Hoosiers Over Dawgs

The final score was somewhat like I expected. Indiana was up by a comfortable margin at the end and beat us by 13. Final score: 66 to 53. We made it respectable, but we're not very talented and we basically have no inside game. Half of our shots were three-pointers. That's not how a good team plays.

I'm proud of the Dawgs for their performance in the first half. Great defense. We targeted their big man and kept him from going off. That kid Oladipo picked up the slack, though. Shot 6 of 8 from the floor and had a couple of key plays when they caught up and passed us.

We had a nice lead there for a couple of minutes. We couldn't sustain it over time. The bottom line is that if KCP doesn't shoot well, Georgia will not win. In time, he will get more help. Kenny Gaines is a tremendous athlete. When he gets more experience out there, he will be a force on the offensive end. Vincent Williams shot 5 of 8 and scored 14 points for his career high. Don't know if Brandon Morris played. Since Thornton went 1 of 4 from the floor and had just 1 rebound, it's time to go with Morris taking more of Thornton's minutes.

We're 1 and 3. I'm still a Georgia basketball supporter. I still hate losing. We still have a long way to go.

Tom Crean is Coaching

I agree with him that his program was at "zero." He will struggle to win games this year, about like Georgia did in Felton's second year.

But Crean is building it. He's starting with the fundamentals. Going to class. Playing hard. Indiana will be back.

And they might even make the NCAA's before too long. Not this year. Not next. But soon enough, based on what Crean had to work with when he arrived.

The good thing about Crean's situation is that he has a 10-year deal, the unwaivering support of his school's administration, and he is not hampered by annual scholarship limits. Besides that, Indiana has great basketball tradition, which will help in recruiting.

Indiana Progressing

Dennis Felton's Big Red Challenge

I like the way the article ended. IU's "soul is not for sale."

That's the exact way I feel about UGA basketball. Let's make it a program that former athletes and other school supporters can feel proud of again.

The SEC Tournament Championship was a huge boost. Now, let's win 20 games and move forward in recruiting. I'm greedy.

IU

Tom Crean gets 2-year Extension

Good for him. Is it good for Indiana? His team hasn't played a game yet, the season is still months away, and the school just gave the new head coach a 10-year contract.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080729/SPORTS15/807290344/1069/SPORTS0601

The article's author says that the investment in Crean is money well-spent. I would say that the jury is still out. Yet, I applaud Indiana for recognizing the immensity of the job facing their coach. They want him to restore credibility first, and then the tradition of winning games. By locking up their coach now, it shows that Indiana is serious.

IU won't win many games next year. Years two and three might not be much better. Recruiting will be down. Boosters will be unhappy. However, the school president wants Crean to know in advance that he has his support and that he will have time to do the job right.

I have compared previously the state of IU's basketball program in 2008 with the situation Dennis Felton faced in 2003. It all sounds so familiar. I won't rehearse all the similarities here. There is an incredible distinction, though, and that is the long-term approach taken by IU and the length of the contract.

For Felton to accept the challenges and somehow make it to the NCAA's in 5 years-- I think he has done just a fantastic job. The Dawgs are now off of NCAA probation, second in the SEC in the Academic Progress Report, and SEC Tournament champs! Perhaps Crean pointed to Coach Felton's work as "Exhibit A" for how he expected to rebuild IU's program.

Yet, despite Felton's proven success, winning the first SEC Tournament championship that UGA has had in 25 years, his contract is shorter than Crean's.

Indiana has shown us that some big schools are willing to take the long-term approach. I think that that's the right choice for UGA, too.

IU takes two scholarships from Crean

The comparisons to UGA 5 years ago are amazing.

New coach is hired and takes over after the last coach leaves under a cloud. Some of the new players depart or are encouraged to go. The best player goes to the NBA. Sanctions from the NCAA are looming.

The new coach looks down his bench and doesn't see much. Few if any scholarship players. Walk-on tryouts are announced, and it is made clear that the guys who make the team will have the opportunity to compete for serious minutes.

To make matters tougher on the new coach, the school announces self-imposed penalties. Georgia took itself out of the SEC Tournament and any postseason tournament consideration. Indiana took away two scholarships in anticipation of the same penalty being imposed by the NCAA for Indiana's failure to meet the requirements of the NCAA's Academic Progress Report.

Crean has been a cheerleader for his team, and he insists that IU basketball will be competitive, despite the overwhelming circumstances. However, the practical reality is that Crean will have to use his highest powers of persuasion and some creative scholarship management to see any level of success.

Can he do it? Can IU bear up under an NCAA investigation, media scorn, and scholarship limits? Can Crean work with players on athletics and academics? It can be done. Felton reached the NCAA's in 5 years. The Indiana alumni will have to pull together during the first few years while the IU basketball team rebuilds itself. Expectations will have to be tempered. The process will not be pretty. But it can be done. Good luck, Tom Crean.