Thank You, Kyle Taber

Let's give a shout-out to Taber on his Senior Night. He is the only one who survived the Sampson fiasco and had the courage to stick around. After suffering a pre-season knee injury (one of several knee injuries he has had in his career), he came back and played better and better throughout the season. As the lone senior on a team full of new-comers, Tom Crean asked Kyle Taber to be a leader. Taber is by no means a natural leader. In addition, in sports, it often helps to be the best or one of the best players to become a team leader. Taber didn't have that luxury either. But he has stepped up and acted as a leader for this young team and shown them how to work hard, play through pain, and do all the little things that help you win. Did those little things help them win this year? No, because they simply had too many obstacles to overcome. However, Taber's leadership of doing things the right way will most certainly lead to a lot of wins for the rest of these young players for years to come. And really, that is what this season was about -- get this thing back on track and ready to compete in the future. So, from that standpoint, Kyle Taber's contributions will continue to be felt for the next 3 years and beyond. For that, we salute you Kyle Taber. You earned the privilege of wearing that IU jersey and you did the Hoosier Nation proud.