What else will go wrong with Indiana’s men’s basketball program?

First, Kelvin Sampson departs in the midst of an NCAA violation hailstorm. Then, the team goes downhill under interim head coach Dan Dakich, losing its first game in the NCAA tourney. So today’s move isn’t surprising.

Dakich, who will probably lose his job by the end of the week, decided to dismiss two starters, Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, after the duo missed a meeting and failed to show up for a disciplinary run a day later. Wow.

Eric Gordon will soon declare for the NBA draft. And seniors Mike White, Lance Stemler and D.J. White are also gone.

Some observers talk about the Indiana job like it’s still one of the more desirable gigs in college basketball. But who wants a team that will have to rely on a couple of three-star recruits  next season after losing six key players? The Hoosiers also face multiple sanctions from the NCAA and will soon hand over the keys to the tumultuous program to a new coach. Five-star recruit Devin Ebanks saw the writing on the wall and recently asked to be released from his verbal commitment.

Indiana has had a great program for a long time. But this is not a great time to be a part of it. The wonderful characteristic of college basketball, however, is that all a team needs is one Greg Oden-like player and a solid guard or two to make a run that will make everyone forget its past.

Indiana should go after Baylor head coach Scott Drew. If any coach in America understands the challenges associated with joining a program facing one challenge after another, it’s Drew, who began coaching the Bears after the team endured a murder among teammates, a cover-up scandal and multiple departures by key players.

In your opinion, who’s man for the job at Indiana and why?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under Gophers men's basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.