Mayer: ISU WBB Take a Big Step, MBB with a Big Test

An important week for Indiana State basketball (the women and men) started with a positive note as the Lady Sycamores went on the road to Saint Louis and pulled out a late come from behind victory. To no one's surprise Anna Munn played the part of hero making the go ahead basket with under a minute left in the game. The ISU guard scored 14 points and teamed up with forward Rachael Mahan who led the team with 23 points.

Courtesy ISU

There are two main points that should be recognized in the victory. First, the Sycamores won the turnover battle. ISU gave the ball away 17 times and had 13 assists compared to 23 turnovers and 11 assists for the Billikens. Now, I won't go off preaching that it's acceptable to turn the ball over 17 times. The ISU women must continue to improve, but it's a step in the right direction. Indiana State has been battling turnover problems from day one and coach Teri Moren has continually stressed a need to limit give aways.

ISU is clearly a team based around defense and relies on the majority of offensive output from two players. If a basketball team is built in that fashion, they must hold on to the ball; it's essential to having success. A higher rate of turnovers is more acceptable for a team that continually pushes the ball down the court, scores points easily, and has a high possession percentage. That is not the Sycamores, so it's good to see them limit turnovers in an important game.

Courtesy ISU

The second major point to take away from the victory is location. ISU has struggled on the road for some time now. This is the Lady Sycamores first win away from the Hulman Center this season (including a pretty bad loss at IUPUI). In fact, ISU has only won two games under Teri Moren (this is her third season). So, Indiana State got an important victory addressing a couple of key weaknesses. It was exactly the kind of win necessary to build confidence in the players and momentum for the team.

Courtesy The Daily Bruin

The Sycamore men have a major test upcoming on Saturday as the New Mexico Lobos come to town. The ISU men have been on a roll ever since losing their opener in Los Angeles to a then  highly ranked Bruins squad. Anytime ISU faces a nationally ranked team it is news, but especially welcoming such a talented opponent to Terre Haute.

The last two times Indiana State faced ranked opponents at the Human Center was in 06'/07' against Butler and 05'/06' against the Hoosiers. Despite the big loss to UCLA there is more belief that ISU can compete with the Lobos (although that has more to do with the Sycamores then New Mexico.) ISU has not lost since facing UCLA and has stacked some impressive victories including a road game at Ball State. Indiana State has a very young squad with key transfers and players returning from injury last season, so they are still learning to gel and that process seems to be improving each week.

Courtesy ISU

So, at the highest point of their season to date, the Sycamores will face the #25 ranked team in the nation at home. This is a serious test of where ISU stands and if they should be considered one of the better teams in the Missouri Valley Conference. Remember, the pre-season rankings had ISU finishing 7th. Greg Lansing will have his squad ready for former coaching partner and Indiana great Steve Alford. After the game, we might know a lot more about the rest of the season.

Could the Colts Seize the South?

NBC 2 videographer A.J. Schub looks at the Colts chances of a division title.

Courtsey si.com

A three game lead with five games to play.  In the NFL that sort of a cushion is exactly what a division leading team should hope for with a little more than a month remaining in the regular season. That kind of a lead is as hard to give away as it would be to hand out a pair of tickets to see the Kansas City Chiefs play at the Cleveland Browns during Week 14.  That collapse would be of epic proportions, but not unheard of.

Let us take a trip in our DeLorean back to the year 1993, and to the city of Miami. The 'Phins were leading the AFC East by one game over the Buffalo Bills (not exactly the same scenario as the Texans/Colts in 2012, but hear me out).  Miami had just cruised through its ninth win of the season defeating the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving (the Texans just beat the Lions on Thanksgiving for their 10th win, the irony!) and the Bills were coming off of a loss to playoff bound Kansas City. Five games to play in the season, the Dolphins had a one game lead with their next three at home, including one contest against the Bills.  Then Miami collapsed.

The Dolphins would go 0-5 down the stretch and were outscored 165-115, including a 47-34 loss to the aforementioned Buffalo Bills.  That is just one case in the last 20 years where a stellar team has collapsed and found themselves out of the playoff race, but it is not the only one. 

The Houston Texans could be the next team to inexplicably falter and cave into the pressure. They may finish the year 5-0.  They also could easily drop three of their last five, lose the division and still make the playoffs.  If you're a Colts fan, that is what you hope for.  You hope for the Colts to beat the Texans both times they play in the next five weeks and for Houston to drop at least one of the games they play against the Titans, Vikings, and Patriots. That, however, wouldn't secure anything for the Colts.

hark.com

Indy would need to end their year rolling off five consecutive victories (six if you start by counting last week's win versus Buffalo, the same team to surpass Miami all those years ago....) against three teams that combine for a current record of 9-24, and then two games against Houston. If the blue and white tame the three bottom feeding teams and knock off Houston once, the Week 17 match-up between the top two teams in the South could very well have division championship implications.

The scenario involving the Colts and Texans is very similar to that of the Bills and Dolphins two decades ago. Miami, like Houston, controlled their own destiny but lost to the team behind them in the standings.  Indianapolis hopes to pull off a miracle of their own by beating the division leading Texans two times in the final three weeks of the season to get a chance at the division crown. I would tell Colts fans to believe in miracles, but the funny thing is that they already do. It's a miracle that the worst team from the 2011 season is in the hunt for a division title. It's a miracle the team has held it together for their coach as he battles cancer. It's a miracle that the loss of one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation did not cause the franchise to wallow in the NFL's cellar for half a decade. This Colts team thrives on beating the odds. Yes, they need a bit of help, but it's not impossible.

Mayer: ISU Will Go as far as Jake Odum Pushes Them

Courtesy ISU Athletics

Forgive me if I'm late to the news, but Jake Odum is very good at basketball. I'm still new to Sycamores (and for that matter Wabash Valley) hoops, but Odum has jumped right off the screen. While covering the Sycamores in their last two contests against Truman State and Ball State, Odum has been the ISU leader in every sense of the word.

I'm sure most people who follow hoops around these parts are not surprised by Odum's success. He was a great player at Terre Haute South and continued his productive ways as soon as he stepped foot on the Indiana State campus. For someone new to the area, Odum immediately distinguishes himself on the court in a myriad of ways. 

Purely from a basketball standpoint, Odum gets the offense going and seems to be taking on the role of most dangerous scorer as well. He has an incredible ability for finding spots to drive hard to the hoop. Even more impressive is the body control Odum shows while in the air. He is able to adjust into seemingly awkward positions in order to finish at the rim or get a shot off. A couple of his hard drives that turned into fade away jumpers off the glass against Ball State left me thinking...WOW.

Of course, scoring is not Odum's first job as a guard who often has the ball in his hands setting up the offense. He is seen directing teammates and is constantly moving, never letting the defender rest. Every pass from the guard is crisp and is usually followed by a quick cut, screen, or other movement that helps continue the flow of the offense.

The energy level that number thirteen brings to the Sycamores cannot be quantified. Basketball is a game largely based on momentum. Most teams need an emotional leader that can get get teammates fired up and create ways to stop runs from the opposition. Odum has admitted he knows this is his role as a veteran of the young Sycamores and he has done nothing but excel. Two instances from last night's victory over Ball State perfectly exemplify what Odum is capable of. After a Cardinals player ran the floor, but failed to finish at the rim, Odum snatched the rebound darted down court and scored with numbers in Ball State's favor. Later in the game, he sunk a late three which truly put the game away and gave a quick salute while running back on defense.

There's a big difference between confidence and cockiness. Odum is confident, has an endless motor, and is not afraid to show his emotion on the floor. To put it frankly, he's got swagger. You'll find this same characteristic in many of the best leaders in sports and especially basketball. He is the perfect person to take the reigns and lead ISU. That is meant in a literal sense as he has shown his superior all around game and an emotional stand point as well. If a play needs to be made or a message needs to be sent, coach Greg Lansing knows where to turn first. 

ReuKnighting Bobby and the Hoosiers

NBC 2 Videographer AJ Schub, who covered the Hoosiers for the last four years, gives us insight into IU's tumultuous relationship with their famous ex-coach. 

Courtesy si.com

 So the news broke yesterday that legendary Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight will partner up with Dan Shulman (a voice that many Hoosier fans will recognize from covering the famed Indiana-Kentucky game from last season) to call the semi-final round of the Progressive Legends Classic featuring Georgia and Indiana.  No the sky has not fallen, Hell has not frozen over, and Brett Favre isn't coming back to quarterback the Philadelphia Eagles (but if I were Mike Vick I'd be worried). Bob Knight will be talking about Indiana Basketball for 40 minutes of game time.

  




September 10, 2000, the last day Bobby Knight had anything to do with Indiana University.  That was the day that Miles Brand, then Indiana University President, announced that he had fired Knight for violating a zero tolerance code of conduct policy enforced by the school.  Kent Harvey, then a player, told school officials Knight had grabbed him by the arm for disrespecting the coach.  Hoosier nation was divided.  Should Knight have been fired, or given every opportunity to stay until he decided to hang up his whistle? The decision was not theirs to make and Knight would leave Bloomington for good not long after he called for 2,000 students camped outside of Assembly Hall to calm down and go home.

For the last decade plus Knight has avoided the words "Indiana University" and "Hoosiers" as if he was a religious man who refused to use the lords name in vein.  A couple of years ago Knight led a segment for ESPN analyzing the Ohio State Buckeyes, and in particular, Jared Sullinger.  Who was the team Sullinger and the Buckeyes were beating up on in the highlight?  The Indiana Hoosiers.  Knight constantly referred to IU as "the other guys" or "that team" as if to say he still was not ready to even mutter the dirty word, Hoosiers. 

Courtesy The Herald Times

Indiana University, and Athletic Director Fred Glass have taken a proactive approach to reconnect the university with Bob Knight, but they have also been careful to not anger or push the knowingly stubborn coach.  Knight was inducted into the IU Hall of fame in 2009, and of course, was not present.  I attended a sports communications class at Indiana University last fall where Glass spoke about the relationship he was repairing with Coach Knight.  He confirmed that he and Knight had spoken in Indianapolis, but there was little progress made.  Knight did respect that Glass reached out, but he still was not ready to have a role with Indiana. 

Tom Crean has also embraced the history of the Indiana University Basketball program since taking over the head coaching job in 2008.  He understands that the program was able to turn around and be competitive so quickly partially because of the foundation that Knight already laid. Crean, along with Glass, brought back the 1983 Big Ten Championship banner that hangs above the north side of Assembly Hall.  It was a gesture to Coach Knight.  The 1983 banner was known as "The Fans Banner" and that team meant a great deal to Coach Knight.  Crean also brought in the 1987 National Championship team last season to honor their 25th anniversary.  The entire team and coaching staff returned, minus Knight.  His face did sit atop a commemorative poster of the group.

Courtesy NYTimes

So has Bob Knight finally taken a step on his own to rejoin the Indiana basketball family?  He may have been contractually obligated and does need money for his grand children's college funds. Maybe ESPN told him he had to announce this game or he would be fired.  He also may just not care. This isn't Knight going to Bloomington and announcing an IU game inside Assembly Hall. This is a neutral site game (Coach Cal's favorite!) featuring the number one team in the country.  Knight can no longer avoid Indiana because they are no longer in the cellar. They will now be a fixture on ESPN for years to come if Tom Crean keeps doing his job right. If that is the case, then Knight needs to be ready to call Hoosier games.  He can't pretend IU doesn't exist forever. Maybe this is step one in an overdue process to reunite the coach with his people, maybe this is just an assignment that Knight is forced to work, or maybe Knight will back out of the gig and this post will be meaningless. Guess we will find out sometime before Monday November 19th at 5:30 EST.

Can D'Antoni Phil the Void in LA?

NBC 2 videographer AJ Schub takes a look at the coaching madness for the Lakers and asks if Mike D'Antoni was the right choice. 

The world of basketball was relatively stunned Friday morning when the  Los Angeles Lakers announced the firing of head coach Mike Brown just five games into his second season with the club.  Brown came under intense scrutiny when his team, headlined by four all-stars and three potential hall of famers, started off 1-4; The worst start in 20 years for the L.A. Lakers.

Courtesy scpr.org

Almost immediately after the firing of Brown attention turned to the former Lakers head coach, and winner of 11 titles, Phil Jackson.  Both fans and media anointed Jackson as the leading candidate to take the job.  Jackson, however, was not the lone candidate vying for the prestigious title of "Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach".

In surprising fashion, team owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchick announced  Monday morning that Mike D'Antoni would be the next head coach.  D'Antoni did not come out of nowhere to snag the job. His name came up with  Jackson's from day one, but rumors swirled saying it was Phil's gig to lose.

Courtesy si.com

Jackson, was "stunned" when he found out he did not get the job.  Supposedly he had plans to be in LA on Monday to finalize the contract. So why D'Antoni over Jackson?  Phil seemed like the obvious choice, but was he the best?

The roster of the '12-'13 team is similar but not exactly like the roster from '10-'11, the year that Jackson last coached. Kobe, Pau Gasol, and even Metta World Peace still remain, but the additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard into the starting line up may have complicated a transition to Phil's iconic triangle offense. Supposedly the team was worried how well Nash and Howard would fit in the triangle, and noted that the team took too long to learn Mike Brown's Princeton Offense.                         

I would argue that Phil Jackson is a basketball genius and there is more to him as a coach than just the triangle. Phil would make the necessary adjustments to make the team play cohesively. Jackson would also bring the locker room together and keep everyone on the same page, with the same goal; a championship.  Phil Jackson would not have attempted a return to the NBA without that lone goal in mind.  I believe that the championship-less Howard and Nash would respect and be willing to work with Jackson and his system if a championship was on the line.

Speaking of championships, as stated before, Phil has 11 of them. Twelve if you count the ring he won with the New York Knicks in 1973.  He has won the NBA title 11 times in 13 tries. He has been to the NBA finals 13 out of 20 years that he has been on the bench.  That means 65% of the time Jackson has been a head coach he has at least played for an NBA title.

Courtesy si.com

How about Mike D'Antoni? Zero NBA Titles, and zero conference titles. He has been an NBA head coach for eight full seasons, and parts of 10 seasons overall. D'Antoni has made the playoffs in five of those ten years.  Four of those five seasons he had Nash anchoring his back court and collecting MVPs. That, unfortunately, was half a decade ago and Nash is no longer the same player.

Coach D'Antoni was pushed out of a big market as Knicks head coach when he was unable to coach a team with Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Amare Stoudemire to an above .500 record.  The talent level on the current Lakers team is far greater than that Knicks squad, but there are similarities.  Carmelo and Kobe are both superstars that command the ball. Chandler and Howard are both anchors

on the defensive side, and former Defensive Player of the Year winners. Dwight is light years ahead of Chandler on offense. Finally, Stoudemire and Gasol are both offensive minded power forwards who

lack defensive intensity.  Don't get me wrong, I would pick this year's Lakers over last year's Knicks any day, but the similarities are there. If D'Antoni couldn't get those Knicks to be winners why does the Lakers brass have so much confidence in him now?

Kobe made it clear to the Lakers higher-ups that he wanted Phil, but would not be upset if D'Antoni was hired.  Bryant grew up in Italy when D'Antoni was a superstar in the European basketball league and looked up to Mike as a youngster. He, along with Dwight Howard, played under Coach D'Antoni in the 2008 Olympics. Both players were fond of the then assistant coach in Beijing. Steve Nash is used to being the man in D'Antoni's system, but will now have to take a bit of a backseat to Kobe and the crew.

Nash was asked over the weekend by ESPN LA his thoughts on a possible reunion with his
long time Suns coach and said, "Obviously I think everyone knows how much I love Mike."
"If (D'Antoni) were to coach, it would be seamless and terrific for me, and I think the team as well."

Courtesy heinnews.com

So we will now wait and see how this hiring works out for the Los Angeles Lakers in a season which seems to be categorized as "Championship or Bust". The deal is reportedly three years and $12 million, with a fourth year as a team option. Kobe has two years left on his deal, Nash has three, and Howard and Gasol are free agents after this year. I am guessing D'Antoni has a shorter window than three seasons to prove he is the right man to lead L.A.

Mayer: The President of Sports

In case you didn't notice we just had a presidential election come to a close yesterday. This got me thinking about a potential President of Sports. So, basically someone that is the head hancho of sports everywhere; from little league to Yankee Staduim, from high school soccer to the Premier League, the Olympics, cricket, skateboarding, football, and everything else you can think of. I haven't gone through the process of figuring out how this sports government would work because it's not really necessary for this exercise. However, we won't call this Sports President a dictator. Commissioners and players from every league would have some kind of say and ability to veto the president and vice versa in a similar fashion to the United Stated Government.

Moving on. I, Lucas Mayer, do hereby accept the position as the first ever Sports President and swear to honor the traditions of sports while helping to grow all sports to the best of my ability.

Usually it would be a good idea for the President of Sports to start slow and bring up bills and new laws that in time will help sports excel. However, as my first act as President I must take immediate action.

Courtesy theunticket.com

EXECUTIVE ORDER #DEATHTOTHEBCS
    My first act as President is to dismantle the BCS. Effective immediately plans for a four team playoff will take effect and discussion about a possible expansion of said playoff will take place after the season. This could not be more perfect with Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State, and Notre Dame still undefeated ( as well as Louisville) along with a slew of talented and deserving one loss teams.
   Additionally, the way in which bowl game revenues are distributed will be changed. Bowls will now take volunteers, that's right volunteers, to be in charge. The absurdity of men doing little work and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars to "organize" bowl games is a thing of the past.
   There will be great outrage and backlash from certain people among this matter, but I should have the support of the fans, players, and coaches. In my sports government money doesn't buy votes, so deal with it fat cats.

Courtesy intothefuture.onmason.com

THE GREAT AMERICAN PASTIME BILL
   I will propose that instant replay will start effective 2013 for Major League Baseball and all other baseball outlets from college up. Strikes and balls will stay in the umpires hands, other then that anything can be replayed. The call for replay will come from an extra umpire who sits above the field. He will page the head umpire if a call is questionable and the chief umpire will take a look. In addition, if a manager feels a call was wrong and the replay umpire does not initiate replay, said manager will have one "challenge" each game. The manager simply has to inform the umpire he's using a challenge.
  This might take some time to be passed as many have not accepted replay as a necessary part of baseball, but give me some time and I'll convince them.

Courtesy ncaa.org

THE NCAA IS A JOKE BILL
  If there was ever an entity that defined the wrong way to deal with discipline it's the NCAA. Everything is backwards, idiotic, absurd, or unfair. Reggie Bush accepted impermissible benefits at USC so Trojans playing at the school half a decade later are punished. Sexual assault allegations against Jerry Sandusky result in 14 years of vacated Penn State football victories. As of yesterday, Hanner Perea and Peter Jurkin must sit out because a legal guardian bought some IU stickers before either player was born.
  We'll need to create a special committee to fix everything that's wrong but to start.... the notion of vacating wins is over. NCAA athletes will be given a monthly stipend equivalent to the hours they would be able to work if time was not consumed by athletics. Therefore, future teams will no longer be penalized if players accept illegal benefits that go beyond their stipend. Instead the NCAA will make deals with all professional sports that will punish the player at whatever time the evidence comes forward. Better reason for teams to do thorough background checks. Coaches who commit recruiting violations will suffer the same fate wherever they are currently coaching, the future team will not be penalized. I'm going to stop here, but we could go at this one for days.

Courtesy blakestreetbulletin.com

THE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG ACT OF 2013
  This is pretty simple. The loopholes are being closed effective immediately. All athletes from high school up will be tested by urine, blood, hair, or any other form at anytime without warning. This may be a little too "Big Brother" for you, but it's time to eradicate the virus that is cheating through drugs in sports. All athletic and personal trainers for any team or athlete are subject to investigation if there is suspicion and must go through a rigorous performance review each year and in order to be certified. If found positive for any performance enhancing drug, the player will be suspended from the sport for a year for first offense, two years for second offense, and banned for life after the third offense. There will be an extensive appeals process put in place in case the result is faulty.

Courtesy the-cool-table.com

THE SPORTS NETWORK BILL
  The process of creating a channel for almost every sport in the mold of the MLB and NFL networks will begin. Some of these channels already exist, but for the major sports that are still waiting, their time is now. Smaller sports that can not carry an audience by themselves will be grouped together. Possibly Olympic Sports and Extreme Sports type channels. In addition, a general sports network will be created to rival ESPN. Since the "mother ship" has become so transfixed on entertainment, leaving us with Tim Tebow and Skip Bayless 24/7, a network that refocuses on the actual sports will be made. Some of what ESPN does is incredible, some of it is a whole lot of fluff. Each of these networks will be highly involved, online and with social media.

This is only the beginning! During my four years as the first Sports President I hope to create a Sports World that gives us the best out of all sports and provides for fans as much as possible. Thank you America!

Pugh: ISU Women's Basketball First Glance

It's that time of the year again. A time for the Hoosier state to celebrate as basketball season begins. We continue our basketball blog coverage with a look at Indiana State Women's Basketball.

Courtesy: ISU Athletics

Head coach Teri Moren begins her 3rd season at the Hulman Center when the Sycamores host Bellarmine Friday night in an exhibition contest. The regular season gets underway next Friday, November 9th, against Eastern Illinois. It's also a brand new staff for Moren this year as she welcomes John Marcum, Sara Riedeman, and Joey Wells as assistant coaches, as well as Andrea Jones as a graduate manager.

Courtesy: ISU Athletics

With only 2 starters returning from a season ago, this Sycamore squad will need some of its younger players to step up and fill key roles. Gone are Shannon Thomas, Brittany Schoen, and Deja Mattox. All 3 of these players left their mark on the program with more than 1,000 career points each. The 2 starters returning from last year, Taylor Whitley, and Anna Munn, have plenty of experience and can step into that leadership role left behind by the big 3, but they can't do it alone. Whitley is the only senior on the team, and looks to finish her career on a strong note.

Just like the men, these ladies were picked to finish 7th in the MVC standings. They have a strong non-conference schedule with trips to Assembly Hall, Hinkle Fieldhouse, and IUPUI. These tough road trips will help prepare them for the conference season. New assistant coaches and a younger core of players will bring some new energy to this team, but only time will tell if they can turn that into wins and finish higher than predicted.