Saturday Update

Good news -- the entire team left for Evanston this morning and it's my understanding that the entire team participated in last night's walk-through. Although I have not seen confirmed reports, it is believed that Sampson talked to the team and/or key players and strongly encouraged them to finish the season strong. Also, Devin Ebanks is not making any quick decisions at this point, so that's good news as well. Again, Sampson put himself in this mess, but I do wish him the best. It's kind of crazy that in less than 2 years, Sampson got this team back into the national spotlight, but also may now be setting the program back if they lose players, recruits, or receive a post-season ban. Or worse, if IU makes a bad hire for the next coach, the set-back could be longer-term. Dear Kelvin Sampson, In parting, I wanted to let you know that I am appreciative of the following: 1. Eric Gordon -- I very much enjoy having EJ in a Hoosier uniform. And almost of equal enjoyment, I enjoy seeing Bruce Weber and the Orange idiots cry about it. 2. Thanks for those last 2 wins over ranked opponents including our arch rival to get us back into the Big Ten title race. You had to know your fate once the NCAA made the "major" allegations, but you kept the team focused and those last two wins were a couple of the more enjoyable victories this program has had in a long time. With all the ugliness of this situation, at least those two victories are how we will remember you as a game coach. 3. Thanks for reaching a settlement and not dragging this out into an ugly lawsuit. All parties are better off this way. 4. Thanks for convincing DJ White to stay. In previous years, DJ was never even my favorite player on the team, but after this year, DJ is going down as one of my all time favorite Hoosiers. 5. Thanks for talking to the team and encouraging them to finish out this season strong. They needed to hear that from you. So, for these reasons, I thank you and wish you all the best. I wanted to get these "thank yous" out of the way because in the coming 6 months or so, I will probably be cursing your name as IU has to deal with these NCAA allegations. And if there ends up being a postseason ban, I will probably curse your name for a very long time. For now, we will part ways on a positive note. As for our Hoosiers, I would love for them to go into Evanston and continue to play the way they have been the last couple of weeks. However, I think that is a lot to ask and I'll be happy with a victory in any shape or form. These players have been through a hell of a lot in the last 24-48 hours and are an emotional wreck. As fans, it's a crazy roller coaster ride and I was literally exhausted by day's end yesterday, but it doesn't come anywhere close to what these players are going through. To many of these guys, Sampson was a father-figure, a friend, and one of the few people they trust like their own family. And you can tell that these guys geniunely liked playing for him. So, it's going to be tough to play with a lot of energy tonight, but I think that's where we can be thankful that today's game is against Northwestern. As long as they can find a way to win, it will be a very big step in the post-Sampson era. Then, they will be able to get a couple of Dakich-led practices under their belt before they finish out the rest of the season. Man, I love the Hoosiers.