“Indiana had become college basketball’s equivalent of Lehman Brothers, a proud institution rocked to its core by greed, outsized ambition and bad management.”

Ouch, man.

“The first gust of trouble last season came in early October, right before Midnight Madness. As the fan base prepared for the first glimpse of a team many expected to win the Big Ten title, the IU athletic department was scrambling. A student intern in the compliance office had been riffling through paperwork when he discovered records of impermissible three-way phone calls involving basketball recruits, an assistant coach and a cellphone issued to (Kelvin) Sampson.”

and

“Still, there was a considerable gap between (new coach Tom) Crean’s expectations and the reality of the mess he was inheriting. The job wasn’t going to require a broom and dustpan; it was going to require industrial cleanser. This was laid bare during his first full week of work when, Crean says, he showed up at an academic progress meeting and learned that team members were carrying a total of 19 F’s. ‘We tried to get those grades up,’ he says of making sure players attended class. ‘But 19 F’s?’”

now:

“For Crean, the…pressing concern is fielding a competitive team. The leading returning scorer for the Hoosiers, a national-title contender last season? Former walk-on Kyle Taber, a senior forward who averaged 1.3 points in 2007-08, and he is coming off knee surgery and won’t be available until mid-November. The other starters? A mix of more walk-ons, freshmen and junior college transfers such as Tijan Jobe, a 7-footer who averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds for Olney (Ill.) Central College last season.”

A good encapsulation of the past year’s drama at the above link, but it doesn’t fix the fact that my Hoosiers have become a fucking Disney movie now; a rag-tag bunch of freshman nobodies and walk-ons trying not to lose by 60, but plucky nonetheless, playing underneath 5 championship banners. This is going to be a looooong, cringey and crow-eating season. Although 09-10 might not be that bad:

As dreadful as the Hoosiers are likely to be this season, Crean has lined up one of the nation’s top five recruiting classes for 2009. Among the six committed high school players are Jordan Hulls, a point guard from Bloomington, and Christian Watford, a highly touted small forward from Birmingham. The Hoosiers will also gain guard Jeremiah Rivers, son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a transfer from Georgetown.