Freshman basketball players pass first test
Sept. 23, 2009
The basketball program at Indiana University Bloomington is one of the premier entities in college sports. There are few programs that can boast an equal level of tradition, success and passionate fan support.
Role players and support staff at Indiana are household names. Those famous 'floating head' calendars are in auto repair shops and greasy spoons across the state. Grown men cry when watching a clip of "Martha the Cleaning Lady" on YouTube. Indiana fans regularly know the current vocations of players who have long since graduated. Indiana basketball is different.
As a result of that intense and passionate interest, playing basketball at Indiana provides a student-athlete with a unique set of opportunities and challenges. One of those challenges is dealing with media interest throughout the calendar year.
Enter Indiana's highly regarded freshman class.
In mid-August, IU freshmen held their first media availability as players at Indiana and after Day 1, it is apparent that Derek Elston, Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford and Bobby Capobianco are more than up to meeting that challenge.
Capobianco doled out charming one-liners, Elston spoke like a long-time assistant coach, Hulls dished out compliments of his teammates like a point guard should, and Watford handled questions with the composure of a member of the foreign service.
Hulls spoke at length about how battling noted defensive virtuoso Jeremiah Rivers every day in practice would help him become a quality point guard in the Big Ten.
Capobianco joked about getting back at Verdell Jones III for putting a scratch under his eye at an open gym and how he truly felt the magnitude of Indiana basketball for the first time when he went to the foul line and saw the five championship banners gleaming through the backboard as he released his free throw.
Watford praised the older players on the team by noting their competitiveness and their desire to prove something to this celebrated freshman class.
Elston discussed the rigors of his summer conditioning regimen and expressed relief that returning player Tom Pritchard had to check up current NBA power forward D.J. White at a recent open gym.
All four expressed a deep appreciation for the tradition and importance of Indiana basketball. All four noted their intention to help rebuild the program. All four seemed quite comfortable answering questions with notepads, cameras and microphones in their face.
Some might wonder why it really matters if these student-athletes deal well with the media. When you are a member of one of the most important recruiting classes in the history of the program, everything matters. And it's not just any program. It's Indiana.
