The Hlog

Tom Crean Really Must Want the Indiana Basketball Job

The Indiana University basketball team needs a new coach, and is apparently getting one in Marquette's Tom Crean. But that's not all it needs.

This storied program, hyped to the strasophere by *** Vitale, may face a similar talent drain to the one Iowa was stuck with when Steve Alford and Tyler Smith left after last season.

Senior star big man D.J. White is leaving, of course, and it's hard to imagine freshman sensation Eric Gordon not turning pro. Now, interim coach Dan Dakich is doing his best to leave a lasting impression on the program by kicking starters Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis off the team.

Apparently, Bassett and Ellis missed a pre-arranged appointment last week, then didn't report for a 6 a.m. run the next day. Dakich told them they'd be kicked off the team if they didn't show up for the run. Maybe the players didn't believe Dakich was still their coach.

Bassett, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, was a third-team All-Big Ten selection with an 11.4-points average. Ellis, a junior, averaged 6.8 points and 3.4 assists. Maybe Crean can get both back in the fold. It would be a good start.

Ohio State has two McDonald's All-Americans coming in next season. Michigan State and Wisconsin are perennials, Purdue has lots of talent coming back, Illinois and Michigan and Minnesota should only get better. Iowa, too.

Suddenly, however, Indiana is a reclamation project. Given the way the Hoosiers played in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, they don't have all that far to travel to hit bottom. Crean is a terrific coach. It can only help him that he's used to swimming in a shark-infested conference.

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