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(06/20/08 6:35pm)
The Big Ten Network announced an agreement with Comcast to increase an expected 90 percent coverage within Indiana Thursday. IU expects changes to occur on Aug. 15.\n"I am extremely pleased that this agreement between Comcast and the Big Ten Network has been reached," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie in a press release. "Our fans expect to be able to watch Indiana University athletics on television and this agreement will provide broad access for IU fans to see more games involving more sports than ever before. This is great news for our fans and for all who enjoy Big Ten sports."\nLast year, 19 of 35 IU men's basketball games (including exhibitions) and nine regular season Hoosier football games were shown live on the network. Other IU athletic programs appeared 26 times during the regular season and 16 other Big Ten Championship related events aired which featured the Hoosiers.\n"The announcement of an agreement between the Big Ten Network and Comcast represents a major milestone for Indiana fans throughout the state, and across the eight-state footprint of the Big Ten Conference," said IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan in a press release. "Beginning this season, nearly 90% of the homes in Indiana will be able to enjoy Big Ten Network programming as an element of their cable television package. This exposure and coverage will enable Hoosier fans to see more live IU game action than ever before, and is a significant boost for our total athletic program. Moving forward, we are hopeful that other major cable operators will follow Comcast's lead and bring the Big Ten Network to their subscribers as well. The robust combination of the existing distribution of the BTN by satellite television providers, and the rapidly growing number of homes reached through cable operators, creates unparalleled visibility for the Big Ten Conference"
(06/20/08 3:35am)
As of 1:00 this afternoon, more than half of the AstroPlay turf at Memorial Stadium had been removed.\nAlthough no report has surfaced about when new turf will be installed, IU began the process earlier today to remove the turf wrecked by flash flood damage two weeks ago.\nIU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan had estimated that the total cost to replace the field might be up to $1 million after a two-foot deep, 15-foot wide sink hole developed in the south endzone after the flash flooding. Specific information regarding to the reconstruction of the field will be available in the next couple days, according to Director of Media Relations J.D. Campbell.\nFive dumpsters, two BackHoe-loaders and 11 large pieces of rolled turf were inside Memorial Stadium at the time this story was published. Gravel surrounded the rest of the remaining turf, which included the IU logo at the 50-yard line.\nThe AstroPlay turf field at Memorial Stadium is made of polyethylene and was installed in 2003 by SRI Sports of Austin, Texas. The installation cost IU around $450,000.\n“We’re anticipating the best in terms of having the field ready for everything in the future,” Director of Media Relations J.D. Campbell said last week, “Our expectation is we’ll be able to move forward the best we can.”
(06/19/08 1:08am)
Wandering around campus three years ago this July, I stumbled upon several posters proclaiming that this hat-wearing, finger-pointing man “wanted me.” He seemed nice enough – and being a child of the Southeastern Conference I breathe and bleed college football – so I accepted.\nI can’t remember the first time I ever saw Terry Hoeppner in person, though I do remember the first time I did not. I had planned to go to the annual first-semester pep rally down at the stadium, but didn’t attend for reasons long since lost to me.\nA few friends did go, and they returned with one name on their lips: Coach Hep. They said he was enthusiastic. They said he was a little bit crazy. They said they loved it.\nThen came the season opener against Central Michigan – a game we narrowly won – but none of us could watch it since it wasn’t on TV (Looking back, perhaps the Big Ten Network isn’t terrible.)\nThe home opener that year came against Nicholls State, a college from down in the bayou still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. We lent them uniforms to play in and they returned the favor by running over us with an option offense that almost got them a win. We of the Crimson Crew were not feeling chipper about our bowl opportunities.\nBut after that 35-31 victory, as we were walking out, something strange began happening. The entire football team, led by that man from the poster, walked across the field and came into the stands, thanking us for our patronage and singing along as we rang out one last rendition of the fight song.\nThis, along with many other pre- and post-game rituals, became tradition after Terry Hoeppner came to IU, and most of us loved him for it. My friends would all go quiet the moment one of his patented commercials came on IUSTV, that station everyone loves when they live in the dorms.\nBut what endeared me to Hoeppner wasn’t his indefatigable enthusiasm – playing on plenty of bad high-school football teams had left me numb to rallying cries. What got me about Hoeppner was that I truly believed he wanted to be at IU for good. He wanted to make this program his own. Bloomington wasn’t just a stepping stone to a bigger job.\nI figured any man who could pin his loyalties to a program like that deserved my support and respect – allowing me to bill season tickets to my bursar helped, too.\nI awoke late on the morning of June 19, 2007. My phone had died the night before, and when I plugged it in and turned it on I had seven messages waiting for me, a sure sign something was wrong.\nThe rest of the day was a blur of planning coverage, organizing staff and resources and getting out to the groundbreaking of new facilities held that day. It didn’t quite set in for me that the man we all had so loved was gone until that night.\nTo risk a cliche, Terry Hoeppner was more than a football coach to me. Hoeppner defined my first semester of college, a trying time for a Georgia boy 526 miles from home.\nTake all of this for what it’s worth. I never met the man. I’ll admit there are far more qualified candidates in this world to talk about Hoeppner personally.\nBut in the way of great college coaches, you never felt like you had to meet Hoeppner to tell the stories.\nLike his first press conference, when he brought in a literal rose bowl as a sign of where IU would be headed in the future. Or the time he invited an IDS staffer who had criticized his fervent approach to raising fan support along on “The Walk” during his first year as coach, not to criticize but to illustrate that he really tried to practice what he preached.\nTerry Hoeppner was a lot of things to a lot of people. But to the student body (or what of it that walked through the gates of Memorial Stadium every Saturday) he was our coach. And we miss him to this day.
(06/19/08 1:07am)
A year ago, the Indiana football family lost a great person in Terry Hoeppner. He’s the man who began to take our team from being the doormat of the Big Ten to making last year’s bowl appearance. He vowed to take us to the Rose Bowl. Because of him, every year we have taken one step closer to reaching the vision he had and the goals he set out for us to achieve. \nOne might think that I could remember the day Hep died like it was yesterday. But that simply isn’t true. I can remember being in the locker room immediately after a team run and one of the coaches calling us in to a team meeting where Coach Lynch delivered the heartbreaking news. I can barely remember my first reaction or what I did afterward. In a way, it’s as if he never left and I don’t need to come to the realization that he’s gone. There are reminders of what he meant to us and the legacy he left behind all around the football complex. Everything from pictures, quotes, goals and his favorite poem “Don’t Quit.” It gives us players a sense of confidence and pride seeing those things on a daily basis.\nWe recently received our bowl rings, which have the name “HEP” on one side. It couldn’t be more perfect. Sure, we lost the game, but we can’t forget all the important things Hep taught us about football and how it’s not the end-all to everything. Life itself is most important. Football will come and go; we’re going to win many games, and we will lose some. Those things happen. But it’s the impact we make on others and the legacy we leave behind that counts.\nHep taught us valuable lessons each day just by living the way he did. He always kept a positive and upbeat attitude even through his sickness. Many times I forgot he even had cancer. He greeted us with a smile each day and always told us how there was no place he’d rather be than there with us players. We all knew that he meant it, for he showed it each and everyday.\nThere have been many times when I’ve wondered how I would deal with such an illness. Hep kept his faith in God and never faltered. He believed in the power of prayer, and he never let us believe for one second that God wasn’t in control of his situation and that no matter what happened he’d be just fine. \nOn this day, one year later, Terry Hoeppner is more than just fine. He has an unimaginable happiness up in heaven. I believe he’s keeping track of us, making sure that we never quit and keep the faith, living strong if you will. We all miss Hep for the man he was and the men he helped us players become while he was here. I’ll always wonder how things would’ve been if he had never been stricken with cancer. But I do know that everything happens for a reason and life does go on. We must never forget what Hep has done for us all, whether it is great or small. He was a man of character, resilience and faith. He will never be forgotten.
(06/18/08 5:49pm)
Two current and two former IU Athletes are making their impact at this year’s Olympic Diving Trials. The trials, which are taking place at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis this weekend, will go through June 22.\nCurrent IU divers Christina Loukas and Amy Korthauer are participating, as well as former Hoosier divers Cassandra Cardinell and Lindsay Weigle. Loukas will be the only diver competing from the springboards, while the three others will be from the platforms.\nLoukas hopes to make the cut from the 3-meter board on June 19 before heading to the finals on June 21.\nAll four women have accomplished much in their careers. Loukas redshirted her 2007-08 season to prepare for the Olympic trials. During this time she competed in several international events. She won the 1-meter title at the 2007 Kaiser Permanente National Championships in addition to racking up several other top-10 awards.\nKorthauer just completed her sophomore year by finishing fourth at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships after two top-15 finishes in the Big Ten Championship.\nWeigle currently holds the second place platform score in Indiana history after her impressive performance at the 2007 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. She placed three top-10 scores during that same championship, rounding out her senior season in a winning fashion. \nWhile the other three are hoping to make their first appearances, Cardinell is hoping for her second Olympic qualification. She placed seventh in synchronized diving before the 2004 Athens Olympics. \nIf any of these four Hoosiers make the cut, it will be the third straight Olympics where a women’s Hoosier diver represented on the boards.
(06/17/08 9:06pm)
IU recruiting target Emmanuel Negedu committed to Tennessee and coach Bruce Pearl Tuesday, choosing the Vols over three other schools.
(06/16/08 4:49pm)
Former Indiana guard Robert Vaden will take his name out of the player pool for the June 26 NBA Draft and return to University of Alabama-Birmingham next season, said Andy Katz of ESPN.com.\nKatz said former IU coach Mike Davis informed him of the Vaden's decision via text message this morning.\nVaden came to Indiana as a member of the heralded class of 2004 which included standout D.J. White and budding Atlanta Hawks star Josh Smith.\nVaden played two seasons at IU under Davis. As a sophomore, Vaden led the team in both assists and steals while finishing second on the team with 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.\nWhen Davis resigned from his duties as head coach in 2006, Vaden followed the man who guided him through his first years of college basketball. Last season, Vaden averaged 21.1 points per game for the Blazers after sitting out the 2006-07 season to transfer. One highlight of Vaden's season was a then-career high 33 points, including 28 in the second half, against Kentucky.\nVaden was projected by ESPN.com as a second round draft pick. The deadline for underclassmen to remove their names from the draft is 5 p.m. Monday.
(06/15/08 11:36pm)
Jorge Campillo came within a stroke of winning an NCAA title last month, and his near-victory has earned him one of collegiate golf’s highest honors.\nThe junior golfer was named a First Team All-American by Golfweek magazine, becoming the fifth golfer in Hoosier history and the first since 1997 to receive the accolades. Campillo also earned spots on both the first team PING All-America and Golf Coaches Association of America’s All-Nicklaus Teams.\nCampillo shared second place at the 2008 NCAA Championships and equaled Wayne McDonald’s finish at the NCAA Championships in 1969 for the best individual placing in Indiana men’s golf history. Campillo joined fellow first-team All-Americans McDonald (1969, 1970), Kelly Roberts (1975), Shaun Micheel (1991) and Randy Leen (1997) as the only Hoosiers to receive the honor.\nCampillo ended the season with three tournament victories to go with two runner-ups and nine top-10s. His 71.72 scoring average is the third-best single-season average in Hoosier history. Campillo also secured All-Midwest Region honors for the third straight year, first team all-conference honors and was named Indiana’s sportsmanship honoree. He joined PGA Tour players Jeff Overton and Micheel as the only golfers in IU history ever to win a Big Ten championship, Big Ten Golfer of the Year and the Les Bolstad Award for lowest scoring average in the Big Ten in the same campaign.
(06/14/08 6:28pm)
Junior Jeff Coover and Senior Kiwan Lawson traveled to Des Moines, Iowa for the first NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship of their careers.\nBoth athletes will not go home empty handed, however, as they both earned All-American medals in the pole vault and long jump respectively. \nLawson competed Thursday night in the finals of the long jump. Although he came up short of his goal of meeting the Olympic ‘A’ standard of 8.05 meters, he finished in 8th place with a jump of 7.74 meters. This was his first All-American honor. \nCoover competed Friday night in the pole vault. With a vault of 5.25 meters and a 7th place finish, Coover captured the Hoosiers first All-American honor in the men’s pole vault since Mark Buse in 1995. \nAlso competing on Friday, senior Kyle Jenkins qualified for the finals in the triple jump with a best of 15.98 meters. The mark was the fourth best overall. Jenkins will compete in the final Saturday at 2p.m. \nSenior Abbie Stechschulte got off to a slow start in the women’s heptathlon before withdrawing due to injury before the last of four events on the day. \nThe final day of competition begins Saturday at 11a.m. with the women’s heptathlon long jump. For live results from the meet go to\nhttp://www.flashresults.com/2008_Meets/outdoor/DivisionI/
(06/14/08 6:02pm)
Editor's Note: This week, www.idsnews.com will be covering IU junior Angel Escobedo’s quest to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Guest Columnist Jason Quinley, a grad student studying Linguistics at IU, will be near the mat in Las Vegas for the weekend covering the event for the IDS. Before coming to IU, Quinley was the captain of his college wrestling team at the University of Georgia and a high school wrestling coach. Quinley, who follows IU’s wrestling team and knows Escobedo, will be giving up-to-date commentary on Escobedo’s matches.
(06/12/08 12:43am)
On a recent trip to Ukraine – the host of the 2012 Union of European Football Association Euro championship and the country where I was born – I started reading Franklin Foer’s “How Football Explains the World.”\nFoer describes through a series of 10 essays how the game of soccer – the clubs, players and especially fans – has influenced the world more than people assume.\nReading the book gave me a quick 280-page education in how deep the devotion is that fans have for certain teams and how fervent the hatred they have for other teams. And when I finished reading one thought came to mind: “How can America – the country of McDonald’s, Disney and MTV – possibly develop a love and appreciation for soccer that can even compare to European countries?”\nI’ve always been fascinated by the attempts of some Americans to introduce “the beautiful game” to the U.S. Despite many attempts and the arrival of David Beckham, soccer has not made a significant dent in American culture.\nAnd how can it? As the “national pastime,” baseball has already claimed a spot in America’s heart. Football and basketball – along with less popular but still relevant golf and hockey – occupy the other facets of U.S. sports. In short, sports fans have plenty to choose from.\nSupply and demand. There are enough sports in supply, and demand for something else – something foreign no less – is small. How can you integrate a sport when there are options galore and no deep base? Soccer is king in Europe because it has been there for centuries. It has become a part of their culture, something it has not done in the U.S.\nBasketball, football and baseball have deep roots in this country. Even golf – which was developed in Scotland – occupies a large slot in TV ratings during the Majors. After the lockout in 2005, hockey has been on the rise, drawing fans with new talent like Sidney Crosby.\nIn Europe, soccer is a way of life and for many people a loyalty that can never be broken. The most intense sports rivalry in the U.S. cannot compare to the most mundane in soccer. One of the most interesting essays in Foer’s book describes the powerful hatred between fans of the Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. These fans will kill – or at least attempt to – any opponent who dares to stray onto their territory. How can you compare that to the middle and upper-class students at Duke and the University of North Carolina who merely scream and paint their bodies?\nInstead of trying to import fading talent (see: Beckham) or hype up American prodigies (see: Freddy Adu), Americans can turn to European soccer or more specifically to the UEFA Euro 2008 which started this month and ends on June 29.\nI’m not saying soccer will never catch on in America. There was a time when professional basketball players had to have second jobs in the off-season. And now? The average NBA player makes $5.356 million. So to say that soccer doesn’t have a future in America would be to deny that change happens, especially in sports.\nBut why create, fund and promote an American league when the talent in European teams is overwhelming? The product is out there, but it has yet to be marketed successfully to American fans. \nSo flip on the TV, find a UEFA match and settle in for a few hours of pure obsession, pure enthusiasm and pure zeal. Turn on the beautiful game.
(06/12/08 12:41am)
Editor’s Note: Due to the nature of summer deadlines, this column does not take into account games played in Group A on Thursday, June 11. Sue me. \nThreatened with slumber-inducing boredom brought on by this Greece-Sweden final first group match of Euro 2008, I thought I’d tackle a new kind of prediction column – one that allows me to watch these teams in Cup form before making my picks. \nPerhaps a few of you will shirk my words because I got to see Italy fall apart against the Netherlands or Spain dismantle Russia. I’ll admit, those results might tamper with my predictions.\nSo consider this more analysis if you’d like; let’s get to it.
(06/12/08 12:34am)
Along with other facilities around the city of Bloomington on Wednesday, the damage left by last week’s floods put the status of Memorial Stadium’s field in peril for the upcoming months.\nWednesday, excess water gathered on the AstroPlay turf surface at the home of the Hoosier football team. After the water drained, a 2-feet deep, 6-by-10 foot sinkhole formed just behind the south endzone while the entire field surface showed visible lumps in various spots on the turf.\n“The endzone was affected when the water rushed in,” IU director of football operations Harold Mauro said. “It moved the stones and sand around and created a large indent in the field.”\nAs University officials ponder a plan to make the field playable, early estimates for repair reportedly range from $750,000 to $1 million. Officials have several things to consider in making the decision on how to repair the damaged field.\nAccording to Mauro, player’s workouts are voluntary until the team reports back to Bloomington on Aug. 2.\nThe IU football season begins Aug. 30 when the Hoosiers open against Western Kentucky. The field might need to be ready before the home opener, however, because Memorial Stadium is scheduled to host the Drum Corps International World Championships beginning Aug. 8.\nThe DCI World Championships is a marching band competition where 28 corps compete for the title of best in the world. The sinkhole could come into play for bands who might choose to use the entire field.\n“We were in contact with stadium officials today and received assurances that repair efforts are already being put into action,” said Dan Acheson, DCI executive director and CEO said in a statement on June 6. “No matter how solid your planning is, there are certain events that cannot be foreseen, and this is one of them. As something we hadn’t considered as part of our planning process, we’re confident that this will turn out to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience and will not delay our ability to prepare for this year’s World Championships.”\nMaking matters more difficult for IU is the fact that Southwest Recreational Industries Inc., the company that installed the field turf in 2003, has since gone out of business after accumulating considerable debt.\nIU athletics expects a full report from assessors to come through later this week.\n“Right now we’re looking at hopefully having something finalized by Friday,” Director of Media Relations J.D. Campbell said. “We’re anticipating the best in terms of having the field ready for everything. Our expectation is we’ll be able to move forward the best we can.”
(06/11/08 4:30pm)
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University's Memorial Stadium football field turf was severely damaged by heavy rain and strong winds this week and has been ruled unplayable.\nNow it's a mad dash to get it fixed before Indiana's season-opener Aug. 30 against Western Kentucky.\n"We're bringing in some turf specialists to see if it can be salvaged or whether it's totaled," Indiana athletic director Greenspan told The Associated Press on Friday. "We have to do this in about six or seven weeks, and it very well might be totaled. I've never seen anything like it."\nThe problems began Wednesday when the Bloomington area was hit with flash flooding, turning the football field, which rests beneath the parking lot level, into what some eyewitnesses described as a floating island of green turf.\nWhen the water finally drained, a hole about 10 inches deep ran from the middle of the field, just inside the end line to the fence separating the field from fans.\nThat was only part of the problem.\nGreenspan said the south end of the field, from the end zone to about the 30- or 40-yard line, was lumpy and he's still uncertain how much it will cost to fix. The estimate, Greenspan believes, could be $750,000 to $1 million.\n"It needs considerable work, and we've got to get this done," he said.\nThe washed-out field comes as Greenspan and other IU officials prepare to defend the school next week against NCAA allegations that former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson made impermissible phone calls to recruits. A hearing on the matter is set for June 13 in Seattle and IU could be punished including losing additional basketball scholarships.\nFinding a quick-fix for the field won't be easy, either.\nGreenspan said it normally takes three to four weeks to install new turf, but the school must first determine whether it can be repaired or will need to be replaced. Then they must find a company available to do the job, and it could require additional work to smooth out the lumps — all before Aug. 30.\n"From start to finish, in my experience, it's usually been about four weeks," Greenspan said.\nThe damage is already causing scheduling conflicts.\nFootball players have been instructed not to practice on the field and this weekend's football camps are being moved to another venue. In August, before the Hoosiers' opener, Memorial Stadium is also scheduled to host the national drum and bugle corps competition.\nStill, Greenspan believes it can be repaired before the Western Kentucky game.\n"At worst, I think we have to do extensive repair or replace it," he said. "I don't know what it (the water damage) means to the resiliency of the field, the subsurface, how much has broken down underneath there, that sort of thing. We've got a guy coming in early next week and he'll give us his educated opinion."\nFor Greenspan, fixing the field has become priority No. 1.\n"The closest thing I've seen to this was when I was out at Cal in '89 and they had the earthquake," he said. "The turf just kind of rode along like a wave. I've never seen water or the volume of water get underneath carpet like that and destroy the turf like that"
(06/10/08 2:36pm)
MIAMI — Ken Griffey Jr. insisted he never dreamed of joining baseball's ultimate group of power hitters when he reached the majors 19 years ago.\n"My father hit 152 home runs, and that's who I wanted to be like," said Griffey, who hit his 600th career homer Monday night to join Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa as the only players to do so.\nGriffey connected off Mark Hendrickson in the first inning of the Cincinatti Reds' 9-4 victory over the Florida Marlins. The 38-year-old slugger hit a 3-1 pitch 413 feet into the right-field seats with Jerry Hairston on third and one out.\n"I was just trying to get a pitch I could hit and be as patient as possible," Griffey said. "And I was fortunate enough to get a curveball I could drive."\nGriffey started the season with 593 home runs despite numerous injuries in recent years — enough to make a lot of people wonder how many homers he could have had if he had stayed relatively healthy.\n"No, I don't think about that," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I appreciate where he is right now."\nIn the other NL games Monday, It was: Pittsburgh 5, Arizona 3 and San Francisco 3, Washington 2.\nPaul Bako had his first career multihomer game — three-run and two-run shots — and Brandon Phillips added a solo homer in support of Edinson Volquez (9-2).\nGriffey ended the game 1-for-4 with a strikeout and an intentional walk. He exited in the middle of the eighth.\nVolquez gave up three runs, three hits, five walks and struck out five in six innings.\nHairston left the game in the middle of the first after suffering a fractured left thumb when stealing second.\nHendrickson (7-4) allowed six runs — five earned — and five hits in 2 1-3 innings. Mike Jacobs homered for the Marlins.\nBut the night belonged to Griffey.\n"We saw 400 the other day with (Atlanta's) Chipper (Jones) and 600 today," Marlins left fielder Luis Gonzalez said. "It's not the side you want to be on."\nBaker said Griffey told him on Sunday he would hit No. 600. Hairston said the slugger told him the same thing before Monday night's game.\n"I say a lot things," Griffey, said with a smile.\nIn the last year of his contract with Cincinnati, Griffey sounded like someone who isn't thinking of retirement yet.\n"I enjoy baseball and as long as I can go out there and help a team win I'll do it," he said.\nGriffey, whose previous homer came May 31, wasn't surprised No. 600 happened away from home.\n"Pretty much everybody knows my track record," said Griffey, who hit his 400th and 500th home runs on the road, too.\nAmong those in the dugout who greeted the slugger after his historic home run was Griffey's 14-year-old son, Trey.\n"As a father, I'm more excited about what he does than what I do," Griffey said.\nFor people skeptical of that nonchalant attitude, Griffey explained he got it from his father, who played 19 seasons in the majors. Father and son were teammates in Seattle for two seasons.\n"He just told me as a kid, 'Don't get to high, don't get too low — just be yourself,'" Griffey said. "I think that's the one thing I take pride of."\nNow, he also can take pride in having 448 more home runs than Ken Sr.
(06/09/08 12:26am)
IU coach Bill Lynch announced Tuesday Mark Deal’s appointment to the new position of associate director of football operations. Deal, the former assistant director of development with IU’s Varsity Club, played under ex-IU coach and current ESPN analyst Lee Corso from 1975-78. Deal coached the Hoosiers in 1979 as a graduate assistant and later returned to the sidelines as the offensive line coach from 1996-99. \n“We are very fortunate to bring Mark into our program,” Lynch said. “He has an intimate knowledge and love for Indiana football.”\nAs a graduate assistant coach, Deal helped lead the 1979 squad to an 8-4 record and a 38-37 Holiday Bowl victory over Brigham Young. \nDeal’s connections go far beyond his playing days. His father Russ captained Indiana’s 1945 Big Ten Championship team and is also member of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame. Mark’s brother, Mike, played on the 1967 Rose Bowl team. \n“I consider it a privilege and a great honor to once again serve the Indiana University football program,” Deal said. “I am grateful to (Varsity Club Director) Scott Dolson and the entire Varsity Club for the opportunity to meet hundreds of Indiana supporters during my time as assistant director. I look forward to working with Bill Lynch, who I have known for almost 30 years. When he asked me to serve in an active role in the day-to-day activity of Indiana football, I could not say no. I have the same amount of respect for Coach Lynch that I have for Coach Bill Mallory.”\nDeal has worked within the athletics department since 2000. Prior to his return to Bloomington in 1996, Deal spent five seasons (1991-95) as the offensive line coach at Rutgers University.\nHe held assistant coaching positions at Virginia Military Institute, Kansas State University and Marshall University. Deal began his college coaching career as the linebackers coach at Wabash College in 1980. \nDeal’s daughter Carrie was a member of the Indiana volleyball team in 2005 and 2006, making the Deal family one of only two in IU Athletics history to include three generations of letter winners. She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2006 and is currently enrolled at IU working toward a degree in special education.\n“Mark’s passion for Indiana University is evident and infectious,” Lynch said. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience to the position, and he will be a great asset for the entire program.”
(06/06/08 8:03pm)
While construction on Memorial Stadium’s North Endzone Project is ongoing, the heavy rains from Wednesday’s storm have created a sinkhole near the south end zone. \nJust past the south end zone the field sinks down as deep as about two feet. The sunken area extends from the edge of the track where the turf begins to back of the end zone, ranging approximately 10 to 15 feet long and about seven feet wide.\nThe AstroPlay turf field at Memorial Stadium is made of polyethylene and was installed in 2003 by SRI Sports of Austin, Texas.
(06/05/08 3:13am)
Even after graduating, one Hoosier is still showing she knows how to succeed on \nthe field.\nFormer standout midfielder Kayla Bashore has been out of Bloomington since 2005, but her field hockey career is as hot as ever. Bashore scored the first of three goals for the United States in an Olympic-qualifying game in Kazan, Russia. The win over Belgium means the team will be traveling to Beijing this summer.\n“I think scoring a goal in any international game is pretty special for anyone,” Bashore said about her goal in a press release. “I was just glad I could help out my team and that they had faith in me. I’ve not thought too much about what it would be like to compete in the Olympics. I realize it’s an amazing experience, but I also want to play the games like every other game, trying not to put too much emphasis on the games. I just want to take it day by day and enjoy the process.”\nDuring her time at IU, Bashore led the team to their winningest record in school history and their first NCAA tournament appearance during her senior season. She was named an All-American and was unanimously voted the Big Ten Player of the Year her senior season. During her career, Bashore started in all 74 games in which she played.\n“I can’t express to you how honored and proud we are to have Kayla represent our Women’s Olympic team as an Indiana University graduate,” IU coach Amy Robertson said. “She gave everything she could to the IU field hockey program and was a main reason for the quick rise of success that IU experienced from 2001 to 2005.”\nCurrently, the United States ranks No. 10 in the world. Olympic field hockey competition begins in Beijing on Aug. 10 and lasts until \nAug. 22.
(06/05/08 3:11am)
It’s been 371 days since Kobe Bryant demanded a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. 371 days since Kobe told ESPN reporter Stephen A. Smith there was absolutely nothing the Lakers could do to make him continue his already legendary career with the team. In those 371 days everything has changed. Kobe has played in all 97 games for the Lakers since then, including regular and postseason contests.\nUnless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, I’m sure you’ve either seen or heard about Kobe’s in-depth interview with Stephen A. Smith on May 30, the one-year anniversary of Kobe’s trade demand. \n“It’s amazing what a year does,” Kobe said with a semi-confused look on his face. \nYeah, I’ll say. But did anybody really think the Lakers would send him packing? I never bought it for one second. But what did change over the past year? Maybe it was his “emotional” meeting with head coach Phil Jackson last May. Or maybe he realized that his remaining contract that consisted of four more years during which he would make a total of $88.6 million is pretty good. Or it could have been the Lakers’ decision to trade Kwame Brown to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the ultra-productive Pau Gasol, who was the 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year. I’m going to guess that all of the above were factors.\nKobe has officially made a true believer out of me. I know he’s been dominating his entire career, and has impressed all season, winning his first MVP award, leading his team during the regular season in points per game with 28.3 and an impressive 31.9 in this year’s playoffs so far. I’m late to jump on the bandwagon, but there’s a reason why it’s taken me until now to fully embrace Kobe.\nHe has been compared to Michael Jordan for quite some time now, but Jordan always made his teammates better and made himself a complete player. I was always skeptical of how Kobe handled tough situations, such as his dispute with the Lakers last year (or over the past few years, for that matter) and his relationship with Shaquille O’Neal. \nKobe appears to have long put all of his issues behind him. He seems more focused than ever, and he is making all of his teammates better. Pau Gasol has stepped up, and Lamar Odom is playing inspired. The rest of the team looks to Kobe for guidance and leadership. And each and every game he delivers, playing with the heart of a champion. All throughout these playoffs Kobe said he could smell the NBA Finals. Well, now he is there once again, and it’s no surprise to me.\nIt’s obvious that Kobe doesn’t welcome the comparisons to Jordan. \nWhen Stephen A. Smith asked him about them, he responded by saying, “Let me do me. He’s the greatest of all-time. Michael is Michael.”\nI’m sure Kobe knows it’s an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as his Airness.\nI’m not sure if Kobe is better than or even as good as Jordan, but it’s safe to say that he might be the closest thing we’ll ever see. So watch and appreciate Kobe in this year’s NBA Finals. And don’t be surprised if he drops 40 points on the Celtics on Thursday in Game 1 or steps up even more in a big way. After all, Kobe is Kobe and that’s what he does.
(06/01/08 11:22pm)
A capsule look at the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, which begins Thursday night:\nBoston Celtics (66-16, 12-8) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (57-25, 12-3):
