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email Matt Drake |
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FINDING WINS IN BLOOMINGTON
Nov.
22, 2008
So far so good.
Two
games and two wins for Tom Crean and the Indiana
Hoosiers. Both Northwestern State and IUPUI figure to
challenge for league supremacy in their respective
conferences so don’t be quick to simply dismiss the
wins. For the 2008-09 Hoosiers, every win is big.
Let’s beat them while we can. That should be the rally
cry for everybody on Indiana’s schedule this season.
2008-09 has the
look of a very long and arduous season in Bloomington,
IN. But it will be short-lived.
The Hoosiers will be back in the hunt sooner than you
think.
Tom Crean has a 10-year contract, which would be a lot
more important elsewhere, but not at Indiana. It’s one
of a handful of
programs in America that can consistently recruit
nationally (Duke, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, North
Carolina, Syracuse, UCLA).
Crean’s former boss Tom Izzo has built Michigan State
into a power in large part by keeping the local kids
at home. They have been able to get players from other
points on the map, but not at the same consistency as
the Duke’s, Kentucky’s and Indiana’s of the college
basketball world (another example of the tremendous
job Izzo has done).
Like the others on the list, the name ‘Indiana’ gets
you into the mix. Add to that the fact that Crean can
talk a dog off a meat truck and you have the necessary
things in place to turn the program around quickly.
Crean’s ability to recruit will have Indiana back
among the Big Ten’s elite within a couple of seasons
and they will be among the national elite shortly
thereafter.
BEST MID-MAJOR LEAGUE
From top to bottom last year, the Horizon League
was as good if not better than any mid-major
conference in America. This year the league may be
even better.
For the past few seasons Butler has carried the banner
for the league and with the help of sophomore Matt
Howard, head coach Brad Stevens will have Butler in
the mix again. But the Bulldogs, which are ranked No.
10 in the preseason Mid-Major Top 25, might be the
fifth or sixth best team in the league.
Cleveland State is the preseason favorite, but Wright
State figures to challenge along with Illinois-Chicago
and Valparaiso. Detroit, Loyola (Chicago) and
Wisconsin Milwaukee will be better come January and
Youngstown is a year away from being one of the top
teams in the league.
And then there is Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Head coach Tod Kowalczyk has one of the top mid-major
players in America in Mike Schachtner. The 6-foot-9
senior didn’t finish last season strong and the
Phoenix faded, but Schachtner is back at full strength
and UWGB returns basically everyone.
Yeah I know they lost in the opening round of the
Glenn Wilkes Classic (Daytona, FL) to division II
Rollins College but it's still early.
Look for Schachtner to be a mid-major All-American by
season’s end and look for Kowalczyk’s team to be in
postseason.
STARTING FIVE
The Mid-Major All-America team could expand to a
50-player team and there would still be some difficult
cuts. There are a lot of really good basketball
players working their craft at the mid-major level,
but I’ll take this group of five who aren’t getting a
lot of national attention. We’ll win a lot of games…
It starts at the point with Derrick Mercer
(5-9, senior, American). Teammate Garrison Carr was
selected as the preseason Player of the Year in the
Patriot League, but Mercer is the guy that makes them
go. He distributes the ball, but more importantly --
He makes plays on both ends of the floor.
Tywain McKee (6-2, senior, Coppin State) runs
the offense for coach Fang Mitchell, but he is more of
a scorer playing the point. Those abilities were on
display during last season’s MEAC tournament
championship game when he poured in school tournament
record 33 points in an upset win over top-seeded
Morgan State.
Every team needs a physical presence and J'Nathan
Bullock (6-5, senior, Cleveland State) brings that
and more to the court every night. Bullock is one of
ten players in school history with at least 1,000
points and 500 rebounds. He has excellent
quickness and great hands. NFL scouts should eye
Bullock and San Diego’s Rob Jones.
Chris Devine (6-8, senior, UC Santa Barbara) is
everything a coach would want in a player. He can play
both the small and power forward position. He can
handle the ball and he can rebound. Offensively he can
score off the bounce, with his back to the basket or
from beyond the arc. He’s a three-time All-Big West
selection.
Jason Thompson was the 12th pick in the first round of
the NBA draft (Sacramento Kings). Now NBA scout are
now taking a long look at his brother, Ryan
Thompson (6-6, junior, Rider). Thompson is
explosive off the dribble and can handle the ball.
Like his big brother he works hard and is committed to
becoming a better player. He’ll be in the NBA in two
years.
PROMOTION
This has to be one of the most unique ad campaigns of
all time. The Gonzaga women's basketall program has
come up with a real winner. It's well worth taking a
look at, but be sure to enter your name and telephone
number when prompted. Trust me, it's worth it. Pretty
cool stuff.
http://gozags.cstv.com/inspiredseason/
Matt Drake is a senior writer for
collegeinsider.com.
EMAIL
MATT
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