Dakich’s reported release of sophomore Armon Bassett and junior Jamarcus Ellis is an unpopular but ultimately correct first step in the rebuilding of the tarnished Indiana basketball program. The news has met widespread feelings of resentment and disbelief, but as bad as this news may seem, it could be the humble beginning of a new era of success for IU basketball. Here are my responses to the two main points that people have made in support of the players:
Ellis has been a problem in the locker room since Sampson's departure
Newsflash: In case you haven’t heard yet, Dan Dakich is
the head coach of the Indiana basketball team. Just because the title happens to have the interim tag attached doesn’t mean his responsibilities are diminished, and it doesn’t mean that he should take a backseat to the players, who are literally living a dream by playing for IU, and on scholarship to boot. People seem to forget that he is still a candidate for the permanent position, and for good reason. He has outstanding ties to the program, has coaching experience, and he is going to run a clean program the right way.
For all of you people longing for the old days, with Bobby Knight running a pristine program, which included recruiting fairly, winning games, graduating his players, and ultimately making them into better people, this is what you’ve been waiting for! Knight never would have stood for the kind of disrespect that Dakich has endured this year, and neither would the majority of coaches in the NCAA. If Knight was still here, you can bet that the consequences would have been much worse than just a few laps early in the morning. I'll let you use your imagination for that one.
Even Sampson, much-loved by the players, was forced to suspend Bassett earlier this season, and Dakich already suspended Ellis once earlier this year. How many chances should these players get to act like they care about a game that they are basically getting paid to play, a game that they probably love? If one suspension doesn’t get the point across, how many will? Dakich made his intentions clear and the players deliberately and blatantly disregarded them. He shouldn’t have had any other choice other than to boot them. The double standard being applied to Dakich in this situation, solely because of his inability to resurrect a season that was probably already doomed with the hoopla of Sampson's resignation, is ridiculous. The players have stated that they hope to play for a new coach next year, but I can only hope that if we do bring in a new coach, he will uphold Dakich's action.
Statement: The loss of Bassett and Ellis will kill next season’s potential.
Winning next year should be the last thing fans are thinking about with our tarnished reputation. With this year's disastrous season, there is no use in holding any sort of expectations for next year. I’ll eat my hat if Eric Gordon stays for next year’s uncertainty, and we are already losing the heart and soul of our team in DJ White. With the probable loss of our top two incoming recruits, and looming sanctions from the NCAA, perhaps even self-imposed, it doesn’t make much sense to think that Ellis’s choosy effort on the court and Bassett’s considerable but still developing skill would vault us into any sort of serious competition for anything more than
maybe the NIT.
If IU wants to climb out of this mess and rebuild itself into a national power, we need to swallow our pride and desire for instant gratification and set ourselves upon the challenge of winning in the right way. This doesn’t include catering to players who disrespect coaches, cause problems in the locker room and have issues off the court. Even if they were the next LeBron James and Allen Iverson in terms of skill (which they definitely aren’t), they still don’t deserve a spot on our team with their behavior.
It’s clear that the time has come for us to reorganize our priorities, at least for the next few years, or we will continue to suffer the consequences of our misguided actions. Even if it means that winning games takes a back seat to establishing a clean program for the next few years, the pay-off will only be that much sweeter.
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