For some reason Senior Walt Bellamy does not get the recognition of some of the other dominant centers in the country.  That’s too bad because he is every bit the equal of Chamberlain, Alcindor and Mikan.  And because of the incredible schedule that AD Ralph Floyd (with Knight’s approval I am sure) Bellamy will have the chance to prove to the country (and these players) he belongs in that elite category as the Hoosiers will be playing at least two of these programs, Kansas and DePaul, and if things go right three as UCLA and Indiana are both playing in the season tipoff classic at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Yes, the Hoosiers will be hosting arguably the biggest preseason tourney of the year as Floyd did some magical behind the curtain magic by first getting Denny Crum interested and he brought in his old mentor Wooden and the Bruins which in turn led to Adolph Rupp wanting a shot at UCLA so he agreed to play if they would for sure get a shot at the preseason # 2 Team (the Wildcats are # 1).  So on Thanksgiving weekend 70,000 plus fans will congregate to Indianapolis to watch the Hoosiers play the Cardinals and then UCLA play Kentucky.  The next night the winners (and losers) will play so yes the Hoosiers can definitely end up playing one way or another.  Now back to Bellamy as once again he got superseded.  A terrific scorer who can bang with anyone, Bellamy is a force inside.  Soft spoken to a fault, “Bells” does the dirty work down low and with his size has no problems dominating lesser competition.  At six foot eleven and a solid 235 pounds Bellamy takes up room and is one of the best finishers on the blocks in the country.  He loves hammering down a jam from almost anywhere inside the key and has a nice soft one-handed touch up to about 15 feet.  He is a terrific board man who has battled Jerry Lucas for leading the Big Ten in rebounding the last two years.  There has been a transition when Knight took over as Bellamy as no one is going to confuse him for Bill Russell on the defensive end.  He is not a great rim protector but will block a shot if you bring it into his wheelhouse.  With Knight’s signature man to man defense the General would like a guy who can guard the rim a bit more but Knight knows where his bread is buttered and has accepted Bellamy for what he is.  And what Bells is is a great offensive player on the verge of getting the kind of recognition he deserves especially if  he can lead this team back to the promised-land of the final four and perhaps even more.  After all Lucas Oil is not just hosting that November tournament this year man wouldn’t the basketball crazy state go completely crazy if their favorite team was one of the teams!

Senior Don Schlundt is a legend around Bloomington and he actually predate Bellamy and were essential of helping put the Hoosiers on the national map.  Schlundt actually led the team to the national title as he was allowed to play as a freshman due to some archaic rule about wars.  Schlundt has got some size at 6’10 225 and hails from Irish country in South Bend and was dominant back in the day when sweeping hooks were the go to shot and he had a heck of a hook.  Schlundt is not overly physical and will be battling for minutes as he will be challenged by some of Knight’s minions, a burly blonde beast from New Castle in particular. Even legends got to win their jobs as Knight will have no problem benching anyone including Schlundt do he better improve his defense and get better on the boards or he might as well go into business right now instead of after the year as he is planning (he has no desire in playing pro ball for some reason).  Fellow senior Archie Dees is a solid all-around post guy is also in the mix and has a more diverse offensive game.  The ‘Disco Duck’ Dees is smaller at 6’8 205 but the Mt. Caramel Illinois product is much better on the boards.  Neither one of these two has had much success defending the athletic big boys of the Big Ten the way Knight wants so there roles might be downsized even more than they were last year as Knight brings in more High School All-Americans (the General has started to figure out the recruiting thing) that will play his brand of basketball. 

The key to the entire season could Power forward George McGinnis. McGinnis can play with anybody when motivated and actually on the court. He has the complete package for a big man and when he is on his game is as difficult to defend as any power forward in the country.  He has the rare ability to hit 18 footers (with his patented one handed jumpers) and then go inside and bang with anybody.  As strong as Bellamy is Big Mac may even be stronger.  He uses his strength to his advantage getting to the hoop almost at will with his clumsy but solid drives to the basket.  He is a terrific passer for a big man who had several games where he was close to a triple double.  A good rebounder (especially on the offensive end where he flat outmuscles other players) he can be beat guarding bigger players, but his offensive arsenal keeps him in the game when he is not in Knight’s doghouse.  You see McGinnis was recruited right before Knight got here and to say these two share the same basketball philosophy would be like saying meth is not an aphrodisiac for women.  McGinnis played High School ball in Indianapolis so he was not going to leave but his freshman year when he had to sit out (talk about archaic rules) was hell.  He got repeatedly kicked out of practice even though he dominated the upperclassmen (and the Knight recruit he was battling for playing time) on the court.  When his time came last year McGinnis truly was a man amongst men and though he split time for the first half of the year even Knight could not deny his talent and let him go.  His stat line was impressive but he also was more of a team player then his image belies.  It looked like all was well for this homegrown stud when the bomb came.  George decided over the summer to challenge the pro rules and declared himself a free agent who could sign with any team even though he was not eligible for the draft.  He even went out of his way to say he had a deal with two teams, one from Indiana and one from New York, and he would choose between the two after the dust had settled.  Of course that dust was the judicial system as the owners of pro sporting franchises don’t take lightly to people crashing their pasty and setting their own rules.  As of this writing the matter had not been settled and McGinnis still has two years of eligibility left in Bloomington.  To be honest as good as this program is and as great of a coach as Knight is the Hoosiers have no chance of playing at Lucas next April unless McGinnis is on the team.  So Hoosier fans you better be hoping for ‘the Killing of Georgie’ in the court systems this fall if you want to see those candy stripe warmups come running out of the tunnel on Final Four Friday.  McGinnis’s sidekick in crime in high school came here too.  Fellow junior Steve Downing has not had the success George has since he got to Bloomington but he did help lead Washington High (in Indy again) to a 31-0 record and a state title.  The 6’9 225 can play inside but has been more of a caddy for Bellamy and his senior brethren but his days of dominating on the JV are over as they only let sophomores and freshman on those teams in college.  Will he play?  He has a solid low post game and is athletic so he has a chance.  But seriously can you imagine trying to defend him and McGinnis in the paint in High School?  Forget about it! 

The kid battling McGinnis for the starting four spot is none other than fellow junior Kent Benson from New Castle Indiana.  The brutish Benson goes 6’10 235 and is not afraid of contact.  As one of Knight’s first recruits he came into last year trying to get minutes.  He did that as he passed up the two seniors with his physicality and astute basketball sense.  A solid corn fed figure who has a nice touch, Benson is not just some banger coming into to cause damage though he can do that as well. More than that the blonde bomber has all of the tools and knows how to play.  If he does end up starting next to Bellamy the Hoosiers will be in good shape and they will succeed and Knight might even be a happier man but McGinnis is a generational talent as a power forward.  Benson may not quite have the talent of Bellamy or McGinnis but he is not far behind and it says much for Knight’s program to be able to have a big man of this caliber coming off the bench and playing superb all-around ball on both ends at two positions. 

The starting small forward will once again be junior Scott May.  Knight loves May and not just because they both came from Ohio (blasphemous to Hoosier fans).  In fact May may be the only player that Knight believes truly understands how to play ‘the General’s’ brand of basketball.  He is the perfect disciple of Knight’s style of play.  A physical presence who can defend, score, rebound and is unselfish.  He is quicker than you think and is always team first.  The 6’7 215 pounder works for everything and Knight makes sure he does.  He is a vital cog in this program’s future. Senior Bill Garrett will once be around and battling for playing time at the three.  The 6’3 190 pounder from Shelbyville broke some barriers when he got here.  He was the first African-American to play for IU and the first to start for a Big10 school.  He is a bit undersized for this new day of basketball and might not get the minutes he once did but he is the reason guys like May and Thomas are playing here.  After all this is not Kentucky! 

The Book of Isiah says ‘and a little child shall lead them’ and boy do the fanatic Christians of the Hoosier state like to quote that one as their basketball savior is none other than Sophomore point guard Isiah Thomas.  The Hoosiers have always had a good program filled with workmanlike players to follow ‘the system’ and outwork and outhustle opponents to victory.  They have never had the kind of charismatic player who has the skills and talent as the other Bluebloods in College Basketball.  Not until now! Well supposedly.  Isiah Thomas was recruited from the Streets of Chicago by Knight and in grand Knight fashion he got in a fight with one of Isiah’s brothers. Even with that the kid chose Knight and his Draconian style over hometown DePaul.  Good choice.  Or so we thought.  The Hoosiers had been longing for the kind of point guard who can put a team on his back when the going gets rough and carry them home.  Thomas is that.  But he is also a bit of a showman and that part does not jibe well with Knight. Their run ins at practice are already the stuff novelists (John Feinstein anyone) become bestsellers with.  Knight wanted this kid to run the team but he also wanted it done his way.  Or the highway as they say!  Heck, Thomas did not even start until halfway through the season though it was obvious he was the real deal.  He actually split time with senior to be Bob ‘Slick’ Leonard and junior Quinn Buckner, both much more suited for the Knight style of in your face basketball.  There were two games that Thomas did not even get off the bench but by season’s end Thomas was not only the starter but the catalyst behind the team’s nice run in the Big Dance.   A clutch shooter, who has the best ball handling skills in the Big Ten and that includes that kid from Michigan State, Thomas will blow by you at any time for an easy lay up or a gift pass to a teammate.  And boy does he love to pass.  Only his good friend the Magic One might be as good of a passer as Isiah in the Midwest and that is not even for sure!  He is not a great perimeter shooter unless he gets hot and then he is unstoppable.  When he gets it going he can put up huge points in a matter of minutes and he is most definitely not afraid to fire even if it is on his Friendlys.  The Cherub faced one has the personality that is hidden by his smiling exterior.  The guts of a burglar with the competitive fire to match, Thomas will destroy you with his game and then hit you with that smug look as he walks do the locker room as if to say ‘I told you so!’ He is a leader who is at his best when he is needed most. And this program needs him to be the man if it is to get to Indy this year.  If they get there that is going to be one crazy weekend in the Hooiser state.

Alongside Thomas is fellow sophomore Steve Alford.  Totally opposite of the streetball and big city Thomas, Alford is a small town kid (Another kid from New Castle, the Rucker of Indiana) who can flat ass shoot.  Knight liked this kid so much that he brought him along on the national team he was coaching down in Puerto Rico in the Pan Am games before he even enrolled at IU.  Of course that is remembered for another incident that we shall not give merit to but Alford showed he belonged at that level of talent.  He is not athletically gifted or even quick, but if he gets open, he will nail the shot. From just about anywhere but especially from about 20 feet!  Knight runs plays for this kid to get the ball because he knows what he can do and Alford is the master of wrapping around big men to get open.  But he had to have someone get him the ball when he is open as he cannot create his own and is nowhere near as accurate if contested.  Screens helped from his teammates but he needed a great drive and dish penetrator and no one is better at that than Thomas.  The Choir Boy looking assassin was the type of dead-on three point shooter the game was evolving into and every team needs to have.  No one was helped by the three point shot as much as Alford and Knight was going to take advantage of his Wunderkid!  His spot next to Thomas is set in stone for as long as they can handle Knight and this dream backcourt might even be better than the marvelous front line.  

The depth on the perimeter might not be as experienced as the front line but it is solid and they all know their roles.  The aforementioned Buckner is as tough as nails junior and is relentless when relieving Thomas.  Knight loves his leadership and his willingness to do anything to win.  He probably would have preferred Buckner over Thomas as he seems to be one of the few guys he likes but in the end (Buckner did start his fair share of games when Knight was ‘teaching’ Thomas a lesson) even Knight has to go with talent.  And Thomas IS the talent!  But man wouldn’t you like to have someone like Buckner (he is a winner everywhere he goes) as your number two?  Leonard might not have a job this winter but that is okay with him as he wants to become a coach or a broadcaster as he knows his basketball talent is more guts than glory.  The twin Van Arsdale boys (Tom and Dick) will split time as they did zygotes.  The 6’5 210 pound wings from Indy are not the most dynamic players on the planet but they are solid.  Though they share the same names as the Smothers Brothers these two will never get the respect (or even recognition, heck does anybody who even know who they are except for those twins who play almost exactly the same guy) they deserve.  Come on now knowing Knight the biggest question we all want to know about these two is whether or not they ever switched uniforms at halftime!  Fellow senior Jon McGlocklin is so similar to the Van Arsdale twins that you might call them a triplet.  At 6’5 205 from Franklin Indiana, McGlocklin is the ultimate team guy who can score when needed and also defend on the wings.  Knight likes him so he might have a chance of getting some minutes, perhaps even better than the Smothers Brothers who in all likelihood could get cancelled. And it’s not just the culture Knight is developing he is also bringing in a ton of talent. Juniors Mike Woodson and Bobby Wilkerson are part of that group and will continue to push for more playing time and have a huge advantage in that they are Knight’s guys. Wilkerson is 6’6 195 defensive specialist on the wing and we all know how much Knight loves defense.  This Anderson Indiana kid can do anything on the court except hit jump shots.  Woodson, another Indy kid, can do that and more.  The 6’5 195 pounder played out of position some last year backing up May and is better suited as a two guard.  He does not have Alford range however though the rest of his game is solid as a rock.  He will play somewhere but how much is up to Knight who loves his work ethic.  Jimmy “Skinny’ Rayl (not to be confused with the Indy Car Racer) and Leonard are also still in the mix though their days seem numbered. Ironically they were the starters the year before Knight got here and were not unsuccessful.  Rayl is 6’2 but goes about 175 and the kid from Kokomo can sure score.  The ‘Splendid Splingter’ as he was dubbed in high school has range to the cheap seats and might be as good as Alford offensively but with that thin body he has a hard time guarding the big, strong athletic two guards of the Big 10.  Alford has the same issue but at least he has a bit of weight on him and Rayl just fits his nicknames too well.  Knight has some solid recruits coming in foremost of which is Hoosier High School Legend Damon Bailey.  Bailey became legendary in Indiana when Knight saw him and said ‘he’s better than anyone I got playing for me right now!’   I wonder how that settled with Thomas and Alford.  Bailey then became iconic when he led his team back from a huge deficit in the most watched Hoosier High School game ever and scored the last 11 points to lead his Bedford team to the title.  The kid is a 6’3 200 pound gamer who can score and run a team and though he might not be as quick (or talented) as Thomas these battles in practice will be must watch that is if Knight ever opens the Gym to the public. The well is not empty Hoosierland and Knight knows how to keep replenishing it with young, hungry talent.  Bailey is not the only freshman that will be challenging for minutes this year but he for sure will be getting the most attention.   

The Indiana Hoosiers are a classic college basketball program.  Lead by a great coach and having fans that are as faithful and crazed as any in the country.  The players have worked their tails off to meet the General’s expectations. Indiana has a roster full of talent and is in prime position to make another run for glory.  That is if they can get a few breaks off the court because if this team makes it to the Final Four those fans will be coming out in droves to support their favorite team, after all Indianapolis bleeds IU red every bit as much as Bloomington.  Still, there is work to be done and Knight will not rest this team until it has reaches the pinnacle.  Perfection is a goal to be achieved through hard work and discipline and if any Coach preaches those two things it is the Man with the Ugly Red Sweater!