampson’s one-time recruits to leave Indiana, heading east to play for Sean Miller.

Then Sean Miller left for Arizona.

Just like Kelvin Sampson had, albeit under different circumstances.

The article talks about the post-Sampson period briefly before delving into Crawford’s transition to Xavier. Both Crawford and his mother Sylvia (who is a publicist for the city of Detroit? Yeesh.) talk with Daugherty, making both good points:

“I wish all the grown people with the power would realize the situations they leave these young people in,” (Sylvia Crawford) said. “You trust they’re on top of things. You put a lot of trust in the university. It challenges my faith in them. Why is the kid the one punished?”

And bad:

Crawford said he knew it was time to leave when he saw one of the last Hoosiers holdovers, Brandon McGee, running stadium steps in the rain, as punishment for being late to study hall.”He was two or three minutes late,” Crawford said. “It was after the first day of summer classes. No homework. I was thinking, if they’re going to do him like that, they’re going to do me like that, too.”

If we’re being honest here, I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot for most of the Sampson bunch, because frankly, so much of this stuff was way over their head. You’re in college — you shouldn’t have to sit down and make sense of the politicking and power struggles that go on in times like that. And none of them ever picked up a cell phone illegally. (Or at least not that we know of.)

Did they screw up? Of course. Did some of them, at least, need to leave, if for no other reason than because of academic issues? Yes, probably. But so often, it felt like these kids were villified for just wanting to play basketball for a man they considered a father figure, and feeling abandoned by a lot of different people, perhaps including Sampson, when he left.

Daugherty’s story — though it only sideswipes Crawford’s time at Indiana — reminds us that there were, and still are, real people behind the catastrophe that IU basketball became from mid-February to the end of April 2008. There was a lot of anger, bitterness and resentment, I know, but we certainly weren’t the only ones feeling it.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, it sounds like Crawford’s found a place to call home and finish out his college career. I certainly wish him nothing but the best.

A judge has made a preliminary not guilty plea for a former Indiana University basketball player charged in connection with an ex-business partner’s multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.The plea was entered for 39-year-old Todd Leary of Carmel during an Allen County court hearing Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Rebecca S. Green of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, who has been all over this story, reports that Leary surrendered his passport:

A clean-shaven Leary, 39, of Carmel, stood next to his Indianapolis-based attorney, Ginny Maxwell, in a dark suit with his hands in his pockets as Allen Superior Court Magistrate Robert Schmoll asked him whether he understood the charges.

Allen County Deputy Prosecutor Tim McCaulay asked Schmoll to order Leary to surrender his passport while the case is pending. Schmoll granted the request.

Leary remains free on $60,000 bond.

The fact that Gordon was named to the team doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll compete in either the FIBA World Championships in 2010 or the London Olympics in 2012, but it’s a good sign for his future with USA Basketball that he’s getting involved with the program in just his second NBA season.

Gordon, who will face-off against DeMar DeRozan on Friday night for the right to compete in Saturday’s Sprite Slam Dunk, is averaging 17 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his second NBA season for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers are 21-30 and in third place in the NBA’s Pacific Division.

Gordon will also compete on the sophomore squad in Friday’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, which will be televised by TNT at 9 p.m. ET.

Former Hoosier Todd Leary, a color commentator on IU’s radio broadcast team alongside play-by-play man Don Fischer, was arrested Thursday evening on 17 felony counts “in connection with a scheme to misappropriate real estate title funds,” according to the above-linked report from the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.

I’m not great with the legalese, I just got home from a Notre Dame game and it’s my birthday, so I’m just going to quote heavily from this report, which would frankly be a better plan of action no matter the circumstance:

Leary once worked for former title insurance broker Joseph Garretson, who pleaded guilty this week in Allen Superior Court to conversion or misappropriation of title insurance escrow funds, corrupt business influence and unlawful loan origination activities in a scheme that court documents say totaled $2.7 million in losses.

IU police arrested Leary – an analyst for the Indiana University Radio Network – on Thursday evening, and he was booked into the Monroe County Jail in Bloomington about 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes before IU’s home game against Purdue.

Leary, 39, of Carmel, is accused of conspiring with Garretson between July 2008 and February 2009 to commit a variety of felonies, including conspiracy to commit conversion or misappropriation of title insurance escrow funds, conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to corrupt business influence. The majority of the charges are Class C felonies, with penalties of up to four years in prison each.

So yea, not good. Not good at all. I take from the report — though this isn’t a claim to fact, I’m just surmising — that Leary was actually arrested at Assembly Hall, since it apparently happened close to game time and IU police were the ones who actually took him in, according to the report.

That same report also states that former Hoosier Brian Evans, who is a co-owner of the Uncle D’s franchise on Kirkwood Avenue in Bloomington, cooperated with investigators in some fashion.

I won’t opine too much on this; it’s radioactive on its own, just read the report for yourself. I would imagine we’ll have more for you as this story develops.

Knight was fired at Indiana in 2000 after violating a zero-tolerance behavioral policy. He said Tuesday he hadn’t decided whether to attend his induction into the university’s athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 6. He hasn’t returned to the school since his firing.

Undecided is certainly better than no, right? While it was once inconceivable that Knight would return, it seems like Indiana will do everything within reason to get him back to Bloomington. Whether it works, well, that’s anybody’s guess.