Where's The Defense? The Rock Being Dismantled!

Ok, so it wouldn't be a blog without a little bit of hyperbole now would it?

The fact is that construction has begun on the North End Zone Project at Memorial Stadium. The bleachers are in the process of being torn down, and will soon be replaced by a new strength and development area for over 600 IU athletes. Also, the area will also be home to new coaching offices along with an IU "Hall of Honor."

While we here at Defend The Rock are always excited when new projects are taken up to improve IU athletics, the removal of the bleachers disappoints me. The first time I ever saw Kellen Lewis really play (a scrimmage game over last summer), I sat in the bleachers and watched him throw bullet passes right in my directions, hitting receivers right in the chest for TDs. Just not the same experience from other areas of the stadium.

Sherry Dunbar's Posse

Sherry Dunbar has just brought in a few fresh faces to assist her in her first year as IU Volleyball's Head Coach. First up is Sarah Gustin who is following Dunbar from the College of Charleston where they both were instrumental in leading a very successful team. She was also a stand out volleyball player up at Michigan State (don't worry Sarah, we here at Defend The Rock are more than welcome to happy former Big 10 opponents into the IU Sports fold!).

Second is David Jack. He's helped lead teams to Junior Olympic national bids, coached up multiple students who went on to receive Division 1 scholarships, and played with the Jamaican National team for 13 years. Can't hurt to mention he was an 8 time All American too...

Gotta like what Dunbar's doing here, bringing in people with long track records of success in recruiting for, coaching, and playing the game.

Sic semper tyrannis! Or not...

Well, that's what I was hoping to yell tonight after an IU slaying of the tyrants of Big Ten Basketball - Ohio State, led by Superfreak (now that the nickname is available...) Greg Oden (I mean seriously, look at him, he is what, a 7' tall, soon to be 19 year old kid who looks old (and talented)enough to be mistaken for a 10 year NBA vet) but it was not to be.

Watching the game I was struck by several things:
1. Joey Shaw, regardless of his youth, has got some serious game. You know I'm serious here because I have NEVER used the term "has got some serious game" in any way before in my life. 16 Points, of which 12 came off 3s. There is no question that he's mad as hell over my recent post in which I said "No disrespect to Mr. Shaw, but he has plenty of time to make a name for himself at IU." Well excuse me Mr. Shaw, it appears you're ready, willing, and able to make a name for yourself as a Hoosier.

2. D.J. White - What a great athlete willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win (Adam Ahlfeld Team Player Award awaiting him in the future?). He had his hands full with Oden most of the night and was visibly exhausted towards the end of the game but kept fighting.

3. This entire Hoosier team. I've said it all year because it's been abundantly clear, this team does not give up, they never even LOOK like they are thinking about it. We may not be winning these games against ranked opponents, but at least we're giving them a good fight each time out, losing on average by five points.

That is not to say I'm happy, or even content with the loss seeing as IU drops to 9-4 (0-1 Big Ten) and has a very nasty schedule to play in the Big 10, and regardless of the opponent, every game is a must win in this conference. I'm sure soon enough we will see the Hoosiers topple a ranked opponent or someone we're "not supposed to beat" but for the time being this team just looks "good enough," and that doesn't cut it for this IU fan.

Let's just plan on taking down the Spartans at home on 7th...

To Victor Go The Spoils

With the NFL regular season over, I believe it is time to look back at our very own NFL Draftee Victor Adeyanju and see how he did this year. It's no secret that I'm a Rams fan, so it was great for me to see Victor head to my favorite team, and a team that could use his defensive prowess no less!

In case you don't know Adeyanju's IU stats/bio off the top of your head, here's all you need, courtesy of iuhoosiers.com.

As for his first year in the NFL, Victor Adeyanju was selected by MY St. Louis Rams in the 4th round (113th) overall, and the Defensive End quickly found himself in the starting lineup once injuries (and the realization that the Rams starting D wasn't all that hot) kicked in.

Adeyanju saw action in 12 games, with 30 tackles, 4 assists, 1 sack, as well as 2 fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Victor, and the Rams, Adeyanju suffered a series of forearm injuries that kept him inactive down the stretch.

Look for a big year year out of Victor next year. Us Hoosier fans were spoiled watching him play week in and week out here at IU, and now for the past year - and hopefully for years to come, Rams fans will have the same opportunity.

Sarah McKay - A Woman Amongst Girls

When you think IU Basketball this season, and #32 shows up, who are you thinking of? Joey Shaw? No, you're thinking of Sarah McKay. No disrespect to Mr. Shaw, but he has plenty of time to make a name for himself at IU. On the other hand, Sarah McKay, the 6'7 Senior Center on the IU Women's Basketball team has been making a name for herself her entire IU career.

From her crazy-good Freshmen year where she set an IU Freshmen record with 55! blocks to her recent dismantling of Michigan (23 Points, 7 Rebounds, 2 Blocks), she has been a force here at IU throughout her career.

To sum it up, I'll give you a quote from Sarah after the Michigan Game:
On coming back to win after the loss:
"We got back to playing Indiana basketball, and that's what we've been working on the last two days in practice."

Damn, I love when players talk about "Indiana Basketball" as a way of playing the game and as a tradition. There are only a certain number of teams and sports where I think one can say such things, another example "Cardinal Baseball," and I'm always proud to know that both IU fans and players recognize that "Indiana Basketball" means much more than simply a game.

Nothing Wrong With Another Win

IU unsurprisingly took down Ball State tonight 71-57, cementing their all times series record against the Cardinals to 19-1. I didn't have a chance to watch the game tonight so I feel like you'd be better served by just checking out the official recap, than by reading me making comments about an article you yourself could read.

But it is time to announce the the winner of the Adam Ahlfeld - Team Player Award. The deserving winner this week is:

Roderick Wilmont who played the most minutes of any Hoosier tonight (31), led the Hoosiers with 7 rebounds, and added in 12 points and a block just because he's that good.

Our guys in Cream & Crimson start Big 10 play on Tuesday against #6 Ohio State. Catch the game on ESPN @ 8EST/7CST and catch all the news, coverage, and analysis of IU Sports, before, after, and during the game at your (un)Official Indiana University Athletics Blog - Defend The Rock