Hoosiers Get Their Coach

Indiana University has hired a new head coach to take over where Kelvin Sampson has left off. His name is Tom Crean. Crean has been the head coach for Marquette the past nine seasons and turned that program around in his stay there. Crean replaces Kelvin Sampson who resigned after violating the NCAA recruiting rules.

Ironically enough, Tom Crean attended a Bob Knight coaching clinic as a kid. Knight is the legendary Indiana coach probably best known for throwing a chair across the court while a game was going on. Oh, and he did win a couple national championships too, but they don't like to talk about it.

Indiana gave Crean an eight-year deal worth about 2 million each year.

Adam Smith

Paying the Student-Athlete

A lot of people that watch college sports believe that student-athletes should get paid for the work that they do on the court. If a person was to read into the issue a little more closely they would see that paying a student-athlete to perform on the court is not possible for a lot of schools. Believe it or not, almost 90 percent of NCAA schools lose money on their athletic programs and have to rely on funding in order to survive and play another season. Even if a school was to drop all other sports besides football and basketball, it wouldn’t free up enough money to pay the athletes. This is because in Division I, only 30 percent of football and 26 percent of college basketball teams actually bring in money from their games.

I feel that it is important that we do not pay our student-athletes, because if we do, then they will only want to play for the money, and they will feel that they don’t have to hold up to the high standards in the classroom any longer. They are called student-athletes for a reason. They are supposed to be students in the classroom and participate in sports on the court. If we pay the athletes to play, then the whole concept of a student-athlete goes out the window.

Mark Zadakis

To Leave or Not to Leave?

Lately there has been a lot of talk about whether a college athlete should leave school early to pursue a career in professional sports. Over the last few years we have seen many great players go right into the big leagues and become successful. However, is the large sum of money that the player is almost guaranteed to receive worth it? UMAINE has several great hockey players that are up for an NHL contract opportunity, but the teams want to get these players for as little money as possible and want them to compete for Stanley Cup championships right away. If the player chooses to forego their senior season and they can’t perform to the high standards of the NHL team, this might cause that team to release them from the roster. What does this have to do with school?

I feel that if a student-athlete leaves school early to play sports, then they are missing out on the last year of their life when they can hang out with their school buddies. If the athlete gets hurt and can’t play sports any longer, and they stay in school, then at least they will have a degree to fall back on which will help them find a pretty good job.

Mark Zadakis

AP All-America Team Named

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Kansas State's Michael Beasley were unanimous selections to The Associated Press' All-America team Monday. For the first time, no senior was chosen. Beasley and Kevin Love of UCLA made it two straight years there were two freshmen chosen. Sophomore D.J. Augustin of Texas and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis rounded out the selections, shutting out the seniors. The AP started choosing All-America teams after the 1947-48 season, and for the next six decades there was at least one member of the senior class on every first team. Hansbrough, a junior and the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, and Beasley, the Big 12 player of the year and third freshman to lead the country in rebounding, were named on all 72 ballots and received 360 points from the same national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament. The 6-foot-10 Beasley averaged 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Wildcats, shooting 53.5 percent from the field including 38.9 percent from 3-point range. He is Kansas State's first All-America since Bob Boozer in 1959.

Tim Seames

Stephen Curry Stays With Davidson

One of the most amazing players in the NCAA tournament has decided to stay with Davidson in hopes of bringing the team further than this year. Curry felt that he wasn't ready, and with good reason. This decision came after the Kansas Jayhawks defeated him and his teammates by only two points coming down to a last minute shot that didn't fall. Speculation began after the son of former NBA player Del Curry went off for 40 points in a first-round win over Gonzaga. Thirty more points in a victory over Georgetown turned whispers into questions. The uproar began, though, when Curry dropped 33 points on Wisconsin to carry the Wildcats into the Elite Eight with Cleveland Cavaliers star James in attendance.

Tim Seames

Another Recruit Coming but the Black Bears Lose Andrew Sweetland

The Maine Black Bears received a verbal commitment from Adam Shemansky who played for Tilton Academy in New Hampshire. He's from New Jersey but won't be joining the Black Bears for the 2009-2010 season. He will play one year of junior hockey but hasn't decide where. There are three leagues in mind. The Eastern Junior Hockey League, the North American Hockey League, or the United States Hockey League.

Adam Shemansky F

Age: 18

2007-2008 Statistics: 32 games 27 goals and 30 assists for 57 points


Andrew Sweetland has signed with the Florida Panthers. He was a 21 year old freshman who had 8 goals and 9 assists in 28 games. Before Maine he played with the Amherst Ramblers (Maritime Junior A Hockey League) where he set a club record with 56 goals and 61 assists in 54 contests.




I have no problem with NHL Teams signing their draft picks when they still have eligibility left for college but maybe the NHL should reinstate the Supplemental Draft for the players that weren't selected in the Entry Draft. Sweetland wasn't drafted by the Panthers. The Supplemental Draft would allow teams to select players in college, overagers in juniors and 21-24 year olds playing in Europe. Teams would get these player's rights and allow them to continue playing in college.

Photo Courtesy of goblackbears.com.

That’s My Take

Nathan Fournier

(Nathan also is a writer for MVN.com. He's the writer for the Asylum which covers the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL. He's also a regular contributor to the NHL Source also at MVN.com. He can be reached at fbbhgfan@aol.com)

Indiana Kicks Two Starters Off Their Basketball Team

Indiana guards Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis have been dismissed from the team.

The Hoosiers dismissed these two players because they were late for an appointment, then didn't show up to run laps as punishment. This comes as a suprise, but the both the players had been suspended at some point during the regular season.

Bassett was averaging 11.4 points per game, while Ellis was averaging 6.8 a contest.

By kicking both starters off the team, Indiana might have no returning starters next season depending on what freshman Eric Gordon decides to do.

This news comes only a couple of months after head coach Kelvin Sampson resigned after violating NCAA rules.

Adam Smith