By John Williams
It seems like its been so long since the Indiana basketball team joggged out onto the floor at Assembly Hall to the thunderous applause of the Hoosier faithful. The ESPN cameras would be ready to roll and another top ten matchup in the Big Ten would tip off. That still happens of course, but Indiana isn’t that top ten team.
Today, it’s Purdue or Wisconsin or Illinois or Michigan State that takes to the hardwood in Bloomington with the high expectations and the talent to match the record. What happened to the institution that was Indiana basketball?
I remember it like it was yesterday. Tom Coverdale would be warming up in those classic pinstriped red and white pants and Jeff Newton would be a menace inside the paint against inferior opponents. I remember A.J. Moye’s crisp jump shot and spirited play. I yearn for those days.
And Assembly Hall, the Roman Coliseum of Indiana basketball, still mesmorizes the multitude of fans with all of its majesty. This is the arena that hosted the ABA Pacer teams of the 1970s. The same building that has hosted rock legends such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Grateful Dead, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Bob Dylan, has now faded into the background of NCAA division I basketball.
As an Indiana native, it hurts to see the state of affairs for Hoosier basketball. And for the Indiana faithful, I’m sure it’s agonizing. But, I regress.
The bright side is Tom Crean. What a guy. What a coach. He is unfairly criticized for not returning the program back to glory sooner. But people need to realize the team was left in shambles, crippled by the sanctions caused by Calvin Sampson's regime. Crean will be the person to resurrect Indiana basketball from whatever deep abyss they’re trapped in at this present time. With time and the recruiting base, I believe basketball will return the 67,000-square-foot arena to its rightful place - basketball royalty (well at least until its demolished and replaced with a “state-of-the-art” facility).
Crean is a born recruiter. It’s his innate ability to sell a student-athlete on the notion that they aren’t just joining a basketball program, but a family. He challenges his athletes on and off the court – a rarity these days. In public, he excels at talking to the press and is eloquent in demeanor. Crean is poised to bring greatness back to Bloomington.
Until then, fans will have to live with the mediocre basketball and the mistakes of young, inexperienced athletes.
I just want to rewind to the 2002 championship game, after Indiana beat perennial powerhouse Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet Sixteen and when Fife was still draining three pointers.
Take me back to the years when Indiana was synonymous with basketball greatness.
Bring back Indiana Basketball!
Originally published Thursday, Feb. 17 at 10:33 a.m.
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