Hoosier Hysteria Beckons
Words cannot express how excited I am for the upcoming IU basketball season.
Actually, I take that back. Certain words can express my excitement, such as the ones written by Dana O’Neil (thanks @ryancorazza) a few days back at ESPN.com.
Since I don’t have much time today for writing, I will give you an excerpt, a link to her story, and then some other intriguing Friday afternoon links.
I love the NFL and the MLB playoffs, but I will always be a college basketball fan at heart. I’m ready for Year Two of the Tom Crean Era (i.e. The Purge Kelvin Sampson From the Memories of All IU Fans Era) and it cannot get here soon enough.
So why bother? Why sign on with a program that is just laying the first bricks of rebuilding?
“We’re going to hang banners and win awards before we leave here,” Elston said. “But we’re also going to change the program. We’re going to be the team people talk about for a long time, the ones that brought Indiana back. That’s something a lot of people don’t get the chance to do.”
IU’s fresh faces offer hope for fans — (Dana O’Neil, ESPN)
Here is one more excerpt to whet IU fans’ appetites for the coming season(s):
But when Hoosiers coach Tom Crean went out to find the pieces to begin rebuilding his roundball phoenix, he targeted a certain kind of kid.
OK, for starters, he wanted good players. That was helpful, and he got them. Creek played in the Reebok All-American game; Watford is listed as No. 26 in the ESPNU top 100; Hulls was an Indiana Mr. Basketball.
More than that, Crean wanted kids with strong character, the kind who wouldn’t hang their heads when things got tough and wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the expectations of a fan base patiently waiting to get back to the business of winning.
It took just one weekend’s worth of practice to assure Crean he has the right guys.
I am pumped already. No, I am not expecting miracles this season. I would be satisfied with a .500 record after last season’s debacle, with any postseason play a success. The expectations obviously increase for next season, Year 3 of the Crean Era, but for this year I just want to see something that resembles IU basketball again. The kids played their hearts out last year and I appreciated every second of their effort, but the talent just wasn’t there.
Coach Crean is bringing the talent back to Bloomington. The wins should follow.
In other basketball news, everyone’s favorite NBA writer has a new NBA column out. Read it while you’re shirking your work responsibilities (you know you are!) this afternoon:
Tags: bill simmons, dana o'neil, espn, indiana hoosiers, kelvin sampson, tom crean
