Author Archives: bertbeiswanger

What a statement: Brad Stevens hired by the Boston Celtics.

by Bert Beiswanger

It’s been a heck of a ride the past decade-plus, a pyramid of achievements.

15 years ago, Butler started knocking off the big boys with regularity- regular season games, pre-season tournament games, NCAA tournament games; it didn’t matter. One trip to the Sweet 16 was followed by another…and another…and another. Butler did the unthinkable by making consecutive appearances in the national title game.

Next year, Butler will begin play in the reformed Big East. Teams like Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova will be making yearly trips to a renovated cathedral of basketball: Hinkle Fieldhouse. From the MCC (Midwestern City Conference then Midwestern Collegiate Conference) to the Horizon League to the Atlantic Ten to the Big East…what a journey it’s been.

And along the way, Butler found itself one of the best coaches in the county; not one of the best young coaches or one of the best mid-major coaches but one of the BEST coaches in the country.

It took the mighty Boston Celtics to pry Brad Stevens away from one of the best gigs a coach could ever want. What a statement as to where Butler basketball is right now.

Butler will probably have a new head coach within a few days. Athletic director Barry Collier already had a list of potential successors in place. While many schools spend enormous amounts of resources hiring search firms and chasing the next big thing, Butler will pull from its very specific rolodex of “Butler Way” candidates.

Sure, no one could have expected the Celtics to hire Stevens and many expected Stevens to be a lifer. But folks like Collier, the architect and founding father of all of this Butler basketball success, don’t sit around expecting anything. They prepare for everything.

Butler is Butler in large part because of Brad Stevens. But it’s also Butler because of the leadership within the university and that includes one of the best administrators in the college sports, Barry Collier.

Let me ask you: Did you know who Brad Stevens was before he got hired? I didn’t think so. Chances are people won’t be blown away by the next hire, either. Oh, you may recognize him – perhaps former Bulldog Brandon Miller or LaVall Jordan – but I doubt the hire will be a name that blows people away. I could be wrong. It is a new day with Butler joining the Big East. But I suspect the hire will be someone already in the Butler family.

What I will guarantee, though, is that Collier has had a plan for this day all along. It took the prestigious Boston Celtics to lure away Brad Stevens. What an honor all around – for Butler and for Stevens.

Everyone who loves Butler basketball should be proud of this day. They should also be proud of the leadership within the institution. I could only hope that a coach of my beloved Ball State Cardinals would one day get hired away by the Boston Celtics.

If Boston Celtics fans don’t realize what they’re getting in Brad Stevens, they will soon. If Butler fans don’t realize what they’re getting in the next head coach, they will soon.

Butler will push on to bright days ahead and success in the Big East. It’s The Butler Way.

Hangover Part Six. The Pacers Have Felt This Pain Before

by Bert Beiswanger

I should’ve taken a B-12 vitamin prior to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. I’m told they work well to prevent the pain of hangovers – not that I would know. What I do know is we’ve been here before. For all the Indiana Pacers accomplished, Tuesday felt like a hangover based on the extremely rough performance in Game 7.

Since the 1993-94 season, the Pacers have made it to seven Eastern Conference Finals, five of which went to Game 7. On six occasions they were unable to push on to the NBA Finals. It gets a little old after a while.

This team accomplished more than I think anyone thought they would once it was clear they were going to be without Danny Granger for the entire season. But the performance in Game 7 deserves criticism and raised some questions moving forward. I just found it to be a very disturbing ending to what was a wonderful season.

I could tolerate the Pacers playing one of their best games and losing Monday night. But what they did instead was lay an egg. They gave themselves no chance to win that game: Nine first quarter and 16 first half turnovers. Do you really need to dissect the game much beyond that?

To think the Pacers will just waltz right back to a Game 7 of the conference finals next year and make it over the hump is a little short-sighted. Naturally, the talk now centers on what the team can do to take the next step.

The easiest and most obvious assumption is that the Pacers will be a better team because all the key ingredients will get better with another year of experience. That may be the case and will probably be the most important factor. But I’m not sure that alone will do it.

So much next year hinges on the health of Danny Granger. I don’t want to hear any more about Paul George’s arrival. Everyone calm down a little. He is making steady progress and showing all the signs of a star in the making. But he’s not there, yet. He had seven points on nine shots in Game 7. I know he’s asked to do a lot, but that’s not arriving. He’s on his way, I get it, but he’s still got a little ways to go.

People often point to how much George is asked to do. A big reason is the Pacers, as a team, can’t shoot and score consistently. Too often George has to carry a burden he’s not quite ready to carry. They don’t have the guy who can get on a roll and knock down perimeter shots like Granger can. You see what happens when George doesn’t score.

This team is offensively offensive at times. Paul George has not arrived because he too often has games like Monday night. That’s no slight to him. It’s simply a reminder that George is still a young player who has room for improvement, if we’re talking about him truly being a star.

Granger is capable of getting on rolls and knocking down big shots. If he’s healthy, he returns to the starting lineup and Stephenson strengthens the bench and continues to grow. If he’s serviceable and not entirely healthy?…I still wonder what you do. This team can’t shoot consistently. I want Granger back if he’s serviceable, even if it’s off the bench. His salary may seem like a lot for a bench player, but his contract comes off the books after 2014. That’s not a bad situation to be in. It all depends on what options are out there. All I know is the Gerald Green and Sam Young signings won’t cut it.

If David West will take a similar contract to the one he signed a couple years ago, fine. If not, I’m not sure the Pacers won’t need to explore other options, though I don’t think it will get to that point.

Whatever moves are made will be done with the consideration that Paul George is up for renewal after next season (when Granger’s current deal comes off the books). You can’t over-sign someone like David West. That has to be the right deal for cap reasons. Plus, George Hill’s $10 mill per year contract isn’t exactly cap-friendly for this team simply because it is evident the Pacers still need point guard help. D.J. Augustin was a big disappointment. It would be nice if Hill could log more minutes at the two spot but personnel will probably dictate that he will spend most of the time at the point again. Hopefully, he will improve his point guard skills and help cure some of the problems this team has taking care of the ball.

If it sounds like I’m being overly critical, it’s because I am. I’m tired of losing conference finals. And I’m tired of the assumption that since a team made it to a certain level it’s automatic that it will take the next step the following year. It’s not that easy. And the salary cap restricts just how much a team can do to improve.

Getting embarrassed by 20 points in Game 7 changed my outlook a little. Derrick Rose also returns for the Chicago Bulls next year. Don’t be so sure that a return to the conference finals is guaranteed.

Jim Harbaugh Embracing Indy 500 Pace Car Opportunity

By Bert Beiswanger

Based on the hearty handshake San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh gave me after taking a few minutes to talk at Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a few things were immediately apparent to me:

1). I felt more respect from Harbaugh than Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz probably does – no handshake problems here.

2). Second, the opportunity to drive the ceremonial Indy 500 pace car is something Harbaugh is cherishing.

Harbaugh was like a kid in a candy store, soaking up the moment for all its worth. After getting some practice laps in the Corvette Stingray with driving coach and offical pace car driver Johnny Rutherford, he soaked in the atmosphere of the day.

The founding partner of Panther racing is enjoying the weekend on muliple levels. After pacing the field for the ceremonial laps Sunday, Harbaugh will be watch closely as Panther’s J.R. Hildebrand (No. 4 National Guard car) and Townsend Bell (No. 60 Sunoco car) try to bring home the team’s first Indy 500 win.

“It’s just fantastic'” Harbaugh said. “It’s great to be back here and watch the team, watch our drivers and some of the youngsters, too. Ed Carpenter, I knew him when he was a child; same with Conor Daly. To see those two guys out here doing what they’re doing, it’s just wonderful.”

So, what’s it feel like to be driving the pace car at Indy?:

“Well, it’s like, ‘How’d you get so lucky?’ I’m just lucky, I guess. I was thrilled when they told me they were considering me. To be able to do it; I’m really thrilled to do it. It’s going to be one of life’s memorable moments. I need some work, though.”

But Harbaugh has the benefit of being coached by three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford:

“I got that going for me. Mr. Rutherford took me around the track this morning and showed me how to do it. Then he let me do it for four or five laps. I need some work, but I’ll get it down with him in my corner.”

Do you ever get tired of seeing the number four on the side of and Indy car?:

“Not at all. That’s a wonderful sight. J.R. (Hildebrand) looked really quick this morning. Everybody’s excited; John Barnes and the whole Panther team. They’ve done such a phenomenal job here. You expect continued success.”

1998 Indy 500 Champion Eddie Cheever Talks INDYCAR

by Bert Beiswanger

When you watch the television broadcast (or re-broadcast) of this year’s Indianapolis 500 on ABC, you’re sure to be entertained and educated by the knowledge and experience of 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever.

Cheever is fairly direct and passionate about everything he has to say about open wheel racing. When you engage him in conversation, you’re best to listen, especially if you’re fortunate enough to ask him the right questions to get him to pontificate and not look at you like you’re a moron for asking a stupid question.

As exciting as the IZOD IndyCar Series has been this year, there’s no shortage of storylines the 1998 “500” winner has an opinion on concerning this year’s race.

EDDIE CHEEVER:

“We might be witnessing history. For only the fourth time in the history of the ‘500,’ we might have a four-time winner, either with Helio Castroneves or Dario Franchitti. That’s a big thing. We have a whole new generation of younger American drivers who are doing very, very well. One of them is on pole (Ed Carpenter).

“It’s the second year of this new equipment. Everybody is getting a better handle on it. And the field is incredibly competitive. Anybody out of that (Fast Nine) could have gotten the pole. So you can just pick and choose whatever you want. It’s going to be a great race. I suspect more passing than there was last year. I suspect there might be a few more accidents because the drivers are more confident than they were last year, so they’re willing to risk more. It’ll be full of surprises”

On Andretti Autosport’s armada of drivers starting in the first three rows, particularly rookie Carlos Munoz, who starts in the middle of the front row Sunday:

“I would say the biggest surprise – and it’s a pleasant surprise – is to see how well Andretti Autosport has done. And (Carlos Munoz) is one of the surprises that have come out of that group. But every one of them (Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Marco Andretti, E.J. Viso and Munoz) has been quick. Every one of them has been in the top group every day. He had a stunning performance in qualifying. He’s not afraid. That comes a lot with youth. When you have a good car, you just go out and do it. But I can tell you one thing I am positive of is that there are two types of drivers in INDYCAR: There are those who have hit the wall and those who are going to hit the wall. It’s just a question of how and when. So if you get too aggressive with it, and you think that you’re bulletproof, the racing gods have a very quick method of showing you that everybody sooner or later spins.”

INDYCAR fans (and some INDYCAR media) have an inferiority complex. They spend way too much time whining about what’s wrong with the series instead of being ambassadors and embracing what is, hands down, the best racing out there.

Cheever has an answer for that, too:

“I think everybody needs to stop making a comparison to NASCAR. Let NASCAR be what it is, and let INDYCAR be what it is. It has a lot of talent. It’s got a lot of great racing. They do a lot of different tracks, and that’s great. I think the racing is exceptional. They have some incredibly talented race car drivers here, race car drivers from all over the world. America is very well represented in that group. And we have a great battle between Honda and Chevy.”

So stop whining INDYCAR fans and take Cheever’s advice. Stop for a minute and smell the roses. Sure, every rose has its thorn – as Brett Michaels of Poison will surely sing to you Friday at Miller Lite Carb Day. I prefer the carp diem perspective when if comes to modern day INDYCAR.

Poor Defensive Execution Down the Stretch Dooms Pacers in Game 1

by Bert Beiswanger

Not long after the Indiana Pacers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Miami Heat on a last second layup by LeBron James, much of the post-game criticism turned to coach Frank Vogel’s decision not to have Roy Hibbert on the floor during the last possession.

The moment I noticed Hibbert not out there I said to my friends “Why is Hibbert not on the floor?” I still don’t fully comprehend the decision, but I can live with it in this particular situation.

In my opinion, the more egregious mistake involving Hibbert getting pulled defensively happened down the stretch in Game 6 of the Knicks series. In that situation, the game was still in the balance with plenty of time and full half-court possessions left. At that time, I think I yelled while throwing my hands up in the air, “Where’s Hibbert?!”

Last night’s omission of the big fella was more of a question, not question/exclamation. The reason is there were only two seconds on the clock. Would I have elected to have Hibbert on the floor for the last possession? Absolutely. But the fact that people are arguing about the Pacers’ rim protector not being in the game with two seconds left reveals the problem itself. It shouldn’t have come to that.

The biggest issue by far in the last possession was defensive execution. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought the play was designed to funnel the inbounds option to James.

Paul George was outstanding in the second half. The Pacers aren’t in the position to win without his clutch play down the stretch. He played an excellent game. But he simply didn’t execute defensively in that final possession. Chalk it up to growing pains.

That hurt the Pacers a heck of a lot more than Hibbert being on the bench. Why? Because there is no circumstance I can think of, with two seconds remaining, where a star like James should be able to receive the inbounds pass that easily AND drive for an uncontested layup – especially with a strong, long defender like George on him.

George over-played it – on the WEAK side of the inbounds pass no less. I can at least understand over-playing while denying the pass, only to get beat on a back door pass. But that didn’t happen here. George allowed James to get open way too easily. He overplayed the wrong side of the ball to a point that I’m not sure what he was thinking. James didn’t have to drive around him. He just drove straight to the basket.

It didn’t help there wasn’t any help defense sliding over. Once James got the ball he had no time to kick it out to a perimeter shooter. At that very moment, everyone else should have left any perimeter player they were guarding to help converge on James. Again, there were only TWO seconds.

But with two seconds, who is expecting James to cleanly catch the ball around the free throw line and be able to drive that easily. Even if George wasn’t going to deny the inbounds past, he should have played him squared up, arms stretched straight in the air. James would then have been limited to catch, turn and shoot or one dribble then shoot. I guarantee James is surprised as anyone at how easily he was able to score. Frankly, he looked shocked.

It also didn’t help on the prior possession that James blew past George Hill for an uncontested layup that gave Miami the lead.

In an otherwise outstanding game, it was two poorly executed defensive possessions that did in the blue and gold. When the game was on the line, Paul George had to attempt 25 footers and LeBron James hit uncontested layups.

It was a great game all around. It really was. It was two seconds away from feeling like the torch had officially been passed on the from Reggie Miller era to the Paul George era. We’re close, but we’ll unfortunately have to wait for that singular, magical moment.

What we don’t have to wait for is a very good, fun, hard-working team that this city and its fan base can embrace and be proud of. We have a star in the making in George and we have the team.

The Pacers just came up short Wednesday night. They had some crucial errors. This is a series they have very little room for errors, period. But not having Hibbert on the floor during the last possession just wasn’t the main one this time.

Pole Day at Indy: Ed Carpenter’s Party

by Bert Beiswanger

Predicting the pole winner going into Saturday as qualifications took place for the 2013 Indy 500 was as unpredictable as the weather. But the weather delay didn’t dampen the excitement, nor the enthusiasm from the crowd as Indianapolis’ own Ed Carpenter won the honor to pace the field of 33 for the 97^th running of the Indy 500.

Will Power was the last driver to attempt to knock Carpenter off the pole position he had just earned moments earlier during the Fast Nine shootout. As it became clear Power wasn’t going to succeed, the crowd roared up and down the front stretch. Moments later, I received a text message from my son that read: Ed gets standing O from Turn 1.

It was a cool hometown party indeed for the longtime Indianapolis resident and Butler graduate. The small, single car team owned by the same guy who drives the car beat Goliath – a bunch of them: three Team Penske cars and five Andretti Autosport cars.

There’s so much parity in the IZOD IndyCar Series right now. Going into qualifying weekend, any number of drivers had a chance to earn a spot on the prestigious front row. But it was Carpenter, the only team owner/driver in the series, winning one for the little guys.

“I knew we had a shot at it, but the field is so tight and Chevy brought such a great engine,” said Capenter. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if we were outside the top 10, too. It’s an honor to win this pole because it is a really competitive field. This is awesome, and it’s bigger than our wins and it’s huge for the team, huge for Fuzzy’s Vodka. It’s definitely a landmark day, but I don’t want to get overly focused on this because we have a lot of work to do yet.”

Understand, these drivers were asked to do again what they barely enjoy doing once: trim a car out as much as possible and hold on for four laps of qualifying at Indy. For many of the drivers, the intensity of the moment was enough for one day.

“We took everything off and went for it, definitely starting the last lap I really did not want to do it,” said Power, who will start sixth. “It was so bloody…yeah. Even the last two corners, you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t know whether this thing is going to stick.”

Based on early season results, as well as practice speeds this week, you couldn’t have gone wrong if you had chosen anyone from Andretti Autosport for the pole. The stable of five drivers – defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe, Marco Andretti, E.J. Viso and rookie Carlos Munoz – have continued the team’s regular season success at Indy. On Saturday, all made the Fast Nine with Munoz and Andretti joining Carpenter on the front row.

That’s a far cry from just two years ago when only two of the team’s four drivers qualified, leading team owner Michael Andretti to broker a deal to buy Hunter-Reay a seat for the race.

And you couldn’t have gone wrong if you had chosen anyone from Team Penske. Helio Castroneves, Will Power and A.J. Allmendinger were also dominant all week.

It was a Chevy Fast Nine sweep. The highest starting Honda will be Alex Tagliani, 11th

So what do the qualifying results mean for the race? Who knows. Chevy dominated practice and qualifying last year, too, until all the Honda teams got their new race engines for Carb Day.

“To tell you the truth, what we saw last year from (Target Chip) Ganassi and Honda, you had no idea that was going to happen on race day,” said Hunter-Reay earlier this week. “I think qualifying will be one show, then the race. You have no idea what anybody has until you get there.”

From what we’ve seen the last couple of years at Indy and in the series overall, we should be in for another great spectacle.

If I had to pick, I’d go with Marco Andretti. The team is so strong right now and Andretti is always good at Indy. He had the car to beat last year before troubles did him in during the latter part of the race. He’ll be strong again, for sure.

But as I was walking to my car late Saturday after leaving the media center at the Speedway, I couldn’t stop staring at a massively tall Ed Carpenter Fuzzy’s Vodka banner hanging down the back of the Tower Terrace suites. Carpenter is just smiling right at you as if to say, “Hope you enjoyed the party.” Come to think of it, there’s Fuzzy’s Vodka signage everywhere – inside and outside the track. I never thought much about it until Saturday evening.

Maybe this will ultimately be Carpenter’s party after all.

Kurt Busch Testing at Indy

by Bert Beiswanger

A few days ago, I wrote a piece praising the excitement in the IZOD IndyCar Series right now and the refreshing new storylines heading into the Month of May and the 2013 Indy 500: Hinchcliffe Puts the Hammer Down Heading to Indy

One exciting thing I didn’t touch on is the fact that 2004 Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Busch is testing today with Andretti Autosport at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The plan, as Busch has discussed, is to take things one step at a time. He’s stated that this is the first step of what could be a 13 month process that lands him a shot at qualifying for the “500” in 2014.

The rumor mill has been heating up the past few days that this could be more than just a friendly test. There’s nothing as of right now to indicate that it is more than just a test.

Regardless of the outcome, this is great for all parties involved. Busch is fulfilling a dream that so few racers get to these days – cross over to another form of motorsports and, specifically for NASCAR drivers, drive an Indycar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As for the “500” and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, what a great way to kick off the month. It’s outstanding publicity and only adds to the excitement.

“This is big time to have Andretti give you a call in the Month of May,” said Busch. “This is a dream come true and a unique opportunity in the world of motorsports. I even brought my dad to take it all in.

“With the Andretti legacy at the Speedway, bringing Dad along, the history of the facility, it ties it all together. Let’s go to the track, go through this experience together and see what it turns into.”

You can get the details of the test via a 2 p.m. press conference on indycar.com

Hinchcliffe Puts the Hammer Down Heading to Indy

by Bert Beiswanger

James Hinchcliffe takes the win after last turn pass in Brazil. (Photo courtesy of IZOD IndyCar Series)

Last year during the Month of May, local microbrewery Flat12 Bierwerks brewed up a special beer in honor of affable Canadian and IZOD IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe. It was called the Hinchtown Hammer Down ale.

Putting the hammer down is exactly what the Mayor of Hinchtown did Sunday, passing Takuma Sato in the last turn of the last lap of the Sao Paulo Indy 300 in Brazil to win his second race of the young season.

Sunday’s thrilling finish was an exclamation to what has been a very exciting first four races this year. The racing has been superb. The competition throughout the field has been fierce. If you enjoy any kind of racing at all and aren’t tuning into INDYCAR, you’re missing the best racing out there

As the focus now turns to the Indy 500, a number of drivers have a legitimate shot to drink the milk this year. In a series dominated by Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing over the years, numerous other teams are putting their stamp on the series and will continue to do so at Indy.

Takuma Sato and AJ Foyt Racing are at the top of the standings. Yes, it’s early but still… AJ Foyt Racing is FIRST in the standings. Sato notched his first career win a couple weeks ago in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He was one turn away Sunday from winning again.

Sato heads to Indy on a career high, and who can forget the last lap excitement in last year’s Indy 500 as Sato spun in Turn 1 while trying to pass eventual winner Dario Franchitti for the lead. Nothing captured the moment better than the Japanese commentary:

Closing laps of the 2012 Indy 500

A.J. Foyt wanted a driver this year not afraid to take risks, someone with what classic Formula One announcer David Hobbs would call huge attachments. Foyt has one in Sato.

Andretti Autosport has also returned to prominence and can fairly claim super team status. Ryan Hunter-Reay won the championship last year and already has one victory this year. Hinchcliffe also won the opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., while Marco Andretti sits second in the standings.

Sure, the usual suspects will be in the mix at Indy this year. Helio Castroneves and Franchitti will be gunning to join the exclusive four time winners club, a group that includes Rick Mears, A.J. Foyt and Al Unser, Sr. But if the last couple of years and this season are any indication of what’s to come, many others will have something to say about whose face gets emblazoned onto the prestigious Borg-Warner Trophy.

This season has been crisp and refreshing, indeed – just like a pint of Hinchtown Hammer Down from Flat12.

Ball State Basketball Back on Track

by Bert Beiswanger

Times, they are a changing in Muncie. So it seems.

The nightmare that has been almost a decade of futility for Ball State basketball appears to be over. After a string of bad hires and poor leadership from the top of the university down through the athletics department, Ball State basketball fans have something to be proud of again, or at least something to be more interested in.

It appears there is a new-found commitment to athletics at Ball State. Last Saturday, the university announced it’s in the midst of a campaign aimed to raise $20 million to upgrade facilities across all sports, including a new practice facility for the basketball team and improvements to an already impressive Worthen Arena. For a department that seemed to be a back burner priority in recent years, it’s a welcome commitment. And that commitment includes round ball, the Hoosier pastime. Excuse the die-hard fans if they seem a little giddy. They clung to this program when apathy was the norm and little hope was in sight. They’ve been thrown a lifeline.

I’ll spare you the details of how Ball State got to this point. You can get up to speed with this piece on kentsterling.com last year: The Sad State of Ball State Basketball.

Ball State is now led by athletics director Bill Scholl, a former deputy athletics director at Notre Dame. Scholl has only been on the job one year and already he’s instilled enthusiasm and leadership within the once struggling department with a string of solid hires. That string now includes new basketball head coach James Whitford.

Whitford is highly regarded by all who have worked with him. That includes Arizona head coach Sean Miller. He was Miller’s associate head coach at Arizona and previously assisted Miller at Xavier. Can Whitford lead Ball State basketball back to the top of the MAC perch it rested on frequently over the course of two decades in the 80s and 90s? Time will tell. But it’s clear he has the vision and passion to do so.

Whitford is familiar with Ball State from his time as an assistant coach at Miami University. The Red Hawks are longtime rivals of the Cardinals and he was there to experience the peak of that rivalry and MAC basketball. Ball State and Bonzi Wells versus Miami and Wally Szczerbiak. It didn’t get much better than that back in the 90s. He knows very well the type of atmosphere that once existed in Worthen Arena and believes it can again.

“When the Ball State job opened up, my mouth was watering,” Whitford said at the press conference announcing his hiring. “I was itching in my seat to get the job.”

In addition to Miller, Whitford has learned under an impressive group of coaches, including Herb Sendek and Charlie Coles, the all-time Mid-American Conference wins leader, at Miami. What’s interesting to note is that Whitford turned down the opportunity to be Miami’s head coach just last year. He also turned down numerous other head coaching jobs. But something about Ball State told him it was the right opportunity. It’s no coincidence that Coles, who lobbied for Whitford to get the job, has long regarded Ball State as one of the premier jobs in the MAC.

“I have been fortunate to be with some of the best coaches in the country and have learned a tremendous amount from each,” Whitford said. “I think the combination of the great coaches I have been around and the great teams I have been a part of has put me in position to be ready for this challenge here at Ball State.”

Whitford is known as an excellent recruiter. Who he convinced to join him as his associate head coach may ultimately be one of his most important recruiting efforts. He wasted little time in hiring former Florida Gators star Brett Nelson. Nelson played on the 2000 National Championship runner-up with NBA veterans Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. He also played for one of the best head coaches in the country, Billy Donovan.

Nelson has six years of experience as an assistant coach, including a stop at Arkansas working for former head coach John Pelphrey in 2010-11. As Pelphrey, now an assistant at Florida, recently told the Muncie-Star-Press, Ball State may have found a diamond in the rough in Nelson.

“Quite honestly, I think he’s as bright a star as there is out there for an assistant coach,” said Pelphrey to the Star-Press. “He’s going to be a head coach some day. There aren’t five better assistant coaches in America than Brett Nelson.”

So, competent athletic direction in place: check. A head coach driven to lead and do whatever it takes to stir a winning drink: check. An associate coach willing to meticulously manage the details, already pounding the pavement for the next big commitment to Ball State basketball: check.

What do you call the process of getting all these things right? As Donovan reminds his crew in a recent UPS commercial, “Logistics.”

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

The 2010-11 Lakers: A Fall From Grace

by Bert Beiswanger

The Lakers' Andrew Bynum epitomizes his team's pathetic performance in Game 4 Sunday. The heart of a champion? Save that phrase for another team. The defending champions? Who knew? Down 3-0 to the Dallas Mavericks in their second round series of the NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers showed the heart of the Tin Man Sunday (pre-Emerald City, of course) as the two-time defending NBA Champions got swept in one of the most disgraceful, gutless performances by a defending champion I can think of. I didn’t think we were going to see a Boston Red Sox-type of comeback in this series. This team had too many issues and stumbled badly down the stretch. But I certainly didn’t expect to see what I saw in Game 4. I expected the Lakers to go down fighting. I expected to see composed urgency, the kind you see from an experienced, prideful championship team. This game was doomed from the start. And it got worse. This wasn’t Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers. He has the heart of a champion, and his heart was full of pain after watching his storied franchise walk through a humiliating performance full of cheap-shots and missed assignments. Long into the Game 4 meltdown, Los Angeles Lakers big man Andrew Bynum hammered diminutive Dallas guard Jose Barea with an inexcusable and downright dangerous WWE-like forearm shiver that put an exclamation mark on an already embarrassing situation. Bynum wasn’t done. Following the ensuing ejection, Bynum exited the court only after removing his jersey just so he could make sure we got glimpse of what a man he is. Television commentator Hubie Brown described it best during the telecast when he said, “I don’t understand why this is happening. When you say Los Angeles Lakers, you’re talking about excellence. You’re talking about titles. You’re talking about some of the greatest players to ever play. And for this game to end in this manner is a disgrace.”

For his work, the NBA league office announced Tuesday that Bynum will be suspended without pay for the first five games of the regular season next year and fined and additional $25,000.

For his team’s work, the Lakers earned a disgraceful exit from the playoffs. What a way to defend a championship. What a away to represent a great, great franchise. What a way to send one of the game’s all-time great coaches, Phil Jackson, into retirement. You think he has doubts about leaving this mess?

By comparison, the defending NHL Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks were down 3-0 in their best-of-seven series to the best team in the regular season, Vancouver. How did those defending champs respond? They won Game 4 by pounding the Canucks 7-2. They followed that up by dominating Vancouver in Game 5 and winning in overtime in Game 6, before losing in overtime in Game 7.

How did the Detroit Red Wings, one of the most historic franchises in the NHL, respond to being down 3-0 in their series against the San Jose Sharks? They came back from a third period deficit in Game 6 Tuesday night to force a Game 7.

That’s how prideful champions respond. Not the Lakers, they quit. They raised the white flag before they hit the floor Sunday.

Fall from grace? It was more like a thud. Not even the “Zen Master” Phil Jackson could do what the great Oz could do and give his team a heart, courage and a brain. All of those elements were missing in Game 4.