The reactions

Freshman Ben Allen's laptop became the center of attention at the men's basketball study table Tuesday afternoon, as several members of the team crowded together to read an ESPN.com article saying Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson would be their next coach.\nAfter a week and a half of rampant media speculation, the team finally knew who would replace Mike Davis. And the name caught them a bit off guard.\n"I think everyone was kind of surprised because nobody was expecting (Sampson)," sophomore guard Adam Ahlfeld said. "The style his teams play with seems to be pretty intensely focused on defense, and I think he can recruit pretty well. So as the surprise wore off, I felt satisfied." \nThe players had not been a part of the selection process, so they knew about as much as the average IU student. But junior guard Earl Calloway said he didn't mind being left out of the loop.\n"I've just been waiting for the University to make a decision," Calloway said. "They handled the business. I mean, I don't think we're signing any contracts."\nHaving been left in the dark, junior guard Errek Suhr said he was a bit confused when the reports broke, but eventually his mood began to brighten. \n"We're lucky to have such a high-profile coach coming in here," Suhr said. "I'm real excited to get the season underway already."\nThe IU scouting Web site www.peegs.com tallied well more than a thousand posts on its message board Tuesday with hundreds of fans expressing their opinions on the hire. Many tried to predict if Sampson will be able to resurrect IU's program. Ahlfeld said that process starts with winning.\n"If it was Sampson, or anyone, the bottom line is to win basketball games," he said. "That's what any fan wants -- especially Indiana fans. It's not what they want, it's what they demand. And I think that's reasonable given our history."\nThe speedy point guard said he was pleased to hear that Sampson tends to stress an up-tempo style, and Calloway added that Sampson's passion for the game has always been evident -- even on television. Ahlfeld added that Sampson's coaching style should fit nicely in the Big Ten.\n"His very intense defense fits the mold of the Big Ten, which is very physical," Ahlfeld said. "He should be a perfect fit for this conference."\nEven though the speculation has ceased and a press conference should finalize the future of IU basketball, the adjustment isn't over for the team.\n"One door is closing, but another is opening," Ahlfeld said. "Things aren't just going to go back to the way they were ... There is closure in that we have a new coach, but there is still a lot of transition going on. Things haven't really stopped"