Column: Hoosier Nation has plenty to be proud of

The Hoosier Nation should be proud of Saturday night.

It should be proud of itself for the Midnight Maniacs who were willing to wait in line to be the first people into Assembly Hall when the doors opened at 4 p.m. Saturday for Hoosier Hysteria.

Not only were the Midnight Maniacs there in flocks, but Hoosier Nation formed lines that completely surrounded Assembly Hall, making the area near 17th Street look like a rock concert was about to break out.

This is why the Hoosier Nation should have patted itself on the back when those doors had to be closed at 5:37 p.m. because of a sellout.

The Hoosier Nation should also be proud of Sage Steele, who emceed the event. She is a co-anchor of ESPN’s SportsCenter and is a loyal enough alumna to not think twice about wearing the candy striped pants with a Hoosier T-shirt.

Steele was a great fit to anchor the event because her enthusiasm for the program is genuine, as evidenced by her reactions with the players. She inspired many laughs and plenty of cheers.

The personality of the players on the preseason No. 1 team in the nation was on full display throughout the night, which should give fans even more reason to enjoy a team stacked from top to bottom.

Who else has a 7-foot center nicknamed “The Big Handsome” who can win the Long Shot Tournament by stroking three pointers?

If he brings that shot to games, Cody Zeller might become the most coveted player in college basketball.

The Hoosier Nation should be equally proud that during the scrimmage, freshmen guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and forward Jeremy Hollowell shined as brightly as anyone else.

That’s saying a lot, because I would say eight players had good performances, including junior guard Victor Oladipo, who won the dunk contest.

Can you say options?

The Hoosier Nation should be honored to have IU Coach Tom Crean as the man to utilize those options.

He is the man who believed the day would come when the Hoosier Nation would be back in full force the moment he began as coach of a program soaked in sanctions.
You could see the enjoyment in the faces of all the players and coaches, but it seemed Crean enjoyed the night the most.

Mixing and matching different options will be a challenge for Crean, but it is a great problem to have, and it validates his recruiting work during the last four years.

Speaking of coaches, the Hoosier Nation should be honored to welcome Curt Miller, the new women’s basketball coach, into the family.

Miller urged fans to support the women’s team when he addressed the audience.

As Hoosiers, we are proud of our fellow students, no matter what sport they play, what degree they are pursuing or what culture they’re from.

Hoosier Hysteria was an example of how IU basketball supporters can come together.
The event was a deafening, goosebump-inducing spectacle, and it wasn’t even a game.

It was an event that honored last year’s success with boastful enthusiasm.
I still have a headache from the crowd’s clamor, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

If the noise at Hoosier Hysteria was any indication of what playing in Assembly Hall will be like this season, IU will undoubtedly have the biggest homecourt advantage in the country.

That’s something the Hoosier Nation should be proud of.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu