Fife, Moye to transfer; others may follow

Players on the IU basketball team are unsure of their future after Bob Knight's dismissal Sunday.\nJunior guard Dane Fife said he will transfer, as did freshman guard A.J. Moye. \nOthers said a large part of the team will leave IU because of IU President Myles Brand's decision to fire Bob Knight after 29 years at IU.\nEmotions peaked and slumped throughout Monday, as the players met with Knight and athletics director Clarence Doninger, who could name an interim basketball coach as early as today. Selecting assistant coaches Mike Davis and John Treloar might be the only way for IU to retain all if its players.\n"If (the administration) wants to keep this team together ' and they've given us their word that they do ' then that means they'll keep coach Davis and Treloar here," junior forward Kirk Haston said. "The ball's in their court. Let's see if they really support us."\nMoye was extremely upset Monday afternoon. While most of the team met inside Assembly Hall, he and sophomore forward Jeffrey Newton sat outside at a picnic table.\n"I don't want to play here as long as Brand is here," Moye said. "He lies to kids, he lies to players. I want him out. Nobody wants to play here unless Brand resigns. He screwed Coach Knight, and he'll probably screw coach Davis pretty soon too."\nBrand was traveling last evening and could not be reached. Christopher Simpson, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said Brand has met with the team twice in the last two days.\n"I understand it's a difficult situation for the players, but I don't agree with (Moye's) characterization," Simpson said.\nFife, a team leader, said his family urged him to transfer immediately after Knight was fired.\n"Coach Knight also urged me to transfer," Fife said. "Because there's no reason for me to be here with what's going on and how we've been treated. He's going to help me and contact coaches. I have an idea of where I'd like to play, but it's a matter if they have a place for me to play and if I\'d be valuable."\nFife also suggested that the entire team could make a statement by leaving the program.\n"I hope all the players transfer for the way we've been treated," Fife said.\nJunior forward Tom Geyer, Fife's roommate and good friend, wasn't as quick to think about his future being at another university. While Fife started 22 games last season, Geyer only played in nine.\n"Dane is leaving for his own personal reasons," Geyer said. "I can do nothing but wish him the best. We've lived together, and we've done a lot of stuff together.\n"My options are a little different than everyone else's. I came here because Coach Knight asked me to come here and walk on." \nBasketball administrative assistant Les Fertig, who was hired last week by Knight, explained that players' love and appreciation for Knight is a reason for their emotional states.\n"I've been in a lot of team situations, and I've never seen kids react as passionately as they did when Coach met with them (Sunday) night," Fertig said. "I've been in situations where kids have been frustrated and upset that there's a coaching change, but basically the kids just wanted to play.\n"Here, this is entirely different. These players are 100 percent devoted to Knight"