Hoosier Daddy?

As many of you know, I'm a born and raised Hoosier.  My earliest memories are of basketball.  I only remember three things from my childhood before the age of five:

1.  Reggie Miller's 8 points in 9 seconds.
2.  Watching Bobby Knight's Hoosiers with my dad.
3.  Going to the park and watching the big kids play basketball there.

I've lived in Indianapolis for my entire life, I'm the product of two IU alums, and Indiana has always been my dream school.  As a kid, I dreamed of the day that I'd be able to be a part of the Indiana basketball tradition in Assembly Hall (and being a season ticket holder is close enough for me).  So since I'm so obsessed, I get a lot of questions from people who don't understand the traditions.  The biggest question I get is this...

"Hey Tim, what the hell is a Hoosier?"

Well, many Hoosier historians would argue that there is no good definition for that because there is not a definitive root of the word.

I say to hell with them.  I know what a Hoosier is, and I saw hundreds of them on Saturday.

So what is a Hoosier?  A Hoosier has spirit and fight.  A Hoosier is unconventional, but effective.  A Hoosier is someone who never says quit.  A Hoosier is a hustler, a scrapper, a fighter.  A Hoosier is satisfied with the effort, but craves the results.  A true Hoosier never takes the easy way out, even if it will lead to the same result.  A true Hoosier believes in himself and the Hoosiers that he surrounds himself with.  A Hoosier stands up for the love of the fight.

Take it from a lifelong Hoosiers fan.  It's been awhile since I've seen a true Hoosier on that court.  Saturday, I saw a whole team of them.  Led by Jordan Hulls and Derek Elston, This team beat a favored Wildcats team, but that wasn't what is most impressive.  What most impressed me was the fluidity with which the ball flowed from Capobianco to Hulls to Elston.  These three played out of their minds with hustle and heart.  Couple that with the always-skilled play of Christian Watford, and this team had one hell of a game.

I'd argue, however, that this is a Hoosier team that can come out of nowhere next year.  Right now, even the most optimistic are projecting that we've got a dark horse bid for an NIT appearance next year.  I'd counter by saying this...

If we match our opponents rebounds this season, we go .500.  Throw Maurice Creek back in this equation and we would win a few more games.  Give Hulls, Watford, Elston, and Capobianco (who all appear to be starting next season with Pritchard coming off the bench) a year to develop, we win a few more.  Guess what, if you do all that, you have the 2010-11 Indiana Hoosiers.

I'm not ready to jump on making projections, but I will say this much, my projection will ride on one thing:  What happens to Bawa this offseason?

Bawa is a very physically intimidating player due to his 6-11 frame, but he appears overwhelmed my more athletically skilled players in the post.  Give him an offseason with a coach like Tom Crean and I think he can bank in a double-double every night, but then again, I'm coming from a childhood watching a coach who could take any five guys from the YMCA and take them to the NCAA tournament in three months.

Here's my guarantee.  If we can get the following out of our lineup next season, we have a dark horse shot to dance in March.

Bawa- Get big.  Gain ten pounds.  Work those boards and get used to scoring in the paint.  Learn as much as you can this summer and come back ready to put yourself on the map.
Elston- Stay hungry.  You played out of your mind on Saturday and I KNOW you can do that every night if you have to.  Do it.  You're too skilled a player to suffer from a Sophomore slump.  Get out there and physically dominate your opponent.  Oh, and get a couple more tattoos.  The "scary mofo" look is really working for you.
Creek- Get healthy, bud.  Like it or not, you're the most skilled player on this team.  Without our best player, we've suffered this season, but I believe in you.  Come back healthy and ready to play.  I believe in you.
Watford- Keep your role the same as it was this year.  It will be really tempting with Creek back in the picture to drop back and disappear.  DON'T.  You're so talented both skillfully and physically.  When you're on, you're on and you're the reason that we won those four games in the Big Ten this year.  Go out there and be the reason we get more wins next year.
Hulls-  Play EXACTLY like you played on Saturday every day of your career.  Between the eight threes and the fact that your court vision was insane, you really came to play.  Do that every day and I guarantee you're helping us win in Indianapolis in a few years.
Jones III-  Calm it down, buddy.  You're a great guard, but make sure that doesn't get the better of you.  Remember you also have a great team around you, and believe in them as much as they believe in you.
Capobianco-  Play like you have the past three games.  Statistically, you haven't come up huge, but your general attitude and hustle is contagious.  Do that over the offseason and I guarantee that your teammates pick it up.
Incoming Freshmen-  Know your role.  You're here to win games.  You're here to beat Purdue.  You're here to beat MSU.  You're here to do what no one expects this program to do.  You're here to be Hoosiers, and Hoosiers know how to do one thing better than anything else... The improbable.


I know you all are going to be skeptical, but the one thing that we all must remember is that no one would've picked Milan, not even Bobby Plump.  Some of the most well-respected doctors in Southern California  never gave Reggie the chance to walk.  Larry Legend wasn't born into basketball, but he was born to shoot 500 free throws every morning.  The Big O grew up in the dust bowl in an Indianapolis ghetto.  The 1976 team wasn't supposed to go undefeated, but then again Bobby Knight wasn't supposed to lead a team of nobody's to a gold medal either.

So what is a Hoosier?

A Hoosier is the centerpiece of the greatest underdog story in history.  Nothing is impossible with a Hoosier.  Not even another banner by 2013.

Now guys, let's make it happen.