The Good Witch Takes His Act to Beantown

Legitimately cutting down nets

We've joked before that Brad Stevens is a "good witch," because of the magic he was able to sprinkle onto his Butler University basketball program for the past six seasons, which included back-to-back national runners-up in 2010 and 2011.

Stevens, as you know unless you've been in a drunken stupor the past few days (and if you have, good for you for celebrating our independence in true American fashion), took the head coaching job with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. People were shocked, mainly because Stevens seemed to be a Butler lifer -- or at least he seemed committed to Butler for the foreseeable future. Stevens had been linked to jobs at UCLA, Illinois and other places over the past few years, but he and his family love Indianapolis and always felt more at home there than anywhere else. Add to that the fact that Stevens proved you can win at a smaller program like Butler (backed up not just by the two title game appearances, but the fact that he never won fewer than 22 games while compiling a .772 winning percentage and really, was within one rattled out heave from winning the 2010 national title over Duke) and it began to feel like that warm, fuzzy, feel-good story might continue.

Here was a guy who had nearly reached the mountaintop (and, really, in college basketball, the goal always seems to be reaching a Final Four -- national titles are, of course, the ultimate goal, but Final Fours are probably more frequently referred to when judging coaches) and who seemed to love where he was. Plus he was young, likable and seemed to say and do all the right things.

Then, jarringly, Stevens bolted for Boston. We've never made any secret of the fact that we like Stevens a lot. B-dowd's brother and sister-in-law graduated from Butler and I remember saying to them that I hoped Purdue could one day match the Final Four success of a big time program like Butler (the jokes write themselves sometimes!).

At the same time, he scared us a bit as Purdue fans. While we are unfailingly in support of Matt Painter and his approach, recruiting against Indiana and Notre Dame in the state of Indiana already meant the top players in the state were no easy feat to land. With Butler rising to levels of success IU hasn't seen in a long time (or ever, if you're considering back-to-back Finals appearances) and obviously far better than Purdue or ND basketball has seen, the idea that "mid-major" Butler could "steal" recruits away from the big boys took on serious life. After all, wouldn't you want to play for Brad Stevens? And what if you could play for that guy and be a national darling (like a Gonzaga but with actual substance and the ability to win big games)? And go to Final Fours? Well, hell, that sounds great.

So that was concerning enough. But again, liking the guy and what he was doing made it hard to be anything

but admiring of him and his own version of the "Butler Way." Butler had been sneaky successful for quite a while, under a number of coaches, but Stevens broke through to that proverbial next level.

As this all was happening, murmurs began in different parts of Indiana that maybe he was the guy who should be leading one of the more "marquee" national programs in the state. Painter is a likable guy and a very good coach, but did he have what it took to get to Final Fours? And what about Tom Crean? He can recruit like a mo-fo, but his in-game abilities as a coach have never been marveled at. Fans are restless. Naturally, people talked. What could Brad Stevens do with Purdue or IU's budget, facilities and name recognition?

For us, the more concerning thing was that IU would realize that pretty much anyone could recruit kids to IU -- what they needed (and still need) is a coach who can win tough games, instead of just the ones where his talent overwhelms opponents. Could that happen? We genuinely feared it. Because a Brad Stevens-coached Hoosiers team would be awful from a Purdue perspective in different ways. We'd still loathe them, of course, but they'd be a lot more difficult to hate with Stevens running things. And, of yeah, they'd surely be back in the Final Four on a likely regular basis, so that would be hard to stomach, too.

Now Stevens takes his act to Boston to coach the unlikable Celtics. People are already talking about him co-existing with Rajon Rondo. While I think Rondo is a jackass, I don't think it's fair to assume they can't coexist. Stevens is the type of guy who gets everybody on the same page and has a zen quality when it comes to keeping everyone calm and focused. Doesn't that sound like it might be a good quality to have for the NBA grind? As for Rondo, though, I think he'll be gone before the season starts, so Stevens will probably have a very mediocre team to build from the ground up. Maybe he'll mold them in his ideal shape. Or maybe he'll crash and burn like so many college coaches before him. If he does, what's the downside? He'll be markedly richer and he'll still be the hottest name in college coaching, even 3-5 years from now. In addition, he'll have been to the "promised land" of the NBA, which will undoubtedly help with coaching/recruiting college kids.

That's where my negative, Purdue-centric mind takes us. Three to five more years of Tom Crean's act in Bloomington might be just the right amount of time for a) NCAA infractions to come to light (not saying there are any, but if there are, they never stay in the dark forever) or b) IU to realize they'll be consistently talented and win games under Crean, but aren't likely to add to their musty collection of banners under him. What if that coincides with Brad Stevens becoming available again? Could the nightmare happen a few years down the road? That's the kind of thing that keeps a Purdue fan who has seen years of banana peels up at night.

Suffering from March Madness

In the meantime, we honestly wish Stevens well and, from a more narrow-minded and "now" thinking Purdue perspective, we're happy Matt Painter doesn't have to contend with Stevens either on the recruiting trail or on the court in the Crossroads Classic. For now, Butler's loss is the rest of the state of Indiana's gain, from that point of view. He's the rare guy who could make us pull for the Boston Celtics (at least a little).

In the end, I would suspect that it had nothing to do with not being unhappy at Butler. I think Stevens loved it there and wanted to coach at no other college or university. For those being cynical, I don't think it was an act on his part -- he believed in the Butler Way and his own way of doing things. However, sometimes in life new challenges become available to you that require getting out of your comfort zone. There's no shame in not taking on those new challenges -- especially if you're really happy with what you're doing -- but there's also a lot of people who would lose sleep wondering "what might have been," or wondering if they could have met those new challenges. The NBA is likely that for Brad Stevens -- a new challenge for an ambitious guy who is only where he is because of his gumption and confidence to take the leap and reach for new heights. How else to describe a guy who was working at Eli Lilly when offered the chance at a volunteer position at Butler, yet took the volunteer position and quit his paying job? This guy goes for it, which is just one more reason to admire him.

Happy trails, Coach Stevens. Continue to do what makes you happy.

Ding Dong...

A year ago, I wrote a post about how IU was going to be very good in '12/'13...and it pained me.

When I saw that IU was the pre-season #1 in both polls, it smarted.

When Purdue floundered and IU played some of the best basketball in the nation, it flat-out sucked...And the media piled on and pretty much took college basketball away from me for a few months; I couldn't stand to watch morons like Vitale tell me how good Crean was at his job.

Four players on IU's starting five were on the three All-conference teams...the fifth was on the all-Frosh squad; and it was kind of tough to argue with it.

As the Naismith Award lists were trimmed, and trimmed and trimmed, IU had 2 of the final 8 players on the list...and finally, IU still had one of the final four players on the list.

But tonight, IU's movement was flushed out of the tournament...and the accolades and hype matter little.

The only upset that I had in my bracket that I was sure of, was tonight's game...and for once, my logic was sound. Cuse's zone created havoc for IU. Hulls' poor defensive abilities kept him on the bench...this eliminated a scoring threat that might have been able to break the zone.  And, of course, a guy who has won a few games, Boeheim, out-coached the Forehead.  Crean made no effective adjustments...He tried to get his guys to run to keep the Orange from setting up their defense, but as the pace picked up, Cuse's offense looked better.

I've said it before and I'll say it again- there were some guys on IU's team that I would love to have seen in gold and black...but Sheehey has never been one of those guys. So seeing him whimpering on IU's bench as time expired warmed the cockles of my cold, gray heart.

Fellow BS co-founder, J was pretty confident back in January that IU wasn't a legit national title contender...I disagreed adamantly, especially after watching them beat the crap out of our Boilers...but he didn't think they were built for the long haul in the grueling NCAA tournament; and I still don't understand why.

This IU team was healthy, experienced, has slashers, shooters, a great big man, team speed and athleticism, amazing chemistry and a decent bench...with the exception (of course) of the guy who was supposed to be sitting upon it...and instead was always pacing in front of it.  But as we all know, it doesn't take a ton of coaching talent to wrangle and organize one of the most-talented groups in the nation.

Illinois and Kansas fans alike have lamented that Bill Self isn't the greatest coach...but he has a national championship. Boeheim has been accused of being inflexible and unable to adjust on the fly...but with a few AAs, he got the Orange a national title. Steve Fisher and Jim Harrick rode the coattails of great players to earn a ring*.

But, a truly great IU team, with seemingly all of the parts needed to earn the crown couldn't get it done this year. So once again, I can enjoy college basketball and take a bit of a deep breath.

I'm blessed to live in my parent's basement to be self-employed...so I can generally stay away from bars and restaurants when the situation is like it's been the last few weeks in Central Indiana.  But this evening, my wife, kids and I met my brothers, their wives and kids for dinner...and it wasn't a good seen. Nearly everyone had a flipping IU shirt or hat on. Some of them were real fans and alums; good for them (kinda)...but most were wearing gear that they had bought this winter. The good news for those clowns is that they'll be able to put away their shirt and/or hat until next November...and won't even have to wash it.

For a storied program that a true basketball genius once led, success used to be measured by National Titles and little else.  But, the new look IU fan told us nearly two years ago that they were back.  They believed they were there because Crean had recruited a few guys that RMK could have only dreamt about- two five star players, a handful of four stars and success was all but assured.  Last year, IU had 20+ wins and made it to the Sweet 16.  Crean built a trophy case, had rings made...and IU fans shouted from the hills of Southern Indiana that they "were back!!"

This season was the next logical step: A B1G title and another sweet 16.  True success, I guess.

Funny thing is, in '09 and '10, Purdue averaged 28 wins, had a B1G championship and two Sweet 16s.

No trophy case.
No rings.
No talk of the program returning.

Oh yeah, and Purdue lost one of their best players to a torn ACL just a few weeks before that second tournament...but the past is the past.

Now, this season is over for both Purdue and IU...so we can look ahead for a moment.

Will Purdue get back to contending for the conference title? Who will transfer (if anyone), who will improve during the off-season?

And for IU, how will they replace their Senior leaders? Who will go pro?
If I were a betting man, I'd put a quarter on Oladipo leaving...and IU returning just two of its starting five...but at this point, my guess is worth no more than the IU fan's who assures themselves that the only guys leaving are the Seniors.

No matter.

Ding Dong, the wicked witch from the South died as Tom Crean's Diet Coke-fueled PR/hype machine ground to a halt in the sweet 16.



*No, not a sweet 16 ring.

Indiana, You Big Banana, Oh Indiana, To Hell With You*

Sometimes it's easy to remember what you don't like about an opponent. Other times it's harder. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, BS is here to help. In a new feature (and you know how well we stick to new features), we'll help you figger out why you should hate Purdue's next opponent, mainly using third grade playground insults and other such high-brow stuff you've come to love BS for. 


Up today: The Indiana Hoosiers.

Really? I need to do this for the IU game? You need reasons to hate them? No, of course you do not. And while most of these pregamers are meant mostly in jest, this one....well....yeah.

How about the fact that the past is not relevant when you're talking about Kelvin Sampson's violations, firing, and effective gutting of the program; Bob Knight's ignominious shit-canning, choking of players, assaulting of students and faculty; or Tom Crean's abominable record at Indiana? Yes the past is relevant when IU knuckle-draggers want to rub their 1940 national title banner in your face? I don't know, either, but that's how they roll.

IU not only hasn't beaten Purdue in four years, they haven't really been competitive. And that sucks, because this used to be an incredible rivalry and right now a whole generation of Purdue students know nothing of IU other than as a doormat. Granted, that appears to be changing, but it has allowed the rivalry to simmer somewhat from what it once was.

Sometimes teams have representatives of their program who are easy to hate; other times they are less easy to hate. Charlie Weis was a great example. He was so arrogant, so pompous...so it was actually beyond easy to loathe him -- it was fun! The same is building with Tom Crean. The phony enthusiasm, the overrated resume, the goofy-ass faces he makes.... they are all things that make me so glad our coach is not like that.

There's so much more to add... this post could be quite lengthy. So I'll leave it to you. Share away.

7 PM tomorrow, BTN.  

*This headline is the corny opening line of the alternate fight song for IU. When I was a freshman, a fifth year senior I was friends with explained that back in the day, there were alternate versions of each team's fight song that opponents would learn and sing at games. Because they were likely borne of a simpler era like the 1960s, the insults were things like "you big banana." My, how times have changed. I guess dildo doesn't rhyme, though.

Our Look at the Indiana Elite Story

Most of you have probably read the story that was on EsPN.com yesterday that involves the Forehead, and Indiana Elite Coach, Mark Adams...but some of you might not have had the chance to read the details...here are some key aspects of the story:

Indiana Elite: One of the best AAU teams in the state of Indiana, if not the nation for producing D-1 talent.

Mark Adams: IU Alum and current AAU team, Indiana Elite, Coach & Founder of A-HOPE (organization that brings kids from Africa and tries to get them opportunities to play D-1 basketball). Being an IU alum, Adams has (understandably) surrounded himself with fellow Hoosier alums inside of the IE

teams and orgainization.

Drew Adams: Son of Mark and former assistant coach of AAU team, Indiana Elite. In spite of thin resume, he was hired by Tom Crean as Director of Basketball operations and Video production (April, 2010). Prior to EsPN’s article accusing Crean & the Adams family of unethical, if not, illegal behavior, he left IU for the same position at New Mexico (hired by Steve Alford).

Mike Barnett: Board of Directors Member/Coach for Indiana Elite and Lead Position for Adidas’ Grassroots. Grassroots sponsors events and teams and has both men‘s and women’s teams and events that it is involved with. Notably, Indiana Elite is an Adidas team (along with 5+ other teams nationwide). Grassroots also helps organize/sponsor a Spring AAU Super Regional Tournament in Bloomington on campus at IU.

Kory Barnett: Walk-on Senior Forward for Indiana University. Son of Mike Barnett.

Timeline of recent Indiana Elite Players committing to Crean:

Indiana Elite produced Bade, Byrd, Jackson and TJohn. Not all of the talent from IE goes to IU.

Here's my take on all of this:

I know Tom Crean can recruit...and really doesn't need to get deep into the muck, mire and dark underside of college basketball recruiting. But, whether he intended to or not, he's placed himself in a questionable position...and there's more than smoke here. He hired a guy to his staff that was under qualified...and the defense for this hire by many is that it's all about relationships and creating a pipeline for talent.

I don't see any violation of NCAA rules here by IU. But, to me, this is another example of how many IU fans will legitimize unethical activity in the name of winning (make that attempting to win). Many did so in the wake of Sampson's issues saying "they were just phone calls" (their story changed after the NCAA was through with their findings)...and now the talking point seems to be "recruiting is about friendships and relationships...that's all this is". As one of my pals put it it's about "Dirty, slimy, sleazy, disease-ridden relationships", but yeah, relationships none-the-less.

I never saw anything unusual with IU getting Zeller & Ferrell...those always made sense to me. But, some of the others didn't...and Perea, the crown jewel of the class of '12, and coincidentally, the guy in the center of this controversy, was the one that made the least sense to me. It made more sense after reading the article.

Let's keep in mind that Crean has had some solid talent that he's brought to his teams since he's been a head coach. But, top-20 talent is another level and is really difficult to hammer down. DWade was great out of high school, but scared some other schools off because of his academic concerns...so his stock wasn't among the elite. But now, on the legs of back-to-back-to-back awful seasons, Crean has found a way to win the hearts and minds of some of the state's most-talented players (following two years of being persona non grata in the Hoosier state). Plus, and more-notably, in this process, he's snagged two truly-elite players and a couple others that were wanted by everybody.

Whether Tom Crean is shrewd or slimy, you can decide for yourself...we already have our own opinion of the guy.

A Rebuilding Comparison

In 2005, Matty inherited a Purdue basketball program that was in pretty bad shape. Coming off of a 7-win season, Painter looked to rebuild. His two best players were both forced to redshirt the first season due to injury. His resulting roster was comprised of walk-ons, a football player, transfers, some guys who wouldn't be playing anywhere else in the league and a couple guys that belonged in the BT. In his first season, Purdue went 9-19.

Over the second and third seasons, Matty lost 6 players to transfer. Attrition forced fan favorite, Bobby "Buckets" Riddell, the 5'9" Lafayette native and walk-on, to not only play significant minutes, but start for part of Painter's second season.

Painter, of course made a splash with the Baby Boilers class that included JJ, Hummel, Smooge and another guy that gave Purdue a top-10 recruiting class nationally. This class and Matty's plan helped restore Purdue to the top-three of the league by year three of Painter's tenure in W.Lafayette.

Tom Crean inherited a team decimated by academic and disciplinary problems in Spring/'08 following Kelvin Sampson's resignation. Like Painter, Crean was forced to using walk-ons and transfers his first season. Along with a few carry-overs, his first class was a good recruiting effort in an abridged time- no super stars on paper, but some solid players. That class included Dumes, Jones, Roth, Story & Pritchard.

The next season ('09), Crean brought in a monster class that included three 4-star recruits, 2 high 3-star recruits and a couple of project players. This class was rated top-5 in the nation.

With that strong class as a lynch pin of his rebuilding plan in Bloomington, Crean is now in his third season in Bloomington...But the media is still telling us that the talent disparity with the rest of the BT is too much too overcome for IU to possibly compete. We told you following the game in Mackey that we weren't buying into that story...and here is a bit of evidence to back up what we've been saying...you make up your own mind.