Having lived in central Indiana now for several decades, l am all too familiar with Indiana University Basketball and how it impacts those who follow it faithfully all over this region.
The fan base is loyal and no one can ever question the fact that while it’s definitely devout, it can also be just absolutely insane.
Case in point with the recent outcry from all different factions within the coveted “Hoosier Nation” pertaining to new coach Darian DeVries who, last time l checked, was just coming up on the first anniversary of his hiring after he burned rubber from West Virginia serving just one season, where he posted a 19-13 mark following a previous stint at Drake University where he won 70% of his contests there.
Sure, those aforementioned numbers would never be acceptable in Monroe County where the Ghost of Bob Knight still swirls around in the rafters of Assembly Hall, but DeVries knew the vast challenges awaiting him when he took both a pay increase and the lore that said ‘Hey, this is IU and in case you haven’t noticed we haven’t won a National Championship in nearly forty years, but we expect one out of you pretty darn quickly.’
Those totally unrealistic expectations aside, DeVries had virtually no time whatsoever to completely build a roster via the transfer portal and with the exception of his son who accompanied him from the team in West Virginia, no one really knew much about this group of young men other than they were looking to transfer for playing time and hopefully get enough N.I.L. money so they wouldn’t have to eat at Sizzler regularly with a two for one coupon.
Recently, there has been a number of so-called experts ranging from big donors to those in the media starting to grow weary of the direction the team has taken. As we all know, that’s how the craziness begins at IU Athletics, and in recent years it has proven to be the beginning of the end for some good men who were better than average coaches in terms of job experience.
While the euphoria of a surprising National Football Championship is now settling, DeVries is getting the intense scrutiny that is a colossal part of the religious experience better known as IU hoops, and while many will say it goes with the territory, I, for one, find it to be both unrealistic and outrageous for anyone to mention a discouraging word about a coach who hit the ground running and then some, in hopes of building a first-year roster while attempting to reestablish credibility to a once proud program that for many years prior to DeVries, has lived in the distant past.
If you thought Indiana Basketball was ready to soar again, you’re sadly mistaken, as this is an industry and no longer simply college sports.
While the whole amateur athletics era is rightfully long gone with one swing of a Judge’s gavel, it’s now entirely about having the money to lure upper-echelon players to your “program” and Indiana has failed to do such.
That’s exactly how they have evolved into a second-tier choice (at best) for any inspiring NBA player, and that was a problem long before DeVries changed his home ZIP code to 47405.
It’s now time to give him both the support and resources he needs before he changes it again, all too quickly.
Danny Bridges, who is never surprised by the constant shenanigans surrounding Indiana University Basketball, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com
Danny Bridges is an award-winning journalist and a longtime sports columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder. He covers college, professional sports and especially all things IndyCar racing. He can be reached at 317-370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
