In an earlier post I made reference to the Memphis Tigers perfect season. Well, it came to end tonight, just as I hoped it would. #1 Memphis played #2 Tennessee and the Vol's won by a score of 66-62, ruining the Tigers perfect season with no loses. What that means to me is, I am proud to say the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers was the last team to go underfeated during the regular season and win the NCAA Championship without losing a game. Their prefect record of 32-0 still stands! I guess we will have to wait till '09 to see if a team is capable of the feat.
If I could only be proud of the Hoosiers now, as I was then. The latest problems are with Kelvin Sampson, who on Thursday said he had coached his last game at IU only to be followed Friday by the university buying him out of his contract for a mere $750,000. With this Kelvin waived his right not to sue the university (how ignorant!) What would he have to sue for? HE created his own problems! (actually he brought them with him from Oklahoma, and he got caught ... AGAIN!)
After Friday's news conference some of the IU players said they would boycott practice and the next game with Northwestern and even threatened quiting the team. DJ White, Jamarcus Ellis and Armon Bassett, along with three reserves missed practice on Friday saying they were unsure as to what they would do on Saturday for the game.
Dan Dakich has been made interm coach until the university can find a new head coach. Dan said he understood the players' frustrations and their reaction to the news of Kelvin leaving was 'natural' What was Dan's reaction on Friday when six players were missing from practice? Dan said it wasn't like a boycott, but the players did say they were boycotting! So which is it Dan? Dan said after all they had been through, there was no way he would demand that they practice. Well, if he wasn't demanding they be at practice, why would anyone show up anyhow? I'd say Dan met the players demands by letting them boycott practice!
IU is currently contending for the Big Ten Conference title with just a few games left. I think the players need to think about that and the university and quit acting like a bunch of Middle School or High School students and suck it up!
IU ended up beating Northwestern (who hasn't won a big ten game this season) by a score of 85-82. All three players who were startes that skipped Friday's practice, started the game Saturday. The three reserves were also suited up and ready to play.
What the interm coach should have done is when the plane was getting ready to leave Bloomington and the six players showed up, they should have been asked what they were doing. If they stated they were going to the game, they should have been told to find their own transportation and not been on the TEAM plane or TEAM bus. Dan should have told them IF they wanted to play, those were the rules they would have to follow.
Instead interm coach Dan Dakich gave into the players demands. I'm not sure when the game changed, but it has. I don't think there will every be a time it will be like the good ole' days. The days the individuls came together to form a team, they were proud to wear the school's uniform and it wasn't all about themselves.
A new chapter is beginning in Bloomington, but I don't think I'm going to purchase this book either.
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