Miller has Hoosiers headed in right direction

The NCAA tournament only has spots for a select few of the top teams in the country, and many teams don’t make the field.

The IU men’s basketball team not only made the field but also reached the Sweet 16 for a second straight year.

On the other side, the women’s team failed to make the field, which wasn’t a big surprise after it lost nine of its last 10 games.

Certainly, this wasn’t the season first-year IU Coach Curt Miller had hoped for.

But considering the state of the program the last few years, there were some big strides made this season that showed there is a bright future for this squad.

With former coach Felisha Legette-Jack, the Hoosiers won 15 games combined during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.

The team went 4-29 in the Big Ten play in those years and had a tough time of competing against the other teams in the conference.

This year, there were positives from how IU was playing against some very good opponents.

The Hoosiers only won 11 of a possible 30 games, but they started off the season on a bright note.

IU won 10 of its first 15 games, beating teams such as Murray State, Clemson, Xavier and Northwestern.

Eight of those 10 wins came at Assembly Hall.

This certainly shows the team can play well with the home crowd behind them.

Seniors Jasmine McGhee, a guard, and forward Aulani Sinclair were the backbone of this team for most of the season.

They were the top two scoring players on the team, averaging a combined 28.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

These two players led their team in scoring in 27 of the 30 games.

Even though McGhee and Sinclair were huge for the team throughout their years of donning the cream and crimson, they both will graduate soon and have no more years of eligibility.

Senior forward Linda Rubene has also finished her career as a Hoosier, while fifth-year center Sasha Chaplin will apply for a sixth year of eligibility and is at the mercy of the NCAA waiver process. 

All four of these players were crucial to IU’s success and will certainly be missed.
 
However, every year brings a new recruiting class that hopes to step in and make up the production missed with the graduating seniors.

The good news is Miller and his staff has put together a very good recruiting class moving forward.

Miller’s 2013 class ranks 27th in the country by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.

“This recruiting class represents the new era of IU women’s basketball and will be the backbone of our future,” Miller said in a press release after signing five players.

These commitments show the Hoosiers are becoming competitive in recruiting with other top schools around the country.

Recruiting success will eventually lead into success on the court with the right coach.
Miller seems to be the right coach for the Hoosiers.

Give credit to IU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass for the hire.

This year might have not been the most successful in recent years, but the program is certainly headed in the right direction under Miller.

— amsiegal@indiana.edu