Kelvin Sampson and Scott Skiles are your … Milwaukee Hoosiers!
By PostmanE | April 25, 2008
First, it was a guy that people talked about for the Indiana job, and who most fans were happy to see stay in the pros. Then it was a guy who had the Indiana job, and who most people were happy to see go. Funny how that works out.
Kelvin Sampson is close to finding his first full-time gig since getting the big boot out of Bloomington. The job: help Scott Skiles condescend to NBA players. Milwaukee Bucks players, specifically.
While I won’t spend too much time analyzing the state of the Bucks, or what these hires do for them, I will say quickly that the organization must really think they need regimented player development above all else. Skiles’ demeanor is far closer to the traditional college coach’s — he’s more the tyrant who can run all aspects of a program than he is the Phil Jackson-esque, philosophizing nuts and bolts NBA strategist. Sampson is pretty much the same thing, though he does seem to get along with players better.
Anyway, enough about this. Godspeed, Kelvin. May the wind always be at your back, and may your Palm Treo always be buzzing.
Tags: Kelvin Sampson, Milwaukee Bucks, Scott Skiles Posted in Rumors |
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Van Treese trims list; IU still in the mix
By Big A | April 24, 2008
A report by Jayhawkslant.com today revealed that Lawrence North junior Stephan Van Treese trimmed his list of schools and Inside the Hall spoke to the big man to get the details. The schools still in consideration are Indiana, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville and Ohio State. Van Treese also told Inside the Hall that he’s talked to new Indiana coach Tom Crean twice.
It’ll be interesting to see how Van Treese’s recruitment plays out as he’s good friends with Bobby Capobianco, who recently committed and IU was the first school to offer Van Treese a scholarship. He’ll likely let the process play out and take visits in the fall, but the Hoosiers should be in the thick of things right down to the end.
Tags: Bobby Capobianco, Stephan Van Treese Posted in Recruiting | Email This Post
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Tom Crean chats with the IDS and Herald Times
By Big A | April 24, 2008
Just wanted to pass along that both the IDS and the Herald Times got a chance to sit down with Tom Crean this afternoon and both of them have recaps worthy of a read:
- Tom Crean interview (Basketblog)
- A chat with Tom Crean (The Hoosier Scoop)
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Eli Holman still undecided on future
By Big A | April 24, 2008
Buried at the bottom of an article in yesterday’s San Fransisco Chronicle was a note on Indiana freshman Eli Holman, who has yet to say publicly whether he’ll remain with the program beyond this year.
Decision time: Former Richmond High center Eli Holman is still undecided on whether he will transfer from Indiana. Holman will make a decision by the end of next week, said Hashim Ali, founder of Holman’s AAU team.
At the time of Tom Crean’s hiring, Holman said he planned to return to California and would have a decision shortly. And with his participation in recent workouts, the assumption was that he would indeed return. However, this blurb leads one to believe that Eli is still contemplating his future. After everything Eli went through to get himself to this point (the shooting, the eligibility dispute last fall and his wrist injury), it’d be a shame to see him play out his college career elsewhere.
Tags: Eli Holman Posted in Media | Email This Post
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Academic woes still creeping around
By PostmanR | April 24, 2008
Both Hoosier Nation and the USA Today threw down stories yesterday about IU’s academic woes. We all know the gist by now: first semester the basketball team rocked it out in the classroom — if you want to call a 2.89 cumulative GPA good, that is — but second semester was sort of brutal. Perhaps it had some to do with the Kelvin Sampson debacle, perhaps the kids just got lazy. Whatever the reasons may be, Tom Crean has indicated that a good lot of players are fighting an uphill battle at the end of the semester here to get their grades in line.
So what does this poor academic standing mean for the team at large? Perhaps a scholarship loss.
If Indiana fails to meet the NCAA’s cutoff score, 925, it faces the prospect of losing more scholarships. The school already stripped itself of one next season because of Kelvin Sampson’s alleged phone call violations, and The Indianapolis Star reported the men’s basketball team is expected to turn in a score of 899 next month.
Neither Crean nor team spokesman J.D. Campbell would confirm that number Tuesday.
NCAA rules say any team below 925 could lose a scholarship for each player who leaves the school while academically ineligible. The maximum penalty in men’s basketball is two scholarships.
Crean declined to identify specific players who were struggling in the classroom because of privacy laws, but acknowledged he is concerned about the Hoosiers’ academic performance as a whole. Plus, he still has not decided whether to reinstate starting guards Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who were dismissed from the team just hours before Crean took the job April 1.
So basically here’s the deal: if Armon Bassett or Jamarcus Ellis or anyone else ends up leaving IU — and they also happen to be academically ineligible — IU could very well lose another scholarship. Hoosier Nation reported that Ellis was one of the seven players on the team that had a GPA above 3.0 first semester, so if he happened to leave, a betting man would say he might be leaving in good (enough) academic standing.
This certainly isn’t the worst thing to befall the program in recent months, but it’s a bit unsettling nonetheless. Crean has a stellar graduation rate and a strong focus on grades; hopefully this is the last time we have to deal with something like this under his tenure.
Tags: Armon Bassett, Jamarcus Ellis, Kelvin Sampson, Tom Crean Posted in Media | Email This Post
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2008 class will help bring stability to program
By Big A | April 24, 2008
When the national recruiting gurus compile their final 2008 class rankings in late May, the class coming to Bloomington next fall will likely be missing from the top of many lists. There’s no big time name like Eric Gordon that will make a splash from the get-go.
A quick glance at the rankings on both Scout.com and Rivals.com shows no five-star or even a four-star player. And as disappointed as some people may be that Devin Ebanks, Bud Mackey, Tyler Zeller and a slew of other recruits won’t suit up in the cream and crimson, this is a pivotal class that should help stabilize the Indiana program.
While talent is a key part of winning at any level in basketball, finding guys to fit a specific role is arguably just as important, especially at the college level. And that’s exactly what each of these four players has a chance to do.
Matt Roth can flat out shoot the ball. Tom Pritchard is a blue-collar post player that IU fans will embrace. Nick Williams is a strong guard that has the talent to develop into a special player. And even though I’ve never seen him play, Devan Dumes won me over when he told me he loves to play defense. What’s not to like about that?
Tags: Devan Dumes, Matt Roth, Nick Williams, Tom Pritchard Posted in Commentary | Email This Post
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Dumes signs Letter of Intent with Indiana
By Big A | April 22, 2008
In front of a large gathering of his friends and family on Tuesday night at the Wheeler-Dowe Boys and Girls club in Indianapolis, Devan Dumes signed his National Letter of Intent with Indiana.
“It was a beautiful night really. It was a blessing from the Lord. I had a lot of support,” Dumes told Inside the Hall. “I had a whole lot of fun with my family and friends.”
Dumes, who also considered Ohio State, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado and UTEP, said things moved quickly once Tom Crean took over the Indiana program.
“Once Coach Crean took over, they got in touch with me. We had conversations, got them some film and it went from there.”
Dumes had set up visits with the other schools he was considering, but decided to stay close to home and ultimately, his relationship with Crean was a big factor in his decision to come to Bloomington.
Tags: Devan Dumes Posted in Recruiting | Email This Post
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