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(05/06/15 5:37am)
The Monday Evening Power Hour went out in style for their final show (on a Tuesday). They were joined in studio by some great guests, including Galen Clavio, Chronic Hoosier, and Alex McCarthy. You can listen to those spots below. We also have the full 3-hour special show available at the link here
We want to thank everyone for listening to us over the years. It's been an incredible ride. We've gotten to live out our dreams as student broadcasters and it's been a privilege doing it at Indiana University. Hopefully it's not goodbye forever.
-Will Chukerman, Adam Cohen, Matt Randall, and Josh Handszer
https://soundcloud.com/admcohen/5-05-15-chronic-hoosier-and-galen-clavio
https://soundcloud.com/admcohen/5-05-15-alex-mccarthy
(04/28/15 2:22am)
CBS Sports College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein called in to the Monday Evening Power Hour to discuss all things college basketball. They discuss Yogi Ferrell's decision to return to IU, the outlook for next year's team, some national headlines and much more! Check out this insightful interview here:
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/jon-rothstein-interview-4-27
@eveningpowerhr
(04/21/15 10:21pm)
WIUX alum and Little 500 expert Robby Howard called in to the Monday Evening Power Hour to preview the men's and women's races. Robby is a sports reporter for the Goshen News and also writes about the Little 500 on 33to1.wordpress.com. We also get into some Notre Dame spring football. Remember that you can here both races right here on WIUX!
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/04-20-robby-howard-interview
(04/21/15 10:17pm)
We had the chance to speak over the phone with comedian Erin Foley. Erin travels the country to perform stand-up, while also making TV and film appearances. She'll be in Bloomington at the Comedy Attic from 4/30-5/2. Listen in!
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/erin-foley-interview
(04/16/15 4:38pm)
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who see opportunity and chase it, and those who sit back and squander it.
I am the former and that is why I'm here. That's why we're all here. We, being the IU Sports Student Media. Someone should come up with a better name.
We don’t do it for the fame. Most of us are seen as amateur. We’re the secondary option to the ‘real guys’.
We don’t do it for the money. Most of it is voluntary. If we’re lucky, we’ll get $10 an hour, or $10 per story. Or we’ll get reimbursed, at a snail-like pace from the school.
No, we do it for the experience. This tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The opportunity to cover the teams at our own school. Many graduates often tell us we’ll never have it this good again. They say to embrace every moment.
Because, yeah, it’s a whole lot of fun.
This is the IU Sports Student Media group in a nutshell. A group of friends, colleagues, classmates, who have the chance to participate in several organizations and gain practical experience during their four or so years at Indiana University. 80% of us do it because this is what we want as a career. 20% of us do it because, let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to have the chance to be at a press conference starring Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller?
I started this whole thing as freshman. It was the fall of 2011. I had a drive, a purpose, a mindset that I was going to make sports media a major part of my IU career. And now here I am, four years and countless slices of free Papa John’s pizza slices and barbeque sandwiches later, about to be on the outside looking in. My, does that sound scary. As it stands, I’m the last remaining student who was a media member for the famous IU/Kentucky game in 2011. It’s a dying breed.
It can be a very competitive group. Sadly, it’s not cut out for all. Some experiment for a couple semesters and realize it’s not for them. They see the late nights in a media workroom when there’s a project due tomorrow in a class that has nothing to do with sports or media. They go to the weekly meeting and see 30 other students who have more experience, more ‘credibility’, and wonder if they’ll ever get their chance to shine.
There’s a lesson here: This industry isn’t for everyone. Not everyone makes it professionally. So if you’re going to learn it, it’s better that you learn it in college.
For those who stick with it until end, each will tell you that it’s been worth it.
I like to think that I’ve come a long way since the beginning. I still remember my first time on the air. It was the halftime show of an Indiana/Michigan women’s soccer game my freshman year for WIUX. If you had told me then that I’d be traveling around the Big Ten and other parts of the country with that team as their official radio voice three years later, I would have laughed.
We all remember the formative years. We all hear it, but it only resonates once you go through it:
“If you want to be on the top, you have to know what it’s like to be on the bottom.” – Booker T. Jones, IU Commencement 2012
I had some great mentors along the way. We all need them. Dan Karell and Kyle Vail were the two sports directors at WIUX when I joined. I didn’t look up to them because of their broadcasting abilities, although they had the goods in that aspect. Rather, it was because they showed me what commitment was. What leadership was. What hard work and setting the bar high for yourself was.
Leadership for the student media organizations changes annually, if not by semester. Sometimes leaders fall short of their predecessor. Sometimes they keep status quo. If you’re fortunate, you get one who sets new standards. Regardless of those three directions, each leader is important. Their guidance plays a crucial role in the development of future talent, sometimes as much as the IU staff.
For me, I was lucky enough to come across Galen Clavio (IU Faculty and former student media member) and Jeremy Gray (IU Athletics) early on. If you go through your time here and never meet these two fine gentlemen, I’m not really sure what you’re doing. Between the two, their determination to make the student media experience at IU the best it can be is truly admirable. They’ve opened doors for several over the last few years. They’ve been accessible, kind, and the most knowledgeable.
It all culminates in a network. It might turn out that the most valuable connections we make over the course of our career were found right where it all started. That’s a blessing.
In order to get those around to like you, to go to bat for you, and to willingly work with you, you need to have the right attitude. We’ve seen students come in and be cocky, outwardly envious of other’s opportunities, or not gracious. I don’t know what kind of system we have in place at IU, but it always tends to work out where students get the opportunities they deserve. I think part of the ‘problem’ is that there have been younger and younger leaders over the years. People expect the ‘paying your dues’ period to be short. This is different than when I started. The best gigs and the most responsibilities went almost exclusively to the upperclassmen. I was not expecting myself to have a quick rise. I just did whatever I could. It’s important to show respect to your colleagues. Just because one is the same age doesn’t mean they can’t be wise beyond their years.
And I’m not saying doing everything right results in professional success. Coming from someone who is job searching, I can say that even a strong resume offers no guarantees. And heck, sometimes I’ve seen people get jobs and internships and wondered how. But that’s not the point of this column.
The opportunities are only growing and getting better for the current and future students. I mean, literally. My first baseball radio broadcast was outside in the open air at old Sembower Field. The wind that day made it hard to keep a handle on my notes. We’ve upgraded from that. The Big Ten StudentU program has grown tremendously. We now have veteran students working in the production roles to put together high-quality broadcasts. As I’m writing this, I see a highlight as the #1 Top Play on SportsCenter with that StudentU logo in the right corner. I wish they captured Will Chukerman’s audio, however. There was the live BTN basketball broadcast from this fall that the folks in Chicago entrusted with us. I’ll remember that one.
There’s a new media school coming at IU. My hope is that this encourages even more collaboration with academics and extracurricular organizations. I don’t think there’s any telling how far it can go. There needs to be more faculty in place that have experience in sports media. There needs to be more of an acceptance from administrators to make it part of the curriculum. While it’s easy to be cynical, I’ll remain optimistic.
To the say the least, I’ve been appreciative of all I’ve been able to do with media here. It’s exceeded every one of my expectations. When people ask me why a kid from New Jersey would even consider coming out to the Hoosier State, my answer isn’t very hard to give. I got to meet coaches, players, and fans of a Big Ten athletic program. I got to travel to NCAA Basketball Tournaments, 100,000-seat football stadiums, and the Mecca. I was able to meet and interact with some of the top broadcasters of ESPN, CBS, and the Big Ten Network. I hosted a radio show for four years. I broadcasted games. I learned something new almost every day. And I made friends who searched for jobs and internships with me, pushed me, humbled me, had my back, and grabbed a beer with me.
What could be better than that?
PART II
AWARDS
I wanted to acknowledge some of the people whose work I've enjoyed over my four years. This isn't a consensus. There was no poll. Just my eyes and ears. And if you're not on here, please don't take offense. We just happen to be surrounded by excellence.
Best Beat Writer – Jordan Littman
Jordan has been terrific over the last four years. As a sports journalist, he’s accomplished a lot for an undergrad. I first started reading Jordan’s work in Spring 2012 when he was one of the Little 500 beat writers for the IDS. I was shocked to learn he was a freshman doing that. Not knowing how the beat process worked at the time, I would have thought it would go to someone older. He then blossomed into the football beat writer that fall, eventually a sports editor, then made the jump to covering IU basketball for Inside the Hall. Jordan’s writing is that of neutrality. As a student media member who covers IU, I know how tough that can be. His writing is informative and thorough. With internships completed at major city newspapers, I believe Jordan has an excellent future ahead of him.
Best Broadcaster – Scott Agness and Greg Murray
With some of these, it became too hard to just pick one. Scott had incredible broadcasting skills for a student while he was here. He was a senior when I was a freshman so we didn’t get to interact much. I first heard him do a game in November 2011. It was IU basketball at Evansville. That game just so happens to be the last time IU played an out-of-conference road game outside of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. No, I’m being serious. It’s inexcusable and deplorable. Back to Scott, though. I was in the WIUX studio as an engineer for this game and I remember thinking, “man, I have a long way to go to get to this level.” He has a great voice, which is important, and he has a consistent rhythm to his call. Scott now works as the official play-by-play man for Indiana State women’s basketball while also being an Internet reporter for the Pacers.
Greg is also so talented. I had the pleasure of broadcasting alongside Greg for the 2013 basketball game between IU and Ohio State. This was the infamous “Cutting the Nets” game followed by the 1am post-game press conference. One of the perks of being in charge of assigning talent is being able to do favors for yourself. I wanted the opportunity to do a game with Greg before he graduated. His preparation is second-to-none. Jeremy Gray gives some comparisons to a young Jim Nantz with his smooth and unflappable broadcasting style. As a student, Greg was the official volleyball broadcaster. Greg also spent a couple summers broadcasting minor league baseball before returning to Bloomington last year to take over as the official voice of the baseball and women’s basketball teams.
Best Video Reporter – Tricia Whitaker and Samantha Dewig
These two seemed inseparable as IU students. They were both likable reporters for IUSportCom and BTN StudentU. In addition, Tricia spent some time reporting for the Pacers and Fever as an undergrad and Sam hosted a locally distributed telecast called “This is Indiana.” They often get credited for being a couple of the pioneers that got IUSportCom rolling. They mixed a great passion for IU Athletics with a strong work ethic in order to attain their professional goals. Tricia is now a sports reporter for CBS Indianapolis and Sam works in the Georgia Tech Athletic Department.
Best Columnist – Avi Zaleon
Avi was the IDS Basketball columnist during the 2011-2012 season. Having this honor during any season is a privilege, but this season in particular was unforgettable. Avi was the perfect fit for this position that year. He was honest, critical, praising, and unique throughout the course of the season. It was important for me to pick up the IDS whenever I could. Here are two of my favorite articles from Avi. First, his column following IU/Kentucky Part I, and a feature on Maurice Creek, who sat out the year with an injury. Avi is now chasing his sports journalism dream in Texas.
Best Story – Evan Hoopfer’s “Gamechanger” http://www.idsnews.com/article/2014/04/gamechanger
Naturally, Tracy Smith did end up leaving Bloomington just a couple months after Evan wrote this piece. Evan is an IDS guy through and through. From beat writer to columnist to sports editor to editor-in-chief, he’s had quite the career in Ernie Pyle Hall. I enjoyed this in-depth feature on Tracy Smith, the manager of the IU Baseball team as recently as last year.
Best Radio Host – Michael Norman
It was the Thursday Evening Power Hour. Often imitated, never duplicated. Michael had a knack for being on the radio. He had an engaging personality not only with his co-hosts, but also with the audience. The two hours would fly by each week. He knew how to construct a radio show by using audio clips, setting up interviews, and even taking his show on the road a couple times to increase exposure. The show broadcasted at Bloomington restaurants Opie Taylor’s and BuffaLouie’s several times and those were fun nights. Norman now works in production for the Big Ten Network and the Chicago Cubs.
Most Innovative – Robby Howard
Robby was passionate about IU sports, robviously. But where he shined the most was in March and April, during Little 500 season. Robby went from broadcasting the race as a sophomore to covering it for the IDS as a junior, to taking it to the next step as a senior and beyond. He started his own website dedicated to the Little 500, 33to1.wordpress.com. I give him credit for showcasing just how big of an event this is. Some students get caught up in thinking that just basketball matters here and that it’s the only way you can make a name for yourself. If you have an interest, you can make your name by doing just about anything. Robby now is a sports reporter for the Goshen News is northern Indiana.
Best Social Media – Joshua Bowles
Some know him solely as @Hoosier43. Josh is always up on the current social media trends and is very interactive. Josh was most heavily involved with IUSportCom while he was at IU but made his presence felt the most with his own personal brand. Now a PhD student at Tennessee, Josh remains a must-follow for sports and IU fans alike.
Biggest Rising Star – Sam Beishuizen and Ben Wittenstein
Both of these guys are currently sophomores. I think they’ll have good stories to write by the time they’re done.
Sam has done more than perhaps any IDS writer I’ve seen in just two years of service. I’ll have to be honest and say I wasn’t a fan of the baseball hat and sport coat look that Sam donned while covering IU women’s basketball games last year or his love of racecars more than horses or people. But he’s grown on me. He’s already covered men’s basketball, football, and been a sports editor. Kent Sterling of Indy sports radio has taken notice by having him as a regular guest. Sam will be one of those guys who grows up too fast and is taken away by one of the professional websites that cover IU sports. And by the way, he’s also a business student.
Ben has great potential as a broadcaster. He’s found a home at WIUX but will continue to grow as a broadcaster for BTN StudentU. Some students are offered the opportunity to be the main guy for one of the IU Olympic Sports. Ben should be one of those guys (attn.: jfgray). He’s mature, works hard, leads by example, and has skill. Some question his ability to use humor on Twitter, but let’s give the kid a break.
Best All-Around – Jimmy Pierce Cavanaugh IV and Alex K. McCarthy
Jimmy stands out at meetings. He has interesting sports takes while rocking the jorts. Jimmy had a successful career while at IU. He became one of the managing editors of IUSportCom. He was the voice of IU Volleyball and Softball. And whenever I needed someone to broadcast in a big spot at WIUX, I turned to Jimmy. His personality allowed him to make friends and no enemies. No one speaks negatively of Jimmy. Now that he’s graduated college, he’s taken quite the alternative turn and is studying in Colorado to become a full-time priest.
Alex is still in Bloomington. He’s often confused as a student. Maybe it’s because he’s still involved in student media. But that’s ok. He covered several sports at the IDS, was a sports editor, made several guest appearances on IUSTV, and hosted a successful radio show on WIUX in the latter years. Alex is a strong writer and is also a very nice guy. He now has a fake Twitter account, the ultimate sign of endearment. I have no idea who runs it, but it’s hilarious. Alex now covers IU basketball, football, and “other hashtags” for Inside Indiana.
Best Organization – WIUX
Bias? Sure. But I believe it to be true. At WIUX, there is truly a spot for everyone. Some make WIUX their priority for media involvement. For others, it’s a supplement to other work. Everyone is welcomed. Between radio shows (20 hours of weekly content), live broadcasts (covering 5 IU varsity sports), writing opportunities, social media, and podcasting, there are ways for students to grow in various mediums. I am so proud of the work we do at WIUX. With student involvement in the sports committee ranging between 35-60 members and an on-campus station house, it has become a community as well.
10 Honorable Mentions: Tony Adragna (IUSportCom, BTN, WIUX), Kevin Bowen (IDS, WIUX), Will Chukerman (WIUX, IUSportCom, BTN), Sarah Gurian (IUSTV, BTN), Dan Karell (WIUX, BTN), Connor Killoren (IDS, WIUX, Peegs), Sean Morrison (IDS, WIUX, Inside Indiana), Sean Nash (WIUX, IUSportCom, IUSTV, BTN), Sam Rumpza (WIUX, BTN), Kyle Vail (WIUX)
And to everyone else who I've worked with, gotten to know, or viewed their work: thank you. You're all capable of so much.
Email: acohen@wiux.org, Twitter: @AdamCohenIU
(02/25/15 8:02pm)
The Monday Evening Power Hour talked to Northwestern student broadcaster Jeff Eisenband to preview Wednesday's night matchup between the Hoosiers and the Wildcats. Listen here!
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/jeff-eisenband-interview
The Monday Evening Power Hour airs every Monday on WIUX from 6-8pm. @EveningPowerHr
(02/24/15 10:47pm)
Former Major League Baseball player, a 6-time Gold Glove winner, JT Snow, called in to the Monday Evening Power Hour. JT is currently a baseball analyst for the Pac-12 Network and broadcasted the Indiana Hoosiers this month when they played at Stanford. He discussed with the guys his thoughts on the team, the San Francisco Giants, memories as a player, and more! Check it out here:
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/jt-snow-wiux
The Monday Evening Power Hour airs every Monday from 6-8pm on WIUX with Adam Cohen, Will Chukerman, Matt Randall, and Josh Handszer. @EveningPowerHr
(01/21/15 11:17pm)
The memories still remain. Juan Dixon getting the ball as time expired and hoisting it into the air as the Maryland Terrapins defeated the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2002 National Championship game in Atlanta. Tom Crean rushing to the podium to call out the IU students for chanting vulgarities at UM star Greivis Vasquez in the 2009 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Those were two isolated games. Two out of seven played between these two teams over the last 82 years. Now, when the #13th ranked Terrapins visit #23 Indiana Thursday night in only their second trip to Assembly Hall, it will be the first installment of the series played with both teams part of the Big Ten. There's not a better way to get that started than with a Thursday night primetime game in front of an amped up crowd with both teams playing well. It's the first time two top-25 teams have squared off here since Senior Night in 2013, IU vs. Ohio State.
The schools are 10 hours apart (and let me tell you, that drive isn't fun), but that's only in geography. IU has three important players from the DMV area, Maryland's recruiting hotbed, in Troy Williams, Stanford Robinson, and Robert Johnson. The Big Ten Tournament is coming to Washington D.C in 2017. These two teams will play each other once or twice a year now going forward. And today, they find themselves tied atop the Big Ten standings with only one conference loss each.
So when looking at this conference's expansion and trying to pick out a potential new rivalry game, this one might be it.
"I've always had great respect for Maryland and great respect for that area and respect for (Maryland head coach) Mark Turgeon and his staff," Tom Crean said on Wednesday when I asked him about the matchup. "They're really, really good."
Maryland will come in with talent at all five positions. They are led by newcomer Melo Trimble, the second-leading freshman scorer in Big Ten games at 17 points per contest. They've also been getting key contributions from swing player Jake Layman (14.7 PPG) and Xavier defector Dez Wells (13.7 PPG). They've also added Big Ten experience with transfers Evan Smotrycz (Michigan) and Jon Graham (Penn State) who both started in games before arriving in College Park and now play off the bench.
"There's guys on that team who will be playing basketball for a long time, on a very high level," added Crean.
The key for Indiana in this matchup is to showcase their continued improvement. After falling to Michigan State on January 5th, IU has rattled off three straight wins to enter the top 25 and will be without the injured starting forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea once again.
"We saw that we were ranked and it makes us work harder because we just want to keep moving up in the rankings," said junior guard Yogi Ferrell. "What I've learned is that being ranked doesn't mean anything, you still got to go out there with the mentality of improving every game."
Ferrell has taken a back seat scoring-wise since conference play started (9.2 PPG) and has been the facilitator (5.6 APG) for the offense while also being a force defensively. He'll likely guard Trimble throughout the night, a player he says he sees similarities in from when he was a freshman, starting immediately on a veteran team. But if history is any indication, Ferrell won't be afraid to let it fly in a game like this.
In a Big Ten that is more average this year than previously, there aren't going to be many opportunities for big wins like beating a top-15 team such as Maryland, even if it is at home. Expect a loud and raucous (and maybe cleaner this time) crowd at the Hall and a close but high-scoring game.
If this one lives up to its billing, it could be the first of many memorable Big Ten games over the years for these new conference foes.
Prediction: Indiana 75, Maryland 70
Follow Adam on Twitter @adamcohenIU or email him at acohen@wiux.org. Adam is a co-host on the "Monday Evening Power Hour" on WIUX!
(11/29/14 5:51am)
It didn’t need to be difficult. It shouldn’t have been difficult. But Indiana did just enough Friday night to come out with an 87-79 victory over UNC-Greensboro and improve to 5-1.
After leading by 21 points with 17 minutes left, Indiana allowed the Spartans, who fell to 1-5 and still haven’t beaten a Division I opponent this year, to claw back into it. The Hoosiers never squandered the lead. UNCG was in the middle of making an 18-11 to cut the lead down to 7 with 2 minutes to play when Robert Johnson took a charge down low. Indiana never looked back from that point.
The win caps off a 3-game stretch against run-of-the-mill opponents that saw Indiana lose to Eastern Washington on Monday night and struggle to put the clamp down on Lamar and now UNCG.
"We're dealing with the youth of this,” coach Tom Crean said. “Guys are asked to do a lot. I'm concerned with getting the scouting reports down."
Crean alluded to the team’s poor defensive play throughout his postgame comments. Indiana has now allowed their opponents to score 98 second-half points over its last two games.
UNCG shot 14-23 from 3-point range to keep them in it. 14 makes is believed to be the most ever from on opposing team at Assembly Hall.
“Tonight, we got caught up in screens. Our awareness of guys wasn’t as good,” offered Crean as the explanation for that downfall.
While allowing UNCG to shoot well, Indiana had offensive success as well. James Blackmon Jr. had a game-high 24 points.
“I just always try to stay aggressive and tonight was a night to take more shots,” said Blackmon Jr. who went 9-17 shooting.
Yogi Ferrell added 15 and Troy Williams, who made his first start of the season, chipped in with 11. For the game, IU shot an even 50 percent from the floor.
However, the mood after the game was not a positive one, despite the win. But that’s the way it should be. UNCG is ranked 288th nationally in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. They were still able to make it close in Bloomington. For reference, Pittsburgh, Indiana’s next opponent comes in at 39.
The Big Ten/ACC Challenge comes up on Tuesday night. After spurring confidence by beating SMU, Indiana has not played well. The question now becomes will this be a team that plays up or down to their opposition. That can plague teams. All you have to do is look at last year’s Big Ten season for IU.
“I hate that term ‘work-in-progress’ but I really don’t have a better one for where we’re at six games in,” said Crean. “The bottom line is we won this game, but we can be a lot better, there’s no question about that.”
(11/21/14 4:27am)
Indiana came into Thursday night’s game against #22 Southern Methodist with the mindset to shoot. And shoot. And shoot. And shoot some more.
The Hoosiers made 12 3-pointers on 33 attempts, which proved to be the difference in the 74-68 win at Assembly Hall.
IU moved to 3-0 in the young season. But this win was different. The younger and smaller Hoosiers kept fighting back and made the shots when they needed to secure their biggest home non-conference win since beating North Carolina in the 2012 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The difference between that Indiana team and this one? That year Indiana was #1 and was expected to roll through the out of conference. This year’s team has more to prove and only play 5 teams before Big Ten season that figure to be a challenge.
James Blackmon Jr. has been, as good if not, better than advertised. His 26 points led the way, including four free-throws in the last 10 seconds to seal the deal. Through three games, he is shooting 61% from 3-point land.
Yogi Ferrell was solid with 13 points. The biggest stat for him though, was the 7 assists against no turnovers. Nick Zeisloft proved to be clutch with 3 triples of his own.
For the Mustangs led by Larry Brown, this was a game that will leave them scratching their heads. The 19 turnovers proved to be costly and they could not make the most of their size advantage. After the game, Brown talked about how fun it was to play in Assembly Hall. The long-time coach is trying to make SMU into an NCAA Tournament and alluded to how IU is a program that they can look at as a model for future growth.
But this game was about Indiana. Based on how the crowd responded, all those off-the-court issues didn’t seem to matter, at least for these 40 minutes. Stan Robinson and Troy Williams received a round of applause from the fans in their season debuts. It almost felt as if everyone just wanted to cheer again and feel good about their team.
And if Indiana can shoot the way they did tonight and play to their strengths the way they did, maybe they’ll have more to cheer about this year than we initially thought.
(11/06/14 12:40am)
Indiana women's soccer head coach Amy Berbary called in to the show Monday night to recap the team's season and look ahead to the future of the program. Listen here!
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/11-3-amy-berbary-interview
The Monday Evening Power Hour airs every Monday from 5-7pm on WIUX!
(10/21/14 1:57am)
Yahoo! Sports baseball columnist Jeff Passan called in to the show to discuss the MLB World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals for a few good minutes. Listen here!
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/jeff-passan-interview
The Monday Evening Power Hour airs every Monday from 5-7pm on WIUX! @eveningpowerhr
(10/07/14 2:01am)
Yankees and baseball reporter for WFAN Sports Radio in New York City Sweeny Murti joined the Monday Evening Power this week. Derek Jeter, the Yankees' next moves, the baseball playoffs, and more are discussed during this interview. Listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/sweeny-murti-interview
You can listen to the Monday Evening Power Hour on Mondays from 5-7pm on WIUX with Adam Cohen, Will Chukerman, Matt Randall, and Josh Handszer
(06/25/14 7:06am)
You’ll have to forgive me, as I am the least of experts when it comes to the story of Big Ten Baseball. I couldn’t tell you one head coach in the history of the conference besides the ones coaching now. But I know Tracy Smith.
So when the news came out Tuesday that the nine-year skipper at IU would be departing to the southwest to lead the Arizona State program, I was sad. I knew this was the end of the most accomplished eras in IU Athletics.
My first encounter with Coach Smith was in the fall of 2011, my freshman year, when he was a guest speaker in Myron Kanning’s “Intro to Business Administration” class. I still maintain that was one of the top three courses I’ve taken so far while at Indiana, by the way. He told us his angle on what it takes to be successful. This was before his popularity skyrocketed in Bloomington. He was the same modest, funny, down-to-earth guy then as he was the last time I had the chance to cover his team this past spring. The thing that stuck with me the most was how he stressed the importance of relationships.
“I’ll stop coaching when I stop valuing the relationships I have with others,” he said.
That’s what has made him so successful as a coach. His players love playing for him. They trust him. They can buy in to everything he preaches.
He’s great with the media. When you ask him a question, you know his answer will be honest and informative. He trusts you as a reporter.
The fans and the university adore him. The overwhelming majority of words from people giving their feedback on this news have been positive. They knew how much they meant to him while he was here.
College baseball just doesn’t mean a whole lot to most schools in this region of the country. Besides in the west and in the south, there aren’t many people who talk about it. Smith made that all change during his time at IU. Fans flocked to brand new Bart Kaufman Field the last two years to see “The Greatest Show on Turf.” His personal success of being the Big Ten Coach of the Year the last two years and National Coach of the Year in 2013 was the culmination of years of hard work, trying to build a hardly recognizable program at a run-down Sembower Field to a national contender. He did it on the relationships.
He was able to go to top Midwest players such as Micah Johnson, Kyle Schwarber, and Sam Travis and California players Alex Dickerson, Jerrud Sabourin, and Joey DeNato and convince them that they could change the culture and turn around an Indiana program that only went to the NCAA Tournament twice before Smith’s arrival.
Last year’s team with a run to the College World Series and this year’s team with a 21-3 Big Ten record, despite a disappointing exit in the regional round of the NCAAs, will not be forgotten anytime soon. Those fortunate enough to witness this era will speak about it years from now.
But like most stories in this transient college athletics business, the good ones come to an end. Coaches move on to the next challenge. It’s hard to blame Smith in this case. He has the chance to go from being the guy who builds programs to one who sustains winning ones. This one will be in one of, if not the top conference in the country, the PAC-12. With better year-round weather and an abundance of high school talent, Smith has a more realistic chance of making a national champion. It won’t be easy of course, but at 48 years old and with stock very high, this is the time to take on that challenge.
It’ll be interesting to see where Indiana baseball goes from here. When will we ever see this kind of success again? Who does Fred Glass go to as the new coach? The early name to pop up is Ty Neal, a former assistant under Smith at IU who is currently the head coach at Cincinnati. Or do they go with a more seasoned head coach who might not have IU roots?
Whatever direction they go in, it will be a story. And whatever happens in 2015 and beyond with Indiana baseball will be a story. There is now a real interest in the program.
Hoosier Nation has Tracy Smith to thank for that.
****
@adamcohenIU, acohen@wiux.org
(05/02/14 8:54pm)
Kind Butler III '12, a former IU track star, joins the Hoosier Happy Hour on the phone. He talks with our own Adam Cohen about his journey as a track star and what it meant to him when he broke a world record in the 4x400m relay this year in Poland. Check it out!
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/147615254" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
(03/17/14 7:33pm)
Sitting behind the microphone facing reporters after Indiana’s loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Tom Crean was asked the simple question.
“How would you define this season?”
Crean, seemingly knowing this kind of question would come, was quick to respond, “I wouldn’t…I hope we get to continue to play. It would be an honor to keep playing and I’d like to see us continuing to get better.”
Flip ahead three days and Indiana found out they will not have that chance. After failing to receive a bid to the secondary NIT, the Hoosiers turned down a chance to compete in the pay-to-play and still relatively new CBI, which ultimately has ended the season.
The expectations heading into the year were tempered, compared to the success of the program over the last two seasons. However, no one was predicting Indiana to miss the NCAA Tournament, let alone the NIT. It wasn’t until after barely beating LIU Brooklyn in November and not pulling out victories in their only non-conference tests in Connecticut, Syracuse, and Notre Dame did fans start to raise their eyebrows.
Some might argue that Indiana’s lack of strength in the out of conference portion of the schedule did them in. I contest that had they taken care of business at home against Northwestern and Penn State, they would’ve made the NIT. A 17-15 record just isn’t impressive, no matter who you have played. Had they got one more conference road win and at least one win in the Big Ten Tournament in addition to those first two games that I mentioned, I say they get to the NCAA Tournament.
But alas, the inconsistent play from this team caused none of that to happen, despite their wins over four top-25 teams at home.
It marks the end of the career for Will Sheehey, a young man who saw it all while in Bloomington. From only winning three games in the Big Ten his freshman year, to hitting a game-winning shot that sent IU to the Sweet 16 his sophomore year, and then being the senior leader for this disappointing season, he certainly will have quite the story to tell later on his life.
Going forward, no player can say they were here when Indiana was at its worst.
So now we’re left with more questions about the future of the program than we would’ve liked to have. When things were going well over the last two years and most fans were content with beating top teams on a consistent basis, winning a Big Ten title, and having two players be top-5 NBA draft picks, there didn’t seem to be much worry.
Now, the narrative has changed. Fans are getting restless, even after one bad season. With a team that had two McDonald’s All-Americans, including one who seems headed to the NBA in June in Noah Vonleh, four others ranked in the top 100 nationally in their respective recruiting classes, and two seniors who have scored over 1000 points in their college careers, the Hoosiers should have fared better this year.
We’ll see in the coming weeks how Crean responds to that question that he left unanswered. It should be acknowledged publicly that this year was a disappointment. During this off-season, much self-evaluating needs to take place, from the coaches and the players. Will any of the guys transfer out, which has been a detriment during this era of IU basketball? Will this year spur motivation to improve one’s skillset or cause an overwhelming sense of dejection? With the proud tradition of this program, and the still overwhelming amount of support from the fans, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be the former.
One thing is for sure; the headman isn’t going anywhere right now.
A bounce-back year in 2014-2015 is necessary, but the summer will be long until the balls get rolled out again in October.
As for right now, after Selection Sunday, over 100 teams in the country are preparing for tournament play. Indiana is nowhere to be found.
Who would have thought?
*****
Follow Adam on Twitter @adamcohenIU, or email at acohen@wiux.org
(02/28/14 7:29pm)
Adam and Kevin were joined on the phone by college basketball expert Mike Decourcy of The Sporting News and BTN to discuss Indiana's season, teams in the Big Ten, and much more! Listen in.
https://soundcloud.com/adamcohen24/mike-decourcy-interview-on
The Hoosier Happy Hour airs on WIUX from 6-7pm every Thursday!
@iuhoosierhappyhour @adamcoheniu @kschaef77
(01/18/14 11:14pm)
There are letdowns and there are disappointments in sports. The Indiana basketball faithful saw that first-hand Saturday afternoon.
After knocking off 3rd-ranked and previously unbeaten Wisconsin on Tuesday night, the Hoosiers responded with a performance to forget as they fell short to conference foe Northwestern (9-10, 2-4), 53-47.
Just when the thought was that Indiana (12-7, 2-3) was turning their season around, this was a game Indiana needed to avoid.
“We actually took a step back now. We have to take a couple of steps forward to get back to where we were,” said IU guard Stanford Robinson.
Northwestern played tough throughout this low-scoring affair. It was 22-19 in the Wildcats favor at halftime. The second half saw them shoot 50 percent from the field led by backup guard Tre Demps’s 13 points in the final 20 minutes.
Defensively, they were able to prevent Indiana from getting easy baskets by clogging the lane and forcing IU to take outside shots.
It was an effective strategy as Indiana shot 25 percent on the game and 4-18 from 3-point range.
“There's a way to win and there's a way to lose. Today, we showed a way to lose. I can't put it on youth,” explained Indiana head coach Tom Crean. “We didn't have some of the older guys play as well. We didn't have the hunger that you need to play with on a daily basis.”
Noah Vonleh led the way for Indiana with 17 points and 12 rebounds, his first double-double in Big Ten play. But it was the ineffectiveness from the veterans that cost the Hoosiers. Will Sheehey, Evan Gordon, and Yogi Ferrell combined to shoot an abysmal 6-33 from the floor.
“We try to make them make contested jump shots,” said Northwestern head coach Chris Collins, whose team also had 8 blocks. “Some nights they are going to make them. Today we were fortunate. Indiana didn’t make their shots.”
For the third straight game, Jeremy Hollowell saw no playing time.
Indiana did not respond to their first real success of the season with the game on Saturday. In a year filled with inconsistent play from this team, they will have to get back on track for the continuing grind that is the Big Ten season. It appears that personnel changes could be coming as well.
“There are a lot of spots open to be won starting tomorrow,” said Crean.
(12/21/13 3:22am)
Bloomington, IN -- It was not the prettiest of games. It did not lend much to the ‘how much did we learn?’ discussion. Nevertheless, Indiana came away Friday night with a comfortable 79-66 victory over Nicholls State.
After jumping out to a 37-22 lead by halftime, the Hoosiers never had the game in doubt, despite not outscoring the Colonels in the second half.
It was one of Indiana’s best shooting games of the season to date. They shot 24-44 (55%) from the field, 5-12 (42%) from 3-point land, and 26-35 (74%) from the free-throw line.
The Hoosiers showed some new wrinkles on the defense side of the ball. They implemented a zone press to speed up of the game.
“We have to be able to change tempos in the game,” explained Indiana head coach Tom Crean. “We’re not going to be successful if we let teams set their pace, especially when it’s more deliberate.”
A cause for concern was the turnovers that Indiana committed. Their 20 giveaways was a season high, something that does not sit well with the players.
“We’ll correct the turnovers,” said senior forward Will Sheehey. “20 is obviously too high for our team, but we’re playing a different pace. We’ve been practicing at a different pace so we’ll get it fixed.”
“We played a lot of guys (all 18 Hoosiers played, including 14 in the first half) so you’re never going to get into a great rhythm but it wasn’t about rhythm tonight as much as it was about just all-out, hard-nosed, bringing a lot of pressure to the game,” added Crean.
Yogi Ferrell led the way with 16 points and 8 assists. Sheehey and Jeremy Hollowell added 14 apiece.
Indiana improves to 9-3 on the season. The final non-conference games comes Sunday at noon at Kennesaw State. That game will also be carried on the WIUX airwaves. After that, they will travel to Illinois on New Year’s Eve Day to open up Big Ten play, followed by a home tilt against Michigan State.
After falling to Notre Dame in Indianapolis last Saturday, this team is still looking for signature wins in order to make the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten season will be tougher than the last two seasons were due to the current inexperience. However, there will be plenty of opportunities to display what kind of improvements they’ve made and bolster their resume.
“It’s all a matter of getting guys to understand that the greatest form of toughness is your consistency and we’ve got to become a consistent team and then we’ll be a lot better and tougher in a lot of different areas,” said Crean.
(12/01/13 3:39am)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- It ended on a high note.
The 2013 Indiana Hoosier football team fell short of expectations. Finishing at a 5-7 record, they failed to make a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year.
But on Saturday, against arch-rival Purdue, they put together a solid effort to take down the Boilermakers, 56-36, in the final game of the year. The win places the Old Oaken Bucket in Bloomington after Indiana fell in the last two meetings.
The game didn’t have as much luster as a rivalry like this should. When there are two teams sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten, that will happen. Purdue finishes a dismal year with only one win, a 6-point victory over FCS opponent Indiana State.
Indiana needed to end the season with this victory. Not only because Purdue had such a down year, but because there needed to be some sort of positive momentum heading into the offseason, and the hard-working seniors deserved to have this feel-good moment before they head out.
Players like Kofi Hughes, Ted Bolser, Mitch Ewald, and Greg Heban; they’ve been through a lot of bad during their time at IU. A coaching change after 2010, no winning seasons, and missed opportunities will define their careers. For the 21 seniors, winning in their final game and taking down Purdue once again will be a positive they can take away.
"It was great. I held (the Bucket) and touched it my first year here. To have it back in Bloomington where it belongs is a great feeling," said Heban.
The improvements that this class made over their careers were noticeable. It was reflective of where many feel this program has made strides since Coach Wilson’s first season.
“I know that the wins and losses don't really show the production and how far this team has come, but behind the scenes I think that these seniors really set the standard really, really high,” said Hughes. “I'm really excited to see how this team does next year because I think that there is going to be a lot of good momentum going into next season."
Looking forward to 2014, some questions need to be answered:
Will there be coaching changes on the defensive side of the ball?
Does Tre Roberson’s six-touchdown performance in the final game make him the starter going forward?
Will this team show enough strength to finally pull out victories in the close games?
Starting with the first, there absolutely has to be changes. Even Purdue, who didn’t score more than 24 points in a game all season and was at the bottom of many conference offensive categories, managed to put up over 500 yards and 36 points on the IU defense. This unit has somehow found ways to get worse. The fundamentals don’t look strong, and the schemes haven’t worked, against any opponent. With just an average defense, this team would’ve been looking at 8 wins this year.
In terms of the quarterback controversy, Nate Sudfeld has one strong arm for him to be sitting on the bench. Tre Roberson has shown the ability to lead scoring drives and make plays with his feet. Indications would lead one to believe both would play similar roles next season.
The bottom line is, IU has to find a way to make the postseason in 2014. They’ve been close so many times, but after three full seasons at the helm, Kevin Wilson needs to prove he belongs at his position and take the team where it needs to go. Time will tell.
For now, the victory flag will hang high at Memorial Stadium for a few months. State bragging rights and the Bucket can belong to the Hoosiers.
But it’s time for this program to take the next step, and not have to call next year’s Bucket Game the season finale.