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| | Tuesday, November 2 | |||||||||||||||
COACH AND PROGRAM
A.J. GUYTON (6-1, 175 lbs., SR, SG, #25, 16.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.3 tpg, 0.6 spg, 34.3 minutes, .435 FG, .406 3PT, .755 FT, Central HS/Peoria, Ill.) No one should be the least bit surprised if Guyton leads the Big Ten in scoring. He will certainly get all the shots he wants, even if Recker's absence means he is double-teamed from pre-game warmups. With 1,530 career points, he is a virtual lock to reach 2,000 provided he stays healthy. And with a little better supporting cast, Guyton could made an All-America bid. He is sure to bruise some defenders when they weave through the Hoosiers' maze of screens. When Guyton got hot against Michigan State, a school that recruited him, it was one of the best individual efforts of 1998-99 or any other season. He can shoot a team back into a game as fast as anyone in the country. For someone his size, it's amazing the way he gets open and gets his shot away. Guyton is at his best without the ball, letting someone else direct traffic. Eventually, he will work his way open. And the best catch-and-release Knight has seen away from a trout stream often leads to three points for the Hoosiers. There were rumors the past two years that Guyton would leave Indiana. It's a painful thought, but not much different from Recker's defection in terms of the damage. Guyton would be a great part of any one-two punch. This season, he might have to deliver the knockout himself. If Guyton is ever injured knock three times on the Assembly Hall floor the line for season ticket refunds could stretch a mile down East 17th Street. About the only person who's ineligible is Knight. MICHAEL LEWIS (6-1, 185 lbs., SR, PG, #24, 6.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 2.1 tpg, 0.7 spg, 24.0 minutes, .518 FG, .349 3PT, .789 FT, Jasper HS/Jasper, Ind.) Lewis has started 47 games in his first three seasons and should again be in the lineup for every tip-off, though that's not likely to happen. Knight changes starting lineups more often than some men change underwear. But Lewis could be the kind of leader and playmaker the Hoosiers need. By standing up to Knight in a sideline disagreement, even though he was proven wrong, Lewis gained a lot of respect. A courageous move? Absolutely. An intelligent one? Maybe not. But Lewis' assist-turnover ratio of better than 2-1 is good enough for Indiana to win. So is his free-throw shooting, an asset for any team to have when it is trying to protect a lead. Lewis has been around long enough now to hear Knight's message and forget how it's said. If they can work together, Lewis won't have to talk back. His game should speak for itself. KIRK HASTON (6-10, 230 lbs., SO, PF, #35, 9.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.6 tpg, 0.8 bpg, 22.4 minutes, .514 FG, .753 FT, Perry County HS/Lobelville, Tenn.) Haston has a chance to be very good, although Knight seemed far from convinced at the Big Ten Tournament when he ripped an obviously injured player. Haston had a solid freshman year, with several flashes of what's yet to come. He fought for position up and down the lane, and shot the ball well enough that he might just emerge as the team's second option and not by default. Defensively, he has work to do. Haston doesn't move his feet well enough yet to a good defender. But if he can hold his own and even be average at that end, he'll be one of the better big men in the league. In a guard-dominated conference, he might be the best before he's through. Haston was another risky recruit and a great gamble by Knight and his staff. No one is sure how good he can be. But we know how bad the Hoosiers might be without him. DANE FIFE (6-4, 190 lbs., SO, SG, #11, 3.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 tpg, 1.0 spg, 17.0 minutes, .450 FG, .243 3PT, .683 FT, Clarkston HS/Clarkston, Mich.) Those who saw Michigan's "Mr. Basketball" rule the state in 1997-98 could barely believe their eyes last season. "Who kidnapped one of the coolest kids around?" they had to wonder. There was no explanation for the disappearance of a promising player with just enough attitude, a leader both Michigan State and Michigan wanted. His father and high school coach, Dan Fife, had captained the Wolverines. And his brother, Dugan, wasn't always appreciated by the coaches and fans in Ann Arbor. But with questions about the Michigan program and the difficult task of turning his family into Spartans, Fife looked elsewhere. He looked absolutely crushed when Knight tore into him on the sideline at Crisler Arena and nearly took Fife's spleen as a souvenir. After a thorough deprogramming, let's see what's left of that player-coach relationship. LARRY RICHARDSON (6-8, 220 lbs., SR, PF, #33, 4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.0 tpg, 0.9 bpg, 13.4 minutes, .505 FG, .600 FT, Orange Park HS/Orange Park, Fla.) Richardson started 14 games as a junior, 13 more than he did his first two seasons. And he didn't disgrace his family. In his fifth year on campus, Richardson should have the inside track on a starting assignment, pending a change in the wind direction. He's a decent rebounder. And he's tough enough. But his shooting range is very limited. And he can't create a shot at this level with offensive moves. Richardson might never get a great deal better. The question is whether he is good enough, as is, or whether Knight can feel as comfortable with anyone else.KEY RESERVES LYNN WASHINGTON (6-7, 225 lbs., SR, F, #44, 4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.8 tpg, 0.6 spg, 13.6 minutes, .441 FG, .579 FT, San Jose CC, Calif. & Andrew Hill HS/San Jose, Calif.) Washington might be first player off the bench this season after starting 13 times in 30 appearances as a junior. He seems to be athletic enough. Or he might switch places with Richardson and start some games. If that isn't the ideal situation in his final year, it's better than many expected when he started school in San Jose and knew the way to Bloomington. LUKE JIMINEZ (6-3, 195 lbs., SR, G, #12, 1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.6 tpg, 0.4 spg, 8.7 minutes, .368 FG, .333 3PT, .471 FT, Redwood Valley HS/Redwood Falls, Minn.) Jiminez is a better shooter than he showed last season. At the foul line, no guard should be that terrible. Jiminez still needs to get a lot quicker if he hopes to play aggressive defense in the Big Ten. But defense is one sure way he can get on the court. JARROD ODLE (6-8, 205 lbs., SO, F, #43, 3.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.6 tpg, 0.2 spg, 8.3 minutes, .382 FG, .333 3PT, .538 FT, Oak Hill HS/Converse, Ind.) Odle has shown he can shoot a little bit, despite what you might think from his percentages. But to play at Indiana or anywhere else in the Big Ten, a player has to be able to check someone. There were times last season when Odle couldn't check a coat. That will have to change unless he likes splinters. KYLE HORNSBY (6-5, 205 lbs., FR redshirt, F, #32, 24.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 6.5 apg in 1997-98, Anacoco HS/Anacoco, La.) Hornsby spent last season on the practice squad as he recuperated from knee surgery. But, with four years to play, he could have a bright future ahead of him. Hornsby has shown he can shoot the ball. That much has never been questioned. And if he proves he's good enough to help, the Hoosiers might use an unorthodox four-guard lineup, with Haston the only one taller than 6-5.OTHER RETURNEES ANTWAAN RANDLE EL (5-11, 180 lbs., JR, G, #10, 1.5 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.8 tpg, 0.6 spg, 6.5 minutes, .368 FG, .286 3PT, .000 FT, Thornton HS/Riverdale, Ill.) Arguably the Big Ten's most exciting football player is expected back for a second try at basketball ideally, after the Hoosiers win their bowl game. He can revisit the issue of which two-sport quarterback is better when Indiana meets North Carolina and point guard Ronald Curry on Dec. 21 in East Rutherford, N.J. TOM GEYER (6-8, 240 lbs., SO, F, #53, 1.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.1 tpg, 2.7 minutes, .333 FG, .750 FT, Lawrence North HS/Indianapolis, Ind.) If Geyer's numbers tell the story, it's strictly a one-pager. He walked on in 1997-98 as a redshirt and would rather wear a red Indiana road jersey.NEWCOMERS TOM COVERDALE (6-2, 185 lbs., FR, G, #3, 21.0 ppg, 7.0 apg, 4.0 spg, New Hampton School, N.H. & Noblesville HS/Noblesville, Ind.) Coverdale had a big reputation in high school but had to stop at prep school before he could get to Bloomington. He will have a major adjustment as a pawn in Knight's kingdom. JEFFREY NEWTON (6-9, 215 lbs., FR, F, #50, 22.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 bpg, Mays HS/Atlanta, Ga.) "Newton Law" has nothing to do with physics. It says that tall, athletic, talented players will eventually rise to the top.STARTERS NOT RETURNING LUKE RECKER (6-6, SF, 16.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.3 tpg, 1.8 spg, 32.0 minutes, .428 FG, .364 3PT, .747 FT) Recker would have been the crown prince or as close as anyone but Damon Bailey could be if he had stayed and helped lift the Hoosiers back to Big Ten supremacy. Instead, the fair-haired boy from Auburn, Ind., decided to transfer after his sophomore season, driving yet another wedge between a growing number of Knight critics and the coach's most loyal supporters. The word from several of Recker's teammates was that a selfish whiner was far from irreplaceable. One stopped just short of saying, "Good riddance." But whether Recker was a baby or Knight was a bully or both is irrelevant. What Recker is today is all that matters. That word is "gone." In 66 games and 62 starts for Indiana, Recker scored 954 points and would have had an outside shot at Calbert Cheaney's conference career mark of 2,613 points with two huge seasons. If Recker had scored 46 more points the past two years, he would be halfway to an even tougher accomplishment scoring 1,000 in the Big Ten, then in the Pac-10. Recker will sit out this season and have two years of eligibility at Arizona, a school that has made dramatic inroads with Indiana-based talent. That should also give him time for a full recovery after he nearly lost his life in a traffic accident. When back at full strength, Recker's play should be a painful reminder of what's wrong with the Indiana program. Players transfer all the time. And maybe Recker had thinner skin or more common sense than most Hoosiers. Still, it's as tough to swallow for a hoops-crazed state as when Kyle Macy left Purdue and helped Kentucky win it all. WILLIAM GLADNESS (6-8, PF, 7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 tpg, 1.3 spg, 25.5 minutes, .563 FG, .642 FT) Gladness started 23 games last season and was the program's No. 4 scorer and No. 2 rebounder. His field-goal percentage was also .045 better than any teammate. The West Memphis, Ark., native won't go down as one of Indiana's all-time greats. But he was good enough to average better than eight points and five rebounds in two seasons after transferring from Carl Albert State College in Oklahoma. Before anyone says he won't be missed, let's see who picks up those points and rebounds. If no one does, Gladness will turn to sadness in a hurry at Assembly Hall.OTHERS NOT RETURNING ROB TURNER (6-4, G, 5.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.8 tpg, 0.3 spg, 13.7 minutes, .483 FG, .313 3PT, .767 FT) Turner was an enigma who sparked debate for two seasons in Bloomington. He could look like a solid scorer in one game, then do something stupid and disappear for the next three weeks. Regardless of where the blame should be placed, Turner was a poor fit for Knight's program. The Wilmington, Del., native, via Tyler (Tex.) JC, would have been better and happier somewhere else with more freedom as a junior and senior.QUESTIONS Depth? Can a team without a fifth-best player find someone who can help as an eight or ninth man? Stay tuned. At least we know the Hoosiers' lineups are always written in pencil. Chemistry? Recker didn't get along with a lot of Indiana's players last season. It'll take a perfect fit, on the court and off, for this team to approach its potential. Knight? Is "The General" one case of insubordination from busting someone in the chops? Can he alienate any more players or humiliate them in public again?ANSWERS A.J.! If Guyton isn't the best perimeter shooter in the country, and we don't mean the farmland outside Peoria, he's close enough for Big Ten purposes. Tradition! They haven't had to hang another title banner since 1993. But when those flags sway in the breeze at Assembly Hall, it's still an impressive sight. Knight! When Knight is on his game, there's no one better. He hasn't forgotten how to coach or to win. He just needs players to believe in his system and hit some three-pointers.
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Conferences ACC Atlantic 10 Big East Big Sky Big South Big Ten Big 12 Big West Colonial Conference USA Independents Ivy League MAAC Mid-American Mid-Continent Mid-Eastern Athletic MCC Missouri Valley Mountain West Northeast Ohio Valley Pac-10 Patriot SEC Southern Southland Sun Belt SWAC TAAC WAC West Coast | |||||||||||||||
