VIDEO (yes, video): Kids on the Court

By   |   Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007 - 5:04 PM   |   4 comments

Yes, The Herald-Times is now doing video. Intern Matt Dollinger was behind the camera last night, filming as the students stormed the floor following Indiana’s 71-66 win agaisnt No. 2 Wisconsin.

Check it out.



Red light, green light: Holman to play

By   |   Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007 - 12:04 PM   |   2 comments

According to a Contra Costa Times article, IU basketball recruit Eli Holman is expected to make his long anticipated return to the court tonight for Richmond High.

After being suspended by the California Interscholastic Federation for 18 months, and then shot on Jan. 20, Holman has decided to return to his high school team after all.

According to Richmond’s Principal Orlando Ramos, Holman was reinstated by the CIF, and both his head coach Roy Rogers and his legal guardian, Michele Banks confirmed the reinstatement in the Contra Costa Times.

More on this story later.



AUDIO: Sampson and players discuss the win

By   |   Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 - 10:23 PM   |   1 comment

Click here to listen to today’s post-game press conference, featuring Kelvin Sampson, A.J. Ratliff and D.J. White.


^ Press conference highlights



Indiana 71, Wisconsin 66

By   |   Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 - 8:03 PM   |   14 comments

The intern here. As most of you know by now, the Hoosiers held on to beat the Badgers 71-66. After the game the IU fans stormed the floor and the entire state of Indiana celebrated on Branch McCracken Court.

Or at least it sounded like it.

I’ve lived in Bloomington my entire life, and let me tell you that was the loudest Assembly Hall has ever been.
Earlier in the second half, I thought it was the loudest the stadium had ever been, but when it was apparent the Hoosiers were going to win in the closing seconds the decible level sky rocketed.

——————

Let the kids on the court. This is a big win and a memorable night in their college careers.

——————

3:38, second half: Indiana 64,Wisconsin 59

The Badgers had climbed all the way back to tie it before two baskets by A.J. Ratliff. First he caught a pass and hit a quick 3-pointer, then he faked a shot and drove the lane for an easy lay in.

But just a few seconds ago he fouled Alando Tucker, who will now go to the line. Ratliff has four fouls now.

————–

6:35, second half: Indiana 55, Wisconsin 41

As Doug pointed out, this is a veteran Wisconsin team. Very savvy.

But I don’t know if they’re really doing the work during this comeback. Indiana hasn’t been very tough on defense.

—————

8:41, second half: Indiana 53, Wisconsin 47

Way too many easy baskets for the Badgers over the last minute or two.
————–

11:18, second half: Indiana 48, Wisconsin 40

Tucker can expect to get mugged the rest of the way. Indiana’s been in a 2-3 zone most of the way and will probably stay in it to be able to collapse on Tucker.

—————-

11:39, second half: Indiana 48, Wisconsin 40

Steady 8-point run for Indiana featuring lots of guys making plays. How about Mike White drawing the foul on that rebound. Pure hustle.

————-

13:55, second half: Indiana 40, Wisconsin 40

Indiana is so good off restarts. A.J. Ratliff took that short inbounds pass and went right up for the 3-pointer. It was clearly a shot he has practiced many, many times.

Stemler’s out with four fouls. It’s up to Mike White, now.

—————

15:45, second half: Wisconsin 38, Indiana 35

D.J. White already has more points this half (7) than he did in the first half (6). He’s making it about 75 percent of the time he gets the ball down low this half.

But Wisconsin is making so many veteran plays. The Badgers just find ways to score.

————————-

I’ll tell you what: I’ve never much believed in “winning formulas.” It’s a terrible cliche that doesn’t make much sense.

But losing formulas? Oh, they’re real. Take, for instance, this stat: Indiana is 2-for-12 from 3-point. This team won’t win doing that.

——————

Half: Wisconsin 28, Indiana 26

Poor defense by Calloway, which you don’t see often. He left his feet way too early on a play where the Badgers were clearly going to wait for a shot, since the clock was running down.

Back in a few with stats.

——————-

48.7, first half: Indiana 26, Wisconsin 26

Tucker is just so cerebral. He’s just right there. He had no business getting that rebound or hitting that shot with his left hand.

But he did anyway.

————–

3:05, first half: Indiana 22, Wisconsin 21

Bo Ryan is clearly trying to take advantage of his depth and Indiana’s relative lack thereof. He’s running a lot of guys out there and trying to keep the whole team fresh.

Will Sampson’s vaunted off-season workouts be enough to keep the Hoosiers from getting tired?

——————

7:28, first half: Indiana 15, Wisconsin 13

Good news: A.J. Ratliff has a little extra jump today. He just chased down a defensive rebound and kept right on sprinting down the floor, finishing with a soft touch at the rim. He also drove the lane and dished off to D.J. White for the basket that tied it.

Bad news: Armon Bassett has three fouls. So Ratliff will have to play more minutes than he has recently. That will surely test his wrist.

——————–

11:18, first half: Wisconsin 11, Indiana 7

The low score does not reflect the actual pace of the game. Very high energy. Neither team really has its offense working right now.

But, it’s like Kelvin Sampson said in his press conference yesterday: Wisconsin always has the best player on the floor. Alando Tucker just has a way of being there and of hitting the shots.

——————

Doug said he’d be leaving comments on the blog today, so be sure to check those out.

Now that he’s the columnist, he only brings his ‘A’ game for the top games. I guess when the No. 2 team in the country is here that qualifies.

—————–

15:48, first half: Wisconsin 6, Indiana 4

The 3s aren’t falling for Indiana but are for Wiscons. Tucker and Taylor have both hit to take this early lead.

D.J. White has twice hit from the right side of the basket, each time going up and over Jason Chappell. As a result, Chappell is now out of the game and Wisconsin is denying White touches.

——————–

Good atmosphere here as the lineups are announced.

Alando Tucker is doing this strange sort of dance, where’s he’s hoping around. He’s a pretty good dancer.

You know who’s starting for the Hoosiers, but let’s dish it anyway: Calloway, Bassett, Wilmont, Stemler and D.J. White.

—————-

Six minutes until tipoff. The student section closest to the floor appears to be filing up more quickly than usual, and most are clad in white. A few are wearing red and looking like complete fools. Or individual thinkers. Depend on which philosophy course you went to today and what you choose to believe.

Football recruit Jerimy Finch is here somewhere. Football coach Terry Hoeppener — here and wearing a trendy tan blazer — is hoping Finch sticks with the Hoosiers and doesn’t bolt for the national champion Florida Gators.



Finch 50-50 on IU/Florida

By   |   Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 - 8:02 PM   |   3 comments

I just talked with Jerimy Finch during halftime of the Indiana-Wisconsin basketball game. He said that right now he’s 50-50 on whether he will ultimately decide to play football at Indiana or national champ Florida.

Finch, wearing a grey and red Indiana basketball T-shirt, said he’s been coming to Indiana football games since was in about seventh grade, but wasn’t high on playing for the Hoosier program himself until recently. He said some of his teachers are IU grads who talked to him about attending their alma mater and when he took an official visit to IU he really liked the football program and the school.

But after taking a trip to Florida last weekend, he’s undecided now about his college decision, even though he has given the Hoosiers a verbal commitment. Finch said he plans to make his final decision a couple of days before signing day, which is next Wednesday.

Finch, a senior at Warren Central, is the top-rated high school safety in the country, according to Scout.com. He had previously given Michigan a verbal commitment before changing his mind and committing to IU.



Finch to attend tonight’s basketball game

By   |   Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 - 6:39 PM   |   2 comments

In what must be a positive sign for the Hoosiers, Warren Central football star Jerimy Finch is in Bloomington and will attend tonight’s Indiana-Wisconsin basketball game.

After recently giving the Hoosiers a much-publicized verbal commitment, Finch visited national champ Florida last weekend, fueling concerns that he will change his mind before signing day next week.

Finch will be sitting with other members of IU’s football program in the first couple of rows behind the basket nearest the Hoosier bench. He should get quite an experience with the type of crowd I’m expecting for tonight’s game.

I will try to talk with Finch tonight and give you an update on where he stands in making his college decision.



Holman to play after all?

By   |   Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 - 6:21 PM   |   2 comments

Eli Holman’s basketball story has taken another twist.

The IU basketball recruit has returned to school and is hoping to play basketball when his suspension is terminated from the California Interscholastic Federation.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Holman originally decided to be home schooled when he believed he was targeted in the Jan. 20 shooting. But police recently told him that Richmond gang members were actually the targets of the shooting.

For more on this story read the San Francisco Chronicle’s story.





RSS feed

Comments

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Today @ HoosiersHQ.com

Recent comments on The Scoop



  • Track. Houston, Moore & Mayhew Punch NCAA Tickets - Indiana track and field advanced . Taja Moore increased her career best significantly to punch her NCAA ticket in the discus, Scott Houston cleared the final three bars on the ...»  
  • Football. Homecoming Game Against Minnesota to Kick Off at 3:30 PM - Indiana's 101st Homecoming game on Saturday, Nov. 2, against Minnesota will kickoff at 3:30 p.m, the Big Ten Conference announced Thursday morning. The game will be televised on ...»  
  • Indy 500 Pole Day Press Conferences - Press conferences in order of starting position: Ed Carpenter’s 2013 Indy 500 Pole Day Press Conference Carlos Muñoz Marco Andretti EJ Viso AJ Allmendinger Will Power Ryan ...»  
  • Indy 500 Pole Day press conferences - Following Saturday’s Pole Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ed Carpenter, Marco Andretti and Carlos Munoz addressed the media. Carpenter, an Indianapolis native who ...»  
  • Guy emerging as hot 2016 target - Kyle Guy has emerged as one of the state of Indiana's top player in the 2016 class. Catch up on ...»  
  • McGuire's stock rising - The depth of quarterback talent in the Midwest for the 2014 class has caused many teams to take their time deciding which prospects to pursue. ...»  
  • Four schools in steady contact with Phil Booth - Class of 2014 Mount St. Joseph’s (MD) guard Phil Booth is still planning to wait until the fall to pick a school, but it appears a few schools are beginning to separate ...»  
  • Video: Trevon Bluiett at Spiece Run-N-Slam Classic - Via PrepHoopsTV on YouTube:
     ...»  
  • Seventy-Seven Players Apply For NBA Draft - The NBA announced that 77 players, including 46 players from U.S. colleges and 31 international players, have filed as early entry candidates for the 2013 NBA Draft. Players ...»  
  • Gordon no stranger to expectations - Eron Gordon has a high ceiling for his basketball future, but the pressure is even higher. The high school freshman comes from a family of basketball success. The youngest Gordon ...»  
  • Theo Pinson Rejects Indiana: What Now?  ...»  
  • Top Target Theo Pinson to Decide Today at 12:15 ...»