Here's what we're in for on Saturday night

[tmh8286]

A portion of a post by Crusaderboy08 on the Valpo board after their game at IUPUI last night:

"IUPUI ran the same play over and over tonight and we made no obvious adjustments to try and stop them. All they did was run a high screen with their big man to get Mo out of the lane. If no one else collapsed down into the lane, they would drive in for uncontested layups and if someone collapsed into the lane, they would pop a three. Homer has now been soundly outcoached twice by [Hunter]. . .

Instead we let their coach run around like a crazy man and intimidate the refs. It was pretty clear that the refs are scared of [Hunter]and it shows in the way they call the game. There is no good reason why that guy should not be thrown out of every game he coaches. There were sevberal occasions tonight when he ran out onto the floor to confront an official after a foul was called. He makes it clear that he is going to stand up for his players and will not take excuses from the refs."

Doesn't the first paragraph describe precisely how they played at ORU? Shut down that game and they have no game. They can't match our athleticism on offense, and if we can show just a little bit of adaptability on defense, it's our game to lose.

The second paragraph describes Hunter at his best, at home. I wish just once a ref would T him up for coaching from 3-4 feet out onto the court, the hit him again when he pitches a fit about it. It would be especially sweet if it happened at IUPUI. I don't think the Mid-Con refs have the nerve to do it, though. There is absolutely no reason he should be able to get away with that, though. I've seen officials pointing out the lines to other coaches,, HOW IN THE WORLD does Hunter get away with roaming such a wide area the way he does?

[tmh8286]

Climbing higher

Despite limited budget, facilities, Jaguars sit atop Mid-Con

By Curt Cavin

curt.cavin@indystar.com

February 9, 2006

http://www.indystar.com/

There are many ways to measure the growth of a college basketball program. IUPUI men's coach Ron Hunter counts letters painted on the bodies of students at home games.

Whereas that part of the team's cheering section once sported only five decorated bodies -- collectively spelling I-U-P-U-I -- it now has enough to display the school's official name.

"All of it," the 12th-year coach said with a hearty laugh. "Now we've got 'Indiana University, Purdue University at Indianapolis.' We've come a long way."

Since becoming full-fledged NCAA Division I members for the 2000-01 season, the Jaguars have steadily elevated their basketball status. Three years ago, they were surprise qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament; now they're a top choice to become the Mid-Continent Conference's representative in the upcoming 65-team field.

Hunter's first-place team (15-7) has its first six-game winning streak in Division I and is 10-1 in Mid-Con games. That couldn't come at a better time.

Rival Valparaiso will be in town tonight for a rematch of IUPUI's 87-82 overtime victory Jan. 28. Second-place Oral Roberts visits Saturday night, capping what Hunter calls "the biggest week of basketball in IUPUI history."

Few would argue. The conference's regular-season champion gets the No. 1 seed in next month's league tournament in Tulsa, Okla., a position IUPUI has never held.

School officials have tried to capitalize on the excitement, buying ads in the media (print and electronic) over the past week. It seems to be working, as tonight's game is expected to sell out.

"Every time I turn around, we're talking about another first for this program," Hunter said.

It bears noting that IUPUI's women's team is following right along. The Jaguars are second in the Mid-Con standings with five games to play, seeking their first NCAA Tournament berth.

Under second-year coach Shann Hart, the Jaguars (13-8, 8-3) are off to their best start in the Mid-Con, which included a seven-game winning streak in January. The women host Oral Roberts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

"We're having a run like we've never had before," athletic director Michael Moore said. "And it's fun."

There is no magic in what's happening on IUPUI's Downtown campus, mostly because there is little magic to work with, particularly for Hunter, who competes against schools with rich basketball histories.

He doesn't have a secretary or a sparkling gymnasium. He has three assistant coaches, but one is a volunteer from the school's minority retention office. None of the assistant coaches drives a university car, and their recruiting budget is $12,000, which Hunter said ranks seventh of the eight Mid-Con schools.

IUPUI's gym seating consists mostly of 2,000 bleacher spots with a handful of folding chairs serving as "priority seating."

By comparison, Butler University, which is similarly on the lower end of athletic department spending nationally, has a basketball secretary, three paid assistant coaches, a paid director of basketball operations, three staff cars, a $30,000 recruiting budget and that basketball gem known as Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Hunter said he nearly fell over when he read that members of Valpo's staff have taken a half-dozen recruiting trips to Europe in the past year. His situation is different.

"My idea of a European trip is driving to Broad Ripple (High School) or Ben Davis," Hunter said. "I've had to find my own niche."

Hunter's niche is non-stop movement, both on the court and off. At age 41, he is easily the state's most animated college basketball coach, and his snazzy attire and frequent chatter with game officials attract attention.

But his energy and smile are infectious, and the basketball community, especially locally, is noticing and responding.

Since forward Brandon Cole arrived four years ago from Ben Davis, Hunter has stoked IUPUI's fire with Hoosiers. Eight of the 10 players in Monday's victory over Western Illinois were state products. Six were from Central Indiana, including Cole and George Hill (Broad Ripple), who are two of the Mid-Con's top players.

Hunter isn't just attracting local players, he's bringing them home. Angelo Smith (Lawrence North) came to IUPUI following a two-year stint at Xavier. Austin Montgomery, who is sitting out this season after transferring from Bowling Green, was an Indianapolis Star Indiana All-Star at Perry Meridian.

Victories are following. IUPUI is primed for its third 20-win season in four years, and its 73 wins in that stretch is tops among Indiana's 10 Division I men's programs.

According to Cole, the program is feeding off itself.

"(The players) don't have to go out and recruit (others)," he said. "Having six former Indiana All-Stars on the team speaks for itself."

There still is much work to be done, however.

IUPUI lacks an identity in a city sports market dominated by the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, auto racing and, to a lesser extent, Butler basketball. School officials are constantly asked about the prospects of building an arena (there are no firm plans).

"We've got every excuse for why things shouldn't be going right for us, but we refuse to use them," said Hunter, who has committed himself to the job through the 2011 season. "Our kids think we have the best gym going, and one thing about it: It's ours."

Moore thinks that spirit is what is driving the program.

"We've got a little bit of a chip on our shoulder," he said. "We're trying to get people to realize that we're a Division I program, too, and we're improving. It's a perception change."

[orustatboy]

" ... their recruiting budget is $12,000, which Hunter said ranks seventh of the eight Mid-Con schools."

Glad to see Coach Hunter knows how many schools are in the Mid-Con.

[ORU Eli]

Centenary only counts as a technicality I guess. They've yet to go to the Mid-Con Tourney.

[rlh]

Centenary made the Mid-Con tournament their first year with Andrew Wisnieski....

[ORU Eli]

*placing foot in mouth*