Crean starting from scratch
Turbulence and transfers keep coming in this college hoops offseason -- Ramar Smith, a Detroit native, and Duke Crews have been booted off Tennessee, reportedly for failed drug tests, while Iowa's Tony Freeman is transferring somewhere for one season after Todd Lickliter told him his role would likely be reduced as a senior -- but nothing can match what's going on at Indiana.
Three scholarship players left? An agitated player throwing a plant against the wall in a meeting with Tom Crean? Jordan Crawford as the Hoosiers' offensive focal point? It's all true. Indy Star beat writer Terry Hutchens breaks it all down here, while columnist Bob Kravitz scalds Kelvin Sampson again and gives Dan Dakich credit for trying to bring some accountability back to a program that seemed to lose it quickly under Sampson.
Jamarcus Ellis, Armon Bassett, DeAndre Thomas and Eli Holman all are gone for good, joining NBA picks-in-waiting Eric Gordon and D.J. White. Lance Stemler and Mike White, like D.J. White, were seniors this year. So it's Crawford, Kyle Taber, Brandon McGee and next season's newcomers.
That'll make for an ugly, ugly first season for Crean, but they seem to be happy enough in Hoosierland, just to see most of the remnants of Sampson's short-term disaster gone. And the good thing about basketball is, you can turn things around quickly with a couple top recruiting classes. Crean will get those classes.
wait who threw a plant against the wall and why?
Posted by: griff325 | May 03, 2008 at 05:52 PM
Eli Holman threw the plant. Rumor has it that he was trying to kill a large spider that was threatening the basketball secretary. Like most IU reserves, he missed.
Posted by: dmbtierney | May 03, 2008 at 08:35 PM
yes indiana is a mess. i like 3 teams next year in the big ten: osu, msu, and purdue.
i think wis, minn, & ill are all second tier teams but they could jump up and challange as well.
the rest of the teams should be bad: mich, iowa, psu, nw, and indiana.
Posted by: xwing | May 03, 2008 at 11:47 PM
I think PSU has a chance to be up in that second tier because of their guards, Pringle and especially Battle, who could be the best point guard they've had since they've been in the Big Ten and maybe of all time for all I know. Also, Cornley appears to have another year of eligibility. I'd give Iowa a shot too, more based on coaching than on raw talent.
Sometimes I research a story a little more than is necessary: http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2008/04/02/basketball_player_to_be_charge.aspx
I guess any stereotypes I had regarding persons who engage in this library phenomenon (that's not unknown to MSU stacks either), are out the window, provided it turns out to be true that is.
Posted by: Michael Motta | May 04, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Don't forget about Minnesota. I don't know how many players they have coming back, but Tubby Smith has made Minnesota basketball credible again.
Posted by: David | May 04, 2008 at 09:09 PM
don't sleep on wisco either.
Posted by: nycspartan | May 04, 2008 at 11:20 PM
Don't sleep with a hairy woman either. I'm still coughing up hairballs.
Posted by: xwing | May 05, 2008 at 09:12 AM
I would not count on those top classes for crean.
Posted by: Bob | May 05, 2008 at 01:08 PM
the comments at 9:12 am were not made by me, just so everybody is aware. i really think iu is going to be tough in a couple of years, crean is a great recruiter and will pass us soon with the amount of talent he brings in. he's not a good x's and o's coach but he's one hell of a salesman.
Posted by: the real xwing | May 05, 2008 at 01:40 PM
i'm tired of hearing and speculating about crean..he is a closet u-m lover who is married to jim harbaugh's sister..i hope he loses every game except u-m and psu.
Posted by: Jerseyjohn | May 05, 2008 at 03:24 PM
Yeah but have you seen Harbaugh's sister. Man would I love to play some two hand touch with that! I'm probably not tan enough though and I usually do prefer more hairy women.
Posted by: xwing | May 05, 2008 at 04:00 PM
to the idiot who posted at:
May 05, 2008 at 04:00 PM,
May 05, 2008 at 01:40 PM
May 05, 2008 at 01:40 PM
May 05, 2008 at 09:12 AM
i know in your wildest dreams you wish you were me and you wish your basketball team (otherwise known as u of m)really mattered but seriosuly get a life! it is too funny. the minute you start talking about something other than basketball and sports you expose yourself into the fraud that you are.
Posted by: xwing | May 05, 2008 at 10:37 PM
Maybe scUM and IU can put together one team for the next 3-5 years so they can play .500 basketball and go to the NIT.
Posted by: The Coach | May 06, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Maybe if we ALL signed on as xwing, that would end the confusion.
Posted by: pops | May 06, 2008 at 07:38 AM
xwing- you need to just try to ignore the people posting on as you. We can all tell who the "real" fans are and the ones that are just posting. I appreciate the comments from everyone on here and PLEASE ignore the trolls. Thank you.
Posted by: Joe Rexrode | May 06, 2008 at 08:34 AM
I like playing basketball with hairy balls!
Posted by: xwing | May 06, 2008 at 08:49 AM
And by the way, the 8:34 post by "Joe Rexrode" came from the same ... ahem ... person who is impersonating xwing. You can tell by the incorrect use of "that" instead of "who".
Posted by: Joe Rexrode | May 06, 2008 at 09:08 AM
Good job Joe, you get an A for the semester. Now if you could only pass your Food Science class.
Posted by: Joe Rexrode's English Teacher | May 06, 2008 at 09:15 AM
I think Joe needs to be more liberal with the ban stick.
Posted by: DoctorWorm | May 06, 2008 at 09:49 AM