Another chapter in the seemingly never-ending soap opera of IU basketball closed Friday night with the buyout of Kelvin Sampson. Unfortunately it was about 4 months too late (see my blog of 10/28).
It's ironic that since the news broke of the severity of the NCAA allegations (which I predicted in that 10/28 blog), my passion for IU basketball has returned. Prior to the new allegations I had been to about 5 IU games this year, despite having season tickets. When I did go I just did not enjoy it. I felt like something very sacred had been corrupted and no one seemed to care. Since the news broke that all changed. In fact, other than a few students, I've been very proud of the way the IU have reacted. This article sums it up very well:
IU Fans' Character
So where should IU go from here? The next thing that needs to happen is to relieve Rick Greenspan of his duties. In the last week I had heard some rumblings about whether Greenspan truly wanted Sampson and I started to waver on whether he should go. However, if that was the case, then why did it take Greenspan a year to discover the problems, especially given Sampson's history? And why didn't he fire him in October?
As for this season I have no idea what to expect. They have a very tough game at Michigan State next Sunday. Purdue has 1 semi-tough game left - at Ohio State. Wisconsin's toughest remaining game is Michigan State in Madison. So I don't expect IU to win the Big Ten title. Could IU ride the emotion of Sampson's departure to a nice run in the NCAA? I guess anything is possible. One thing is for sure - I feel much better about being an IU fan than I did 2 weeks ago.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
An Ugly Week for IU Basketball
Anyone with common sense could not be surprised by the "new" NCAA allegations against Kelvin Sampson and his basketball program. The NCAA does not look kindly against people who knowingly break the rules and it especially doesn't tolerate repeat offenders. Throw lying into the mix, along with a school that hires a coach already under investigation, and you can't be surprised with the adjective "MAJOR" in front of the word "violations."
Since the athletic department chose not to fire Sampson when they should have - in October - the university must now investigate the further allegations. I would be shocked if they found anything that did not warrant Sampson's firing on Friday. The NCAA is going to come down hard on IU in June, as they should. If Kelvin Sampson is still the coach at that time, it will be much worse, as well it should.
That said, last night was one of the weirder atmospheres I've ever been experienced. The battle between 2 Top 15 teams was a relatively minor part of the storyline. The ESPN Gameday crew was in town, the game was very late (9:00) giving the students a lot of time to partake in pregame festivities, it was the first game since the 7-day investigation was announced, and it was really the first time the fans could truly react after having digested the allegations.
For the first time all year I was fired up about the game. It seemed that everyone finally agreed that Sampson had to go. The pregame introductions showed a great deal of support for the players and none for the coach.
However, by game's end, I was once again disgusted with the students. With IU up by 20 they showed that they seem much more interested in winning at any cost than doing things the right way. They started chanting "Kel-vin Samp-son!". Do they have any principles or class? Last year they couldn't be bothered to show up to games on time. This year we are inundated with constant "Bull----" chants and even an occasional "F--- you refs" chant. And then last night's disgrace.
Many years ago when I visited the University of North Carolina on a college visit, they told prospective students that during orientation there was a pep rally during which students learned all of the cheers and traditions of North Carolina athletics. I think it's time that IU does the same. IU students need to learn that IU basketball (and all IU athletics) has always been about a lot more than winning. It is winning by playing by the rules, with true student-athletes, and fans who show good sportsmanship (even if a former basketball coach didn't always).
I remember going to my first basketball game as a freshman. Coming from Maryland, I was blown away when the IU fans gave a very polite applause when the visiting team was introduced. At first I thought it was weak. Then I saw how hard IU fans cheered the Hoosiers and I learned that it was about class and sportsmanship. It is one of the reasons I have always been proud to be an IU alum. It's time IU gets back to that, before we lose a generation of students to this era of win-at-all-costs.
Since the athletic department chose not to fire Sampson when they should have - in October - the university must now investigate the further allegations. I would be shocked if they found anything that did not warrant Sampson's firing on Friday. The NCAA is going to come down hard on IU in June, as they should. If Kelvin Sampson is still the coach at that time, it will be much worse, as well it should.
That said, last night was one of the weirder atmospheres I've ever been experienced. The battle between 2 Top 15 teams was a relatively minor part of the storyline. The ESPN Gameday crew was in town, the game was very late (9:00) giving the students a lot of time to partake in pregame festivities, it was the first game since the 7-day investigation was announced, and it was really the first time the fans could truly react after having digested the allegations.
For the first time all year I was fired up about the game. It seemed that everyone finally agreed that Sampson had to go. The pregame introductions showed a great deal of support for the players and none for the coach.
However, by game's end, I was once again disgusted with the students. With IU up by 20 they showed that they seem much more interested in winning at any cost than doing things the right way. They started chanting "Kel-vin Samp-son!". Do they have any principles or class? Last year they couldn't be bothered to show up to games on time. This year we are inundated with constant "Bull----" chants and even an occasional "F--- you refs" chant. And then last night's disgrace.
Many years ago when I visited the University of North Carolina on a college visit, they told prospective students that during orientation there was a pep rally during which students learned all of the cheers and traditions of North Carolina athletics. I think it's time that IU does the same. IU students need to learn that IU basketball (and all IU athletics) has always been about a lot more than winning. It is winning by playing by the rules, with true student-athletes, and fans who show good sportsmanship (even if a former basketball coach didn't always).
I remember going to my first basketball game as a freshman. Coming from Maryland, I was blown away when the IU fans gave a very polite applause when the visiting team was introduced. At first I thought it was weak. Then I saw how hard IU fans cheered the Hoosiers and I learned that it was about class and sportsmanship. It is one of the reasons I have always been proud to be an IU alum. It's time IU gets back to that, before we lose a generation of students to this era of win-at-all-costs.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
More (long overdue) Sunday Musings
It's been a while since I blogged and I've got a lot on my mind, so here goes:
- I'm ecstatic with the Ravens' decision to hire John Harbaugh as their new head coach. I love how they are thinking outside the box with this hire - not hiring an offensive or defensive coordinator. A lot of terrific head coaches were special teams coaches at some point in their careers - Bill Cowher, Marv Levy, and Bill Belichick to name a few. And Harbaugh has done an outstanding job of hiring a coaching staff with Rex Ryan and Cam Cameron as coordinators. Now the Ravens need to find a QB.
- I'm very pleased with the O's decision to trade Erik Bedard for 5 prospects. The O's weren't going to win over the next 2 seasons with Bedard and he showed no desire to sign an extension with the O's to avoid free agency after '09. So, for the first time in forever, the O's did the smart thing and traded him for a boatload of young talent that can help the O's become contenders in '10 or '11. Andy McPhail is off to a good start in Baltimore. Now hopefully he'll be allowed to finish the job.
- Not only am I disgusted with the cheating of IU's head basketball coach, but now I'm disgusted with the student behavior at games. The constant "Bull----" chants were bad enough but the "F--- you refs" chants at the UConn game were downgrade disgraceful. Unfortunately, poor sportsmanship at college basketball games is now "cool", thanks to ESPN's glorification of the Duke students. I have no problem in creating a home court advantage and being very loud but I do have a problem with constantly belittling, booing, and cursing the opposing team and refs. You can call it "funny" or "witty" all you want but it also reflects poorly on the students and the university. Cheer hard but cheer with class.
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