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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Is The Blood Still Blue At IU

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There is no doubt that the 2020-2021 season has been a tough year for a majority of the blue blood teams, including Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina. But for the Indiana Hoosiers and their historic fanbase, it has been this way for the past 5 or so years. For a program with a history of winning championships and being a consistent force in the college basketball world, the life and luster to remain a top threat every year has slowly been fading away, and itā€™s simply unacceptable.

After being bounced by Rutgers in the BIG Ten Tournament, the school announced that they would be parting ways with Archie Miller. In his four year tenure, he finished with a 67-58 overall record and never had a winning record in the BIG Ten, and couldnā€™t lead the Hoosiers to a tournament appearance. The Hoosiers have failed to reach the NCAA tournament since firing Tom Crean in 2016, when they were BIG Ten Champions and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Since the hiring of Miller, many of the Hoosier faithful believe there has been little to no improvement. They cite no tournament appearances, no wins against in-state rival Purdue, having lost 9 straight games to the Boilermakers dating back to 2017. You would have to go back even further than that to find a time when the Hoosiers were considered a dominant team in the BIG Ten, not to mention the nation.

The year 2002 was arguably the last year the Indiana Hoosiers were a major contender for the national championship. Notable names leading the way were Dane Fife, Jeff Newton, Tom Coverdale, Jared Jefferies and star sophomore guard AJ Moye. Moye currently resides in California with his family and stays involved in the game by training athletes all over the country, including collegiate athletes and WNBA and NBA All Stars. When asked about his time at Indiana University, he was especially very grateful for the supportive Hoosier fanbase, which respected the passion and heart he played with every single night on the hardwood. ā€œMy connection to fans of Indiana is what I treasure and thatā€™s what I always rememberā€, Moye said. Moye says he is looking forward to the day he has the opportunity to be a coach at Indiana University, wanting to make it better than it is now, and better than it ever was. And that brings me back to the year 2002, the last year IU had their best chance to win the NCAA tournament. Moye and company brought the grit and tenacity every night, something many fans believe is lacking with the present Indiana Hoosiers squad. 

A.J. says he stays in contact with a handful of players on the team each year, and he understands the situation they are in and exactly how they are feeling. Moye explained, ā€œThe kids are really dying and they really want to represent IU basketball in the best way; they really want to win.ā€ Itā€™s not acceptable for the Indiana Hoosiers to go sub .500 in a season, miss the tournament several years in a row and not be top contenders in the conference. Many believe it may be due to shying away from ā€œIndiana Basketball.ā€Ā 

Moye continued to explain that it is frustrating as a fan and former player, but he has no doubt in his mind that the desire is there among the coaching staff and the players. When asked about the topic of losing the ā€œblue bloodā€ title, he believes the Hoosiers havenā€™t necessarily lost it, as the talent to be a power team in the conference and nation is present. For recruiting, it definitely hurts for the Hoosiers that they havenā€™t had a lot of success in the last 5 years, as players donā€™t want that pressure of holding up to those higher standards. For players like Trayce Jackson-Davis and former Hoosier, Romeo Langford, they knew they had to come into IU and play to a higher standard, even during a tough stretch for the program. ā€œIt takes a special type of kid to know youā€™re going to have to wear that mantle of high expectations, and then know that the team is also strugglingā€, said Moye, and thatā€™s why he highly praises Jackson-Davis and Langford for sticking with the Hoosiers.Ā 

Moye said, ā€œItā€™s about identity, having a philosophy, and working towards thatā€, something many fans feel has lacked during the Archie Miller era. The Hoosiers have been in a hole the last 5 years, and nobody is blind to that, including the players and the staff. But with a downfall of a great program such as Indiana, there is destined to be a resurgence. A similar situation existed at the pro level. You only have to look to the Los Angeles Lakers to see a glimmer of hope. They had their pitfall the last 5-7 years, and as they began to put the pieces together, they were able to become world champions.

The situation at IU is one that fans, former players, coaches and current players are not fond of, and changes need to be made if they want to return to the glory days. The talent is there, and as AJ Moye said, respectfully, there just needs to be a different approach and the Hoosiers need to get back to playing classic Indiana Basketball. Has the ā€œblue bloodā€ title disappeared forever at this storied program or is there still time to ascend to the status of national contender? Maybe the next coach will be able to return that kind of glory to ā€œIndiana Basketball.ā€

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