Indiana Hoosiers don't have time to be young

First appeared on November 26, 2013
in The Lebanon Reporter

When Syracuse beat Indiana last March Tom Crean looked like a guy who’d let half his 401K ride on Tyson beating Buster Douglas. His energetic and positive mannerisms were replaced with the same disgusted look Ralphie sported upon discovering his Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring only told him to “drink your Ovaltine”.

And who can blame him? Indiana had spent 10 weeks at number one and finished fifth in the nation in scoring only to go down in flames with a 50 point performance in the Sweet Sixteen. It was supposed to be “the year”. Everyone was back. This includes Crean’s roster as well as Hoosier Nation, shoulder to shoulder for the first time since Bobby gave his farewell speech to students in Dunn Meadow. The same hormone-fueled students who took a break from keg standing and bathing with Hairy Buffalo long enough to pretend they actually understood this white haired guy whose shtick was a propensity for demanding respect, launching into vulgar laden tirades, form-fitting red sweaters and a strong right hand.

Indiana had come so far under Crean’s guidance, but 12-13 was to be more than another building block. It was to be a banner year. And by “banner year” we’re not talking about cutting down the nets following a home loss (note to Tom: Next time the voices in your head tell you to wheel the ladders out after a loss, keep stuffing gum into their mouths until you can no longer understand them).

Beyond the ugly loss, Crean’s incredulous demeanor was more a reaction to his knowing the heart of his program had taken its final beat. After that loss Super Sophomore Cody Zeller and Junior standout Victor Oladipo both declared for the draft. This while graduation took gutsy sharpshooter, and former Mr. Basketball, Jordan Hulls along with Christian Watford, one who will forever be remembered for nailing one of the greatest shots in Hoosier history. And there was no measure of clapping that could ever bring them back.

So, unsure of what lay ahead, a weak kneed Crean boarded a plane headed back to Bloomington; rocketing into bitter darkness. Criticism abounded as he found himself in the crosshairs for the first time. For, just as the nation had tired of hearing the President blame his predecessor, suddenly mentioning Kelvin Samson’s name wasn’t enough either.

Enter the most promising Freshman class Crean has amassed in his tenure at Indiana. More to the point, enter Noah Vonleh and Troy Williams. Thursday night’s near twenty point victory over Pac 10 power Washington allowed Hoosier fans to take their first steps toward a brave new world.

If anything, this group is exciting. Vonleh’s a hard worker who punishes people inside while Williams is busy watching it all from above the rim. And as Vonleh and Williams have been busy opening eyes, Indianapolis product Devin Davis has assumed the role of team Swiss Army Knife by rolling his sleeves and doing little things winners require.

Indeed, all this talent is useless without proper direction. And if there’s one person who wasn’t devastated by last year’s departures it’s Yogi Ferrell. The sophomore point guard has been more everything. More vocal, more aggressive, more effective and more dominant.

So the Hoosiers have replenished their talent pool and fans are slowly reloading the bandwagon. Now Crean must accept blueprints can’t be four year plans. In today’s college basketball the window of opportunity is much smaller. So the challenge is before him. To avoid another long plane ride, Crean must find a way to squeeze as many wins out of this young roster as possible.

© 2013 Eric Walker Williams

Move over '72 Dolphins, here come the Indiana Pacers

First appeared on November 8th, 2013
in The Lebanon Reporter

Move over ’72 Miami Dolphins here come the Indiana Pacers. At 5-0 and coming off a big win over Central Division rival Chicago, Indiana appears unstoppable and seems poised to run the table. 82-0 has never happened and those who say it can’t are the same glass half empty contrarians who told Roger Bannister he’d never break a 4:00 mile or snickered when Mark Zuckerberg said one day half the planet would waste hours of their own lives looking at online photos of other peoples cats dressed in Halloween costumes.

An undefeated NBA team usually means you’ve played a string of home games to start the year, caught somebody without their Superstar and won one or two at the buzzer. This is the typical 5-0 start to an NBA season. But to borrow a phrase from a 90’s Rapper with a penchant for obnoxious jewelry and pants large enough to fit the business end of an Elephant, the Pacers’ 5-0 start is legit; yes “too legit to quit” in fact.

Pushing an aging Miami Heat team to the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals wasn’t enough for the Pacers brass to toss their golf clubs in the trunk while embracing their inner Cubs fan. They went on the offensive instead, securing Power Forward David West’s services for another three years while also adding some complimentary pieces to an already talented roster.

Back-up point guard C.J. Watson and long distance dead eye Chris Copeland were two free agents brought in with the intention of making the Blue and Gold bench more reliable. Of all the acquisitions however, Luis Scola appears the odds on favorite to win the “That one guy who gave us just enough firepower to finally get past Miami in the Playoffs” Award. In his seventh season out of Argentina, Scola brings the toughness, hustle and rebounding expertise of a Tyler Hansbrough (who stumbled around and elbowed his way to Toronto in the off season) along with the much needed ability to score in various ways.

While so much has been made about the possible return of Danny Granger, Lance Stephenson and Paul George have shown what an off season spent out of the clubs and in the gym can do. Both have raised their level of play this year including George who has scored over 20 points in every game so far.

And who could forget the man in the middle? Roy Hibbert’s performance has been so altogether inspirational it will likely result in Area 55 being expanded to include the entire lower bowl of Banker’s Life. The Big Fella is averaging over 5 blocks a game and, perhaps more importantly, is yet to foul out. In short the Pacers won’t be beaten, can’t be beaten for that matter.

So while the Heat spend their time learning to handle a Just for Men applicator and trying to get logged in to the Affordable Health Care Website, Indiana will continue to drum every team that crosses their path. At this rate the Central Division should be locked up by the end of November and home court throughout the playoffs will be Larry Bird’s Christmas gift to Pacer fans everywhere.

I’ll be the first to admit knowing you are going to win the next 77 games in a row does take some of the excitement out of watching them, but true fans will gut it out no matter how pointless it may seem. So hang in there Pacer Fans and enjoy every moment, no matter how uneventful the ride may be.

© 2013 Eric Walker Williams