NBA All-Star Break + IU vs. Purdue x Perea OWI Arrest = Lots of IU Hoops Talk on “Ahead of the Curve” at 11a on 1070 the Fan

by Kent Sterling

Some shows, hosts get to choose from a bunch of great guests and topics to inform and entertain listeners, and others have topicality thrust upon them.  Today is one of the latter for “Ahead of the Curve” with Fox 59 sports director Chris Hagan and me on 1070 the Fan/107.5 FM (Indianapolis) and 1070thefan.com at 11 a.m.

Truth be told, I would rather talk about sports than some eight-minute-per-game kid who acted like the immature dumbass nearly all 19 year-olds are, but how IU coach Tom Crean chooses to handle his first behavioral crisis of which we are aware in his nearly six-year tenure is a very important component in figuring out what kind of culture he has created in Bloomington.

Hanner Mosquiera-Perea’s indefinite suspension was announced last night in a press release that included only the comment from Crean that pledged love and support, while saying also that he will not travel to Purdue and will not play for Indiana for an undetermined amount of time.

There are a lot of ways to go with the punishment of a player who exhibits such wanton selfishness, but as we found with the benching of Jeremy Hollowell for a period last month, Crean doesn’t grandstand with his discipline.  Whatever happens stays within the family, and while there are rumors about Hollowell’s indiscretion, no one within IU has said a word.

While I have a morbid curiosity about what happened, there should be a small closet where the attitudinal education of a celebrity teen basketball player can remain the business of only those it directly affects.  I know I’m glad that my dirty laundry as a 20 year-old belonged to me and wasn’t hung from the ninth floor of Briscoe Quad for all to gaze at.

Mosquiera-Perea’s incident is different because once an adult is arrested, we all get a peek at the public record.  The booking took place at 4:45a, and his blood-alcohol level was clocked at 0.15%.  That level of dumb deserves discussion if only to remind those who haven’t seen the carnage that can be caused by drunk driving that it can end and ruin lives.

There is basketball to be played today by the Hoosiers in West Lafayette at 4p.  Indiana and Purdue have matching records – both are 14-10 overall, 4-7 in the Big Ten, and have lost five of their last seven.  Both have disappointed their fans with uneven and unpredictable play.

We’ll talk to Stephen Bardo of the Big Ten Network and several others with unique and informed perspectives on both the mess caused by Perea’s indifference to safety, and the business of basketball to be played this afternoon.

There are other topics that are worth discussing.  Indiana Pacer Paul George will participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest tonight, spring training has opened, and the Winter Olympics are in full swing.  As I write, I’m keeping a close eye on the hockey game between the Russians and Americans.  While most of the Olympic events are not riveting to me, the hockey is incredible.  The game is in overtime tied at two.  For hockey fans, a Saturday morning gets no better than this.

Can’t wait for the microphone to open at 11a.