General order

Sporting News, The, Dec 8, 1997 by Bob Benner

The new faces also feature two junior college transfers--6-8 William Gladness and 6-4 Rob Turner--who instantly provide the kind of athletic ability that has been missing from recent squads. Hoops historians might also note that Indiana's 1987 national championship team featured JC transfers Keith Smart and Dean Garrett.

The coaching stats has changed substantially too. Gone are former player and longtime aid Dan Dakich (now head coach at Bowling Green), administrative assistant Norm Ellenberger (he has taken a fund-raising position with IU) and bench coach Ron Felling (now the administrative assistant). In their places, assistant Craig Hartman moved up and Mike Davis (from Alabama) and John Treloar (CBA's Connecticut Pride) moved in. Davis is lU's first black assistant since Joby Wright let's in 1990, and his hiring may have been in response to criticism that Indiana's previously al]white staff was not able to make the necessary inroads recruiting top black high school players.

Most are predicting Indiana will challenge Purdue for the Big Ten title and be a top-20 team. But should this team underachieve, Knight is likely to face the harshest criticism of his storied career. It also will be increasingly difficult to convince recruits that the program is not unlike one of those old, boxy Cadillacs trying to keep pace against today's Porsches.

Yet, to call this a make-or-break season is probably too strong. Knight still wields immense power and influence, his program is spotless and the graduation in rate of those who stay through their eligibility is exceptional (98 percent).

Short of another incident, Knight's record and accomplishments demand he he cut some slack. Knight's last tour teams have averaged 20 victories and been to four straight NCAAs. And that's considered a slump. Think about it.

Then again, there is unquestionably a sense of urgency to restore Indiana's national stature.

The key is Patterson, a senior forward who has an NBA body (6-8, 240) but not the mental toughness. After showcasing his potential with a 39-point outburst in the Preseason NIT against Duke last season, he was plaqued by injuries and his performance fell off off as the season wore on

"If he plays like he did the first five games last year, I think we're Final Four bound," Guyton says. "If he gets soft like, he did toward the end of last year with the injuries, that's it. That really hurt US last year When he went, we went."

Knight's perspective has been near impossible to obtain. He skipped university and Big Ten media days and has offered little meaningful public comment on his expectations. In the Indiana media guide, he says, "I have just not felt that we've had the kind of basketball here that we have to have or should have or that we want to have. It hasn't been the kind of basketball that our teams have usually played. So to that end, we tried to make some changes."

But do those changes include Knight himself? Visitors to practices have seen a Knight less prone to criticism and more into teaching. There also have been reports of stepping up the offensive tempo, although scoring generally has not been the problem. Where IU has struggled is defensively. and that remains a major concern.