It also became more difficult to attract NBA players as salaries skyrocketed and endorsement and business opportunities filled the offseason.
Bob Hammel might qualify as the biggest homer of all sportswriters in Indiana, if not beyond, during his 30 years as sports editor of the Bloomington Herald-Times (which was named the Daily Herald-Telephone the year his tenure started).
They form a human timeline that also measures the progression of their game. The early ones just happened to come along too soon.
Kellogg, Stipanovich and Granger didn’t experience specific injuries; they had the misfortune of being stuck with knees with early expiration dates.
The Indiana team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals and took Chicago to seven games in 1998 might be sexier, but the 2000 squad had the guts and clutch shooting to go farther.
On Sunday, Indy’s twin passions will combine forces for a rare doubleheader that will send a jolt of adrenaline throughout central Indiana and capture the attention of the nation.
Why do some players perform best when the pressure is greatest and the competition the toughest while others succumb to the moment and go quietly into the night?
A few words from an accomplished veteran or coach can give the young player enough confidence to carry him or her through the thickets of the early stages of a career, no matter what level.
Changes are coming, but it’s a fluid environment with churning waters and probably always will be.
Every coach craves leadership from players—someone who leads by both word and deed and supports the coach’s standards for on-court performance and off-court behavior.
He will have worked 84 games by the time his broadcasting season ends, which is about 35 more than the industry norm for elite announcers.
When attaching a name to something is done as an honor, it makes people happy.
It’s safe to assume it’s a stratosphere or two beyond what the local stars of yesteryear received for their humble endorsements.
Bell’s greatest recognition came from winning a gold medal as a long jumper in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
There are some lessons to be taken from the best calls local decision-makers have made. And from the worst, too.
Stars can dim, of course. Sometimes they even fall. But given good health, these appear likely to maintain their shine wherever they go.
Last year at this time, nobody dreamed IU would have such a luxury, so Purdue fans deserve to be optimistic about Odom.
At this point, Cignetti is amassing a nation of believers.
Knight, who was introduced as Marian University’s coach in May, will coach the Knights for the first time on Friday in an exhibition game against Indiana University in Bloomington.
Now, finally, they are poised to escape rebuilding purgatory and embark on an era of consistent excellence such as the franchise enjoyed from 1994-2000, when it reached the conference finals five times in a seven-year span.
