Players feel Davis fallout

SALT LAKE CITY -- After IU's 90-80 loss Saturday night, the walk through the long-winding tunnel beneath the stands of the Jon Huntsman Center felt like a funeral procession.\nThe awkward silences and the irrelevant small talk couldn't conceal the fact that IU coach Mike Davis was making his final trek to the IU locker room.\nThe fallout of his departure couldn't be concealed, either.\n"I'm sure he knows this, but my father passed away this summer, and he's like a father figure to me," sophomore forward Robert Vaden said. "I love him with all my heart and I'm sure he loves me as well."\nThe NCAA's open locker room policy forced a tear-stricken A.J. Ratliff to explain his feelings about the possibility of his teammates' transfer.\n"It's kind of clear where Robert and D.J. (White) stand, but I think we'll have a team meeting to see where everybody stands," the sophomore guard said. \n"That would be huge (if White) stayed," he continued. "I love him. That's like my brother. Him and Robert came in the same class with me. That's like my brother."\nHe addressed the possibility of his own transfer as if it wasn't even an option.\n"I'm coming back," he said. "I'm definitely coming back to Indiana. I love the school. I love the people. I'm a Hoosier."\nDavis told the media at the post-game press conference even though he would be absent, his "guys" are still his top priority. He voiced his concern about them attending class during the turmoil, and he immediately ducked his face under the table and out of the media's view when Vaden talked about his coach's father-like status.\nDavis spoke about the possibility of his former players' transferring, stressing heavily that family and friends were going to be consulted before any sort of decision was made. \n"It's an emotional time for them," Davis said. "We'll sit down with them and their families, and talk it over and do what's best for them. But right now, it's too emotional. They feel like they are sticking up for me by saying those things." \nThe usual smile was missing from the face of senior guard Marshall Strickland -- Davis' first signee as a head coach. He was uncharacteristically short in conversation and unreceptive to questions being asked to him. \n"I've been with coach Davis for four years," he said. "I feel like he really helped me grow up. I came here young, fresh out of high school. He tested me and really brought out great things in me."\nAs for who gets to inherit all of this, Ratliff offered his opinion.\n"Everybody's talking about Steve Alford," he said. "He recruited me hard in high school. I like him. Randy Wittman is a good guy. And Tom Crean, he recruited me hard out of high school. I love all the candidates that they're talking about."\n"It would be great for it to be an IU guy," he responded to a follow-up question. "A lot of people don't want Steve Alford because of what he's doing at Iowa, or that he can't recruit Indiana players. But I think it would be great if he came to Indiana because he could get that many more Indiana players, I think"