When the Indiana fans attended the Hoosiers’s March 5 Senior Night game against Minnesota at Assembly Hall, they saw the jerseys of three seniors on the north end of the court following the game.
At that point, most people knew that the departure of Eric Gordon was inevitable as well, but not many Hoosier supporters could’ve imagined the hits their team would take during the off-season.
Following Gordon’s departure, starters Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis were suspended from the team by then interim coach Dan Dakich. Following an appeal by Bassett and Ellis, the two were dismissed from the team.
On May 1, Eli Holman showed up to an athletic office and excused himself from the team, while at the same time causing a disturbance that required the assistance of the IU Police Department. Since then, Holman has transferred to the University of Detroit Mercy where he will play for his former high school coach.
IU’s new head coach, Tom Crean, dismissed DeAndre Thomas from the team a day after Holman’s tantrum. Crean didn’t say why Thomas was let go, but it can be assumed by one of Crean’s recent statement it was either an issue of character or academics.
“Our staff is going to ensure that anyone who attends this university and wears the Indiana uniform will make this privilege among the highest priorities and not treat the opportunity as an entitlement,” he said not long after Thomas’s dismissal. “We fully expect our student-athletes to accept the responsibilities academically, athletically, and socially that come with representing one of the top programs in college basketball history.”
Only four players of IU’s 2007-2008 roster remain. Jordan Crawford had been rumored a transfer, but remains in Bloomington—as do Brett Finkelmeier, Brandon McGee, and Kyle Taber.
Signed letters of intent bind two other incoming freshman, recruited by Kelvin Sampson, to play for the Hoosiers. Guard Matt Roth and center Tom Pritchard will be playing for Crean next season.
Devin Ebanks and Terrell Holloway, former Sampson commits, had special provisions in their letters of intent that would let them explore other options. Holloway has recommitted to play at Xavier next season while Ebanks is still considering, though he is expected by scout.com to play at Rutgers next year.
Crean has nailed three big recruits in his short time in Bloomington. Verdell Jones of Champaign, Ill. is the Hoosiers most recent commitment. The No. 26 point guard in the nation signed his letter of intent on May 5, putting him alongside Alabama’s Nick Williams and Vincennes University transfer Devan Dumes as Crean’s first three commitments.
According to the News-Gazette, a Champaign, Ill. publication, Jones said that he plans to turn the worried attitudes of Indiana fans around.
"Everyone in the country thinks that they're not going to be that good,” he told the publication, “but I have a lot of confidence in Coach Crean and the coaching staff and the players they're going to be bringing in. I'm telling Hoosier Nation now that we're going to change things. There's no expectation, but we're going to come in and do big things."
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2 months ago
Very good update on the status of the Indiana Hoosiers. I think that with all that has happened to IU over the last 5-6 years, bringing in a solid coach and person like Coach Crean was an excellent move.
It would not surprise me that they will do much better next year than most would expect. One thing for sure, I believe that next year's Hoosier team will certainly be dedicated and hustling crew. And include well coached, and we all may be surprised.
I have a feeling that Coach Crean will attempt to recruit well in Indiana, and the four surrounding states. That has shown that it can be very successful.
2 months ago
all you need to know about tom crean's scouting prowess is this: he got wesley matthews jr. to break all of his ties with the wisconsin badgers (played high school ball for the Madison Memorial Spartans, both parents were student athletes at UW with his dad playing basketball and his mom running track) and commit to in-state rival marquette
2 months ago
Three months later, we're still getting stories referring to Ebanks and Holloway having clauses in their letters of intent that allowed them to explore other options. None of the stories has appended a copy of the NLIs.
Member schools are not allowed to amend the NLI, which specifically states the player is obligated to the university, not the coach, and that coaching changes happen all the time. If IU did alter or add to the letters of intent, the real story would be what sanctions would be levied against it, including possible removal from the program.
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