Indiana Basketball Is Back ?

IU’s Rob Phinesse hit a last-second shot to beat Butler in the Crossroads Classic over the weekend. Does that mean the Hoosiers are back? Absolutely not. I watched the game a few weeks ago where a #3 Duke actively blocked Indiana like IU was trying to open flash player on chrome.  The Crossroads Classic is a fairly meaningless meetup with few national ramifications, but a lot on the line in terms of local bragging rights between the 4 biggest basketball programs in Indiana (sorry IUPUI.)  Indiana isn’t back, but that was a solid win to help usher in the Archie Miller era.

I’ve enjoyed the Miller era so far. Nothing flashy, just grinding out wins and great recruiting. Is this the beginning of the best era of Indiana basketball? To me that era belongs to Mike Davis. Insane, right? I experienced the last 10 years of Knight as a kid, so I missed the 3 championships and the perfect season but vaguely remember the 1997 choking incident, Knight’s broken relationship with the university, and getting fired in 2000 all being covered by the news.

This old guy from the new Last Days of Knight 30 for 30 remembers the glory days of the Knight era. This Hoosier runs off pork tenderloins and good old fashion hard working diesel fuel. I would say he runs off e85 ethanol made from homegrown Indiana corn, but new clean energy doesn’t make sense. Also, this guy 100% thinks Tom Brady deflated footballs, will make fun of you for not knowing how to play euchre, and has correctly predicted every major winter storm thanks to the Farmer’s Almanac.

It’s been almost 20 years since the Bob Knight era ended and 31 years since IU’s last championship banner was hung in the rafters, yet it still seems like a black cloud of expectations hangs over the head of whoever decides to Coach IU. Even with a black cloud hanging, it hasn’t been ALL bad. Here are my best and worst moments of head basketball coaches since Knight at Indiana.

Tom Crean (2008-2017) 

Highlight: The Wat Shot

Beating rival #1 Kentucky the same year UK won a title felt like the program was taking a step in the right direction  after 3 lean years of Crean trying to right the ship. Several trips to the Sweet 16 are by no means bad, but it felt like even with talented players, Crean was still being out-coached by opponents.

Lowlight: The Clapping

If there was one thing Crean loved more than the middle part Dwight K. Schrute hairstyle, it was clapping. At times it was as if he stopped coaching players because he thought his clapping would break up a zone defense.  If Crean was at one of my comedy shows and I saw him clapping for me I would be triggered and viscerally upset.

Kelvin Sampson (2006-2008)

Highlight : Recruiting Eric Gordon

Mr. Basketball in Indiana is a big deal, especially when its future top 10 NBA draft pick Eric Gordon. Mike Davis had missed out on some big Indiana names the year before (Greg Oden, Mike Conely), so when Sampson came and Gordon retracted his verbal commit to Illinois, it felt like Indiana was taking a step in the right direction, but this also made the phone call violations seem even sketchier when they came out. I was lucky enough to see Gordon play in Indiana high school sectionals, and the hype was real.

Lowlight: Three Way Phone Calls 

With the aftermath of the Knight era and Sampson’s past, Indiana couldn’t take any chances on Sampson’s phone call violations. With what’s coming out about NCAA basketball programs today a few phone calls probably aren’t a huge deal, but rules are rules. (Sampson is now coaching the 7-0 #21 Houston Cougars.) Sampson stepping down lead to Asst. Dan Dakich taking over in the NCAA tourney, and losing in the 1st Round to #9 Arkansas with DJ White and a one handed Eric Gordon leaving for the NBA after the season.

Mike Davis (2000-2006)  

Highlight: #5 IU beating #1 Duke in the NCAA Tourney

Beating Duke feels great, especially when you’re getting blown out in the first half and come back to steal a win. I remember AJ Moye’s block on Carlos Boozer crystal clear (unlike the highlight filmed using a potato.) This was the golden era for me; old enough to understand what’s going on, and young enough to idolize college basketball players.

Davis also gave IU fans DJ White and his undershirts, for that I’m forever grateful.

Lowlight: Calling in sick vs Iowa

With rumors Davis could be fired swirling on message boards, Davis essentially needed to beat Iowa to keep his job. Did the team rally behind Davis to pull off the win? No. IU lost. Davis didn’t even show up. He called in sick to the most important game of the season. This may be projecting, but I don’t blame Davis. When I had math tests in high school I’d get out of it by saying I had diarrhea. I wasn’t stalling so I could go study more, I just thought if I delayed the inevitable; God would intervene? If Davis really was sick, he lost a lot of respect from the hardo older era fans because Bobby Knight would have puked and shit in a bucket on the sideline if he was sick. (Actually probably true.)

Every premiere program with the exception of UCLA has won at least one championship since IU won their last.  It’s time for someone to bring that back to IU. Trying really hard to not end this with “It’s Miller Time.”

UCLA – 11 titles (1995) 23 years

Kentucky -8 titles (2012) 6 years

UNC- 6 titles (2017) 1 year

Duke-5 titles (2015) 3 years

Indiana-5 titles (1987*) 31 years

UConn-4 titles (2014) 4 years

Kansas-3 titles (2008) 10 years