01/02/2009 5:03 pm // Staff
Around the Hall is recommended reading from the Inside the Hall crew.
+ Pete DiPrimio raises the question on the mind of a lot of IU fans: Could the Hoosiers go winless in the Big Ten? {Ft. Wayne News-Sentinel}
+ ESPN analyst Dick Vitale says that in two to three years, Indiana will be a perennial top-20 program under the leadership of Tom Crean. {Indianapolis Star}
+ Eric Gordon is financially backing a new AAU program, Gordon Elite, and several of the top players from Indiana are already on board. {Basketblog}
+ Crean, Tom Pritchard, Nick Williams and Daniel Moore address the media in advance of Saturday’s Big Ten opener at Carver Hawkeye Arena. {IUHoosiers.com}
Quotable:
“There wasn’t anybody involved in last year who didn’t make a mistake. Everyone would take something back. But they can’t. And, you know, we paid our debt. Look at the situation. No one got out without suffering.” – Armon Bassett on what transpired last year at Indiana.
01/01/2009 2:00 pm // Alex Bozich
While most teenagers and young adults were gearing up for the ball to drop Wednesday afternoon, Hargrave Military Academy guard and Indiana signee Maurice Creek was focused on instructing kids at a local youth basketball camp.
“It feels really good to give back to little kids because I was there at one time,” Creek told Inside the Hall. “I feel really good about what I’m doing and I’m glad to be helping out.”
Above all of the basketball instruction he shared at the camp, Creek says he wanted the kids to understand that success ultimately comes from one thing: hard work.
“I told the kids that people that work hard always win. If you work hard, you can be a great and talented player,” he said. “But you have to put the hard work and dedication into it. You can’t just sit on the couch and watch TV, you’ve gotta put work in all of the time. Hard work beats talent.”
Read →
12/31/2008 12:31 pm // Staff
With 2009 upon us, it’s time to look back on the year that was here at Inside the Hall. In no particular order, here are our favorite posts of 2008:
The Morning After: That’s that: “If you want to get angry, don’t blame the players, and don’t blame the administration. (At least not for this. Fall break — now that’s an issue to get mad about.) Blame Kelvin Sampson. He ruined everything, not only for himself, but the players he claimed to love, and for the university he devoted himself to. He had the balls to sit in the office of the winningest coach of all time — a coach with his own flaws, but with high standards, too — and merely pay lipservice to the notions many fans hold dear to their hearts. But he didn’t get it. It’s not just talk. It can’t be, not at IU.”
Katz and ESPN: Major violations at IU: “Whatever these “major” violations are — and by the time you read this, these may already be known since the University is making them public today — it’s not anywhere near a stretch for me to say that Sampson is likely done at IU. And Rick Greenspan might well be, too. Sampson isn’t even through his second year at the helm and already two incidents have come up; when Greenspan hired Sampson we were told any nonsense and he’d be shown the door.”
A matter of when, not if…: “The reality is, this situation is about to get very ugly in a hurry. There’s a game tonight at Assembly Hall and to my knowledge, there’s no press conference scheduled for this afternoon. And my guess is that in usual Sampson fashion, he won’t field questions regarding the NCAA allegations. Talk about a PR nightmare.”
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12/30/2008 4:06 pm // Alex Bozich
Update: Franklin Central slipped past Tipton 43-41 in overtime to win the Hall of Fame Classic. Elston finished with 16 points and was named MVP of the event.
Indiana coach Tom Crean was on the scene earlier today in The Fieldhouse at New Castle as Class 2-A No. 1 Tipton knocked off Bluffon 49-36. Crean was spotted in the front row as Elston scored 14 points, but the Mr. Basketball candidate was in foul trouble for a good portion of the game.
The Blue Devils (8-0) will play in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game tonight at 8PM EST against Franklin Central. The Flashes are led by Purdue recruit Patrick Bade.
12/29/2008 10:40 pm // Alex Bozich
Inside the Hall got its first look of the season at 2010 guard Aaron Cosby from Jeffersontown Monday night at the Gaslight Holiday Classic. Cosby scored nine points as J’Town beat Owensboro 72-55 to move into the final against Mount Lebanon, PA on Tuesday night.
Strengths: Cosby is a part of one of the top teams in the state of Kentucky that is led by one of the better coaches in the state — Jeff Morrow. After sitting out the six first games of the season due to transfer rules, Cosby is still working his way into game shape. He showed an ability to get into the lane and also a nice touch from the perimeter when left open. For the most part, his court vision appeared to be solid and he didn’t try to make plays that weren’t available to him.
Weaknesses: It’s not a knock on Cosby, but his listed height of 6-3 by Rivals is a bit deceiving (go figure). He looked to be about 6-1. He also looked to be a bit out of the flow of the game, but that seemed to be more of a result of missing the first six games of the season and not his ability. Morrow wasn’t pleased with a couple of layups he gave up and as a result, Cosby found himself benched for a couple of long stretches in the second and fourth quarters. He has the tools to be a solid defender, but will need to step up the intensity on a more consistent basis.
The Bottom Line: The Indiana staff will keep a close eye on Cosby’s progress over the course of the season. As he continues to round back into form after sitting out last season and the first six games of this season, he should become more comfortable with his new surroundings and continue to blossom. He’s an intelligent player that has the potential to become a solid college player.
