33 comments

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  Tom Coverdale IU Hero

  1 year ago

  We need this guy to win he keep our players from making stupid decisions outside the three point line and gets 8 boards a game he is a very important part of this Hoosier team
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  kelin

  1 year ago

  From Midnight Madness to this very day, it has been nothing but Drama with IU....when will it end?
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  BEDUB

  1 year ago

  maybe , just maybe it will end with celebratory drama around the end of April . the 02 team was a 5 seed .
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  CoveyDale

  1 year ago

  comparing the '02 team to THIS team are we?
  
  apples and oranges, my friend. apples and oranges.
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  BrianK

  1 year ago

  I dont' know in some ways. This team has more talent. But this team doesn't play like a team. 02 was playing for the School. were proud to be Hoosiers. This team...not so much.
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  BEDUB

  1 year ago

  DJ is the beef and the brawn , EJ is the specialist ,and Ellis is the orchestrator , he makes everyone around him better . We definitly need his blue collar work .He was at the awards banquet and in the pictures he looked like he was having fun .Hopefully that is a positive sign . It is my opinion that he is one of those players that plays hard and aggressive because he absolutley hates to lose . Overall we need everyone we have , only we need them to be united , positive , and focused .
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  Mark

  1 year ago

  I don't mind him being loyal to Sampson, but why take it out on the team and interim coach? DD was put in that unenviable position by Greenspan and Greenspan fired Sampson. If Ellis is so hurt he should take his frustrations out elsewhere and not penalize his teammates for it. He's only hurting himself and the team. If he doesn't care, then go live with Sampson for all I care. It's past time to move on. Either you want to play or you don't. Don't like DD because you wanted McCallum, tough. That's the way it is. Life is rough sometimes. Suck it up and play. If you don't want to stay, leave. Stop coddling these guys. It appears others have gotten over it and if they haven't, they are acting as if they have. Maybe we'll see mass defections after the season, but again, if you're not here to play for IU and the new coach, then it probably is best to leave. As much as I would love to have him on the floor, discipline has to be instilled. I would guess there wasn't any w/ Sampson or he wouldn't be acting this way. So I say this, get it together Ellis or enjoy an extended summer vacation. Put guys on the floor that want to play. Go Hoosiers!
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  Eamonn

  1 year ago

  At the risk of insulting Jamarcus, I think it's probably safe to say that he doesn't see the situation as analytically as we do. It's not Dakich's fault Dakich took over, but do you think Ellis recognizes the political implications behind it? Maybe he does, or maybe he doesn't, but you have to recognize the wiggle room there.
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  Eamonn

  1 year ago

  I'll add this, too: It's like a divorce. Some kids get that divorce is the best thing for their parents, and some kids never forgive, especially not right away. Ellis is probably the latter.
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  TomCoverdale's Eyebrows

  1 year ago

  I understand the loyalty aspect to KS. Fine. Unfortunately, I don’t think this has nothing to do with loyalty at this point. This has to do with maturity, and it doesn’t appear that Ellis has too much.
  
  “With that in mind, I hope you all have a bit more understanding of where Jamarcus’ frustration is coming from now that Sampson is gone.”
  
  You want to talk about frustration? Look at DJ White, and then tell me if you believe the way Ellis was/is acting is justified. White has now played under three coaches in his short 4 years. Its time for Ellis to pull his head out of his butt and realize that if he can’t play for the coach who recruited him, he sure as hell can play for the 12 other guys who he has spent countless hours with working to achieve the same goal.
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  Joe Hillman

  1 year ago

  As you note, DJ has been through it before. I seem to recall DJ talking about leaving to follow Mike Davis. They're kids. DJ has matured. Perhaps Ellis will, too. It's just a question of when.
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  gowabash

  1 year ago

  We often forget that these are 18-22 year old young men. Emotions run high. Like most kids that age, they like to get their own way. And when they don't, they react. Maybe his reaction wasn't the most mature, but then again he's 20. I don't know about you, but I did a lot of immature things when I was 20 that I don't do now.
  And just because DJ can handle it doesn't mean that others will. No one has as much at stake as DJ.
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  Corey

  1 year ago

  I don't know why everyone on this board is so high on Ellis. He is turnover prone, makes bad shot selections, and is horrible on the dribble. I have been wondering all season why Sampson plays him so much. If we have Bassett, Gordon, and DJ (and to a certain extent Stemler or Taber) on their game, we have a decent shot at anyone. Forget about Ellis.
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  WHAT???

  1 year ago

  do you realize that Ellis is the BEST BALLHANDLER on this team??? that is where he is needed. Bassett, as much as everyone likes to think, is not a very good ball handler. Gordon is not even close. Crawford, yeah, right... Ellis can make the ball act like a yo-yo when he wants and is BY FAR the most accomplished player off the dribble. How he uses those skills is up for debate - shot selection the main issue there - but there is no question he is hands down the player I feel most comfortable with the ball in his hands when a play needs to be made.
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  WHAT???

  1 year ago

  and before you say Gordon on that account...realize, I that I said a 'PLAY' needs to be made, not a drive or a shot or a basket 1-on-1 or 1-on-4...a 'PLAY'
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  IndianaJoe

  1 year ago

  Some people on this team needs tough love to mature because they are acting like 10-11 year olds. DD needed to do something. Maybe that will give everybody on the team a wake up call. I seriously doubt it.
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  BrianK

  1 year ago

  I think part of this goes back to Sampson. i liked Sampson but as we have seen, player skills havent been developed and neither has disclipine.
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  Brent

  1 year ago

  Our team is much better when Ellis is on the floor, PERIOD. Do you not think Taber, crawford, and stemmler arent just as upset...its not like these guys have a whole lot to play for(NBA)...their playing for their teammates and themselves! I like jamarcus, but if hes walking around with a chip on his shoulder and creating more drama then he needs to get cut...theres plenty of HOOSIER BOYS that would LOVE to put on the crimson and cream and walk-on!!!
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  Jerry

  1 year ago

  Taking this commentary at face value then clearly what Ellis needs right now is for us "stick with him". I for one donot like trashing any 20+ yr old player for immaturity or bad judgement. Perhaps he did not have many positive role models early in life , I don't know.
  
  He got his "tough love" from DD now we too need to move on. He needs and deserves to be forgiven and supported by us ............da fans.
  
  At times this year ( ie first Iowa game ) he took the game over w defense, rebounds , loose balls and assists. I don't even mind his shots . We need another scorer and he can only learn that by ..........guess...........shooting.
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  BTOWN40

  1 year ago

  I loved Ellis early on and wished he was only a freshman so we could have 3 more years with him. He makes the players around him better and is unselfish as hell doing whatever is needed to get the W....Having said that SH&% HAPPENS.....If you make it to the NBA how many coaches r u going to go thru in your career 4-5-6 (that's alot of initials to write on your shoes)...Please Ellis I don't need you, but your teamates do IU needs you....Be pissed at Greenspan hell egg his house, tp his yard, put a potato in his tailpipe if your inmature and pissed, if not get back on the court and be there for your boys...finish strong...who knows you may like TONY BENNETT as your next coach, just don't count on him calling you as often as your homie did.....PEACE MAN UP
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  Thoosier

  1 year ago

  *inmature isn't a word
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  ALH_00

  1 year ago

  I agree. I don't think Ellis' shot selection is bad at all. When he does take a bad shot it's usually on a drive where he's either caught with no one to pass to (it happens to everyone...see Bassett and EJ) or late in the shot-clock. He and Stemler are the only ones that routinely give up open looks at the three-pointer early in the shot-clock to reset the offense and try to get a better look (or if there is no one to rebound).
  
  Ellis is also a solid contributor with rebounding and defense. IU is better with Ellis on the floor. This situation, like so many others this year, is disappointing, but you're right, we have to stay behind this team because they need the support now more than ever. This may be particularly true for Ellis.
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  Tim

  1 year ago

  I didn't realize his situation at Texas A&M. This is a sad situation all around. I hope he can come back and Dakich doesn't overreact. It's late in the season and a little late for discipline issues.
  
  Thanks for the insights.
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  Ben

  1 year ago

  lets get this sum bitch together and with the whole damn thing!
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  Spenser

  1 year ago

  All I know is, I have it from inside sources (how many times have I scoffed at that phrase, and now I'm the one saying it) that Ellis being suspended had nothing to do with Ellis' attitude towards Dakich. Now, I don't like Dakich as coach, but there is no reason to spread that rumor.
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  smokeydental1

  1 year ago

  This entire problem with the current state of the program can be traced to the fact that KS should never have been hired in the first place, regardless of who made the decision.
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  JamesHardy

  1 year ago

  I'm a FIRM believer in "the inmates should not run the asylumn." The way Ellis was rollin on the sidelines after KS was banished, is exactly that. That bullshit he pulled in the N'western game...Screaming at DD on the sidelines...pouting and bitching at the officials (I know, he wasn't the only one) are all examples of acts of immaturity and a spoild brat trying to get his own way. Is it Ellis' fault...who knows...maybe he wasn't loved or hugged enough as a kid, as someone else mentioned...you can't change the past, but as a young adult, he has the opportunity to grow up for the future.
  
  Just in case he reads this blog...Ellis...here are some ideas of what "growing up" looks like:
  1. DO NOT YELL AT YOUR COACH...he's the authority figure here. When you yell at him, that's called "disrespect" which is a key sign of immaturity
  
  2. DO NOT FIGHT WITH THE OTHER TEAM...I don't care if they did give a bit of a hard fould to your brother in arms...you don't get immature and start fighting with your fists...better choice in that situation...beat them by 30 on the scoreboard!
  
  3 YOU CAN'T CONTROL the PAST OR SOMEONE ELSE'S ACTIONS....Sampson is GONE...get past it. It's not your fault...its not your teammates' fault....it is coach sampson's fault. You can't go back and change the past anymore than you could have kept him from breaking the rules. It is not your responsibility...so love Sampson for sticking with you, but HOW ABOUT SOME LOVE FOR THE OTHER GUYS YOU GO TO BATTLE WITH TWICE A WEEK????
  
  I don't blame you for being immature Mr. Ellis, you are young, and I understand that. What i don't get is how you can keep making bad decisions that don't just affect you, but affect all those around you as well. Hopefully, you remove your head from your ANAL CAVITY here in the near future and get back to playin some basketball....but only if you decide to grow up first. Good Luck to you!
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  Jerry

  1 year ago

  " IF you can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you ...." Rudyard Kipling
  
  I think its fair to say that we all actually want badly to love Ellis and his game. Hopefully he follows your formula, plays his "A" game and finds out SAmpson is not the only guy or last guy thats going to " stick with him ".
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  steve

  1 year ago

  Fantastic post, this has been his problem all year.
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  hoosierfan27

  1 year ago

  Ellis has become the usual JC transfer. He's undisciplined, lacks respect and plays for himself more than his team. I think Sampson would have been fired in a couple of years b/c he was not bringing in four year players. He loved the Juco players since Oklahoma, and brought them to Indiana, a program that thrives on four year players that can fully mature under a coach. We don't need players for one or two years, we need them for four. As much as a hate the Boilers, their man Painter may have recruited himself a future Ntl Champ. team right under Sampson's nose with ALL INDIANA RECRUITS. Its slightly embarassing to think of all the extra effort Sampson's staff put on landing Gordon who won't be a Hoosier after this year. No offense EJ, but I would have rather seen some of those Purdue freshman in candystripes than you. Go Hoosiers!
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  JamesHardy

  1 year ago

  newsflash...KS didn't have to work to hard to get EJ. EJ, his dad, and AAU coach came to KS. JUCO players being undisciplined is the responsibility of the coach...if he's going to recruit them, I'm okay with that. What needs to happen is that the coach needs to show these kids (one n done, juco, or 4 yr players) what GOOD DECISIONS look like...what learning from your mistakes looks like....what INTEGRITY looks like...what TEAM looks like...those are the reasons KS would have gotten fired in the near future.
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  hoosierfan27

  1 year ago

  NEWSFLASH... You don't think KS was all over the phone with the Gordon's? Come on. JC players usually do lack respect or discipline, thats why their in JC. What I was trying to say is that Sampson was incapable of forming these players into solid contributers because he lacked the discipline and integrity to do so. I do agree with you in that respect, but I would much rather see kids coming to IU straight out of high school than the JC ranks. They tend to be more rounded on and off the court than their JC counterparts and usually they are in Bloomington for longer than two years.
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  JamesHardy

  1 year ago

  I didn't say that KS wasn't on the phone...I'm saying that EJ's camp called KS...not the other way around. EJ's AAU coach had ties to KS from the past. KS didn't have to work as hard as he did to get Hummel or Martin...oops, he didn't get them did he...guess he wasted those minutes!
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