Coverdale shows leadership against Terps

It was almost midnight.\nThe No. 10 Hoosiers had just defeated No. 9 Maryland 80-74 in an overtime classic that showcased a flurry of lead changes, clutch free throws and huge threes. \nThe quiet in IU's locker room was a sharp contrast to the raucous cheers that had filled Conseco Fieldhouse only minutes ago. The excitement had subsided a bit, and the fatigue of the marathon game had set in.\nIn a corner of the locker room point guard Tom Coverdale sat slouched in a chair with blood-shot eyes, talking to a cluster of reporters.\nHis stat line suggested why he looked so exhausted -- 30 points on 8-16 shooting, 5-10 from three-point range, 9-10 from the free-throw line, five assists, four steals and only one turnover. And he played in all but two minutes of the game.\n"I was getting tired (at the end of the game)," he said. "They asked me a couple times if I wanted to come out, but there was no way I was coming out in this game. I've got until Saturday to rest."\nThe Hoosiers struggled to stay alive in the first half when the Terps exploded with an 18-4 run that lasted until 4:16 remained. \nBut Coverdale then took over, making big play after big play to lead IU on a 14-4 run. He sunk a three on the wing, then stole the ball and got it to freshman guard Bracey Wright who was fouled as he scored on a layup. Wright returned the favor, assisting Coverdale on an acrobatic layup that closed out the half with the Hoosiers down by only four.\n"He's a big time leader," said Wright, who was Coverdale's backcourt mate for almost the entire game. "He knows when to step up; he knows when to make a play. He's the one that keeps consistency on the team. The first half we weren't shooting the ball that well (22.9 percent from the field), and we wanted to stick with him. He's the man on the team."\nIn the second half and during OT, Coverdale willed the Hoosiers to victory, scoring 18 of his 30 points.\nThe Hoosiers called a 30-second timeout down by four with 36.1 seconds remaining in the game, and as play resumed, freshman Sean Kline found Coverdale at the top of the key. He knocked down a quick three that swished through the net and brought down the house.\n"He told me at the end of the game, 'Coach, I want the ball,'" Davis said. "It was funny because I called a play that wasn't his play, and he looked at me like I was crazy. The big three he hit when we were down four (68-64), it was a backbreaker." \nAfter Kline sunk a free-throw to tie the game, and Maryland point guard Steve Blake's half court heave was waived off, Coverdale continued his big play in OT. And fittingly, with 7.4 seconds remaining, he stepped to the foul line and knocked down two shots that put the game away, 80-74.\nAs he walked down to IU's basket to score the final points of the game, he pumped his fists and yelled. He clapped his hands and slapped fives with fans in the front row. He waived his arms in the air to raise the volume of the roaring crowd.\nAnd that's just the way he plays, with emotion and fire.\n"He always comes up huge," Kline said. "The things he does, he's my player of the year, and he's the heart and soul of this team. He just carries us. We feed off him, off his energy and the things that he does defensively and offensively."\nCoverdale, with his bright red hair and stalky build, may not look like much more than a gym rat at the local Y. His teammates have said he sometimes comments that he looks more like a professional bowler than a ball player. But get him on the court in a big-time atmosphere in a big-time game, and that perception quickly changes.\nDavis explained that it's not necessarily athletic ability or pure skill that makes Coverdale the team leader -- it's something intangible that makes him a diamond in the rough. And although Davis has been hailed as one of the best recruiting coaches in the country, he's not sure how to find another player like him in the high school ranks.\n"I want (IU recruits) to be top 25 and top 50 players, but how do you recruit a Tom Coverdale?" he asked. "What do I look for when I go out to recruit a guy like Tom Coverdale? Because if I had to recruit him today, would I recruit him, seeing him in a high school jersey? And just look at the way (he plays). Thirty points. Thirty. You can't measure his heart"