After an 88-74 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 22 in Louisville, Indiana coach Mike Davis stepped in front of a brace of microphones and wondered aloud whether he could motivate the Hoosiers.
The reaction to the comments, replayed nationally on ESPN, was swift and harsh. Davis’ critics, some of whom cling to the fantasy that Bob Knight will return to Bloomington, pointed to the quotes and said, “I told you so.” In the eyes of many, the statement merely underscored the “interim” label Davis has borne since he was hired in the chaotic days following Knight’s ouster.
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Nearly a month later, Davis is still amazed by the reaction over what he perceived to be innocent, honest remarks. Indeed, he said he had told his players minutes earlier precisely what he was going to tell the media.
But what is said inside the dressing room sometimes needs to stay there. A longtime assistant coach, Davis knows this. There was a different lesson to be learned that night.
“I just learned that if you’re at Indiana, people blow it out of proportion,” he said. “The people who took that to heart are the people who don’t want me to be here anyway. I’m not different than Pat Riley–well, I am as a coach; Pat Riley is a great coach. Pat Riley said some of the same things. Rick Pitino said the same things, and he quit.”
“They may run me off, but I won’t quit. Next time, I just won’t say anything that would cause a confrontation or give people who don’t want me to be here a reason to say negative things.”
Davis is up to his eyeballs in negativity. It’s not a result of Indiana’s respectable record (10-7, 1-2 in the Big Ten). It’s a result of the daily speculation over the school’s search for a permanent successor to Knight.
In September, the players threatened mass transfers if Davis wasn’t promoted. They continue to stand staunchly in his corner. “It’s good that the guys care for me and like me and respect me as a basketball coach,” Davis said. “I’m not sure that will have any weight when it comes down to a decision of who’s going to be here.
“But they’re also going through a lot. They hear different names every day, and some of the guys even ask me about the situation here. That’s really affected them. I’ve got to do a really good job of just convincing them just to play and play hard and block it out of their minds.”
Rebounding: Michigan State’s Jason Richardson took it hard when he missed critical free throws late in an eventual loss Jan. 7 at Indiana. But since then, Richardson has knocked down 6-of-7 from the line and worked to improve on fundamentals.
Richardson, a 6-foot-6-inch sophomore, was named co-Big Ten Player of the Week for his 25-point performance Saturday in a 69-59 overtime win over Wisconsin. Richardson shared the honor with Iowa’s Dean Oliver.
“Jason is a phenomenal athlete who is trying to become a phenomenal basketball player, and he’s really making progress,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “He was hurt and upset with the free throws that he missed. He had a superb game against Wisconsin. He’s getting better every week and I think he’s earning that and that’s been enjoyable for me to watch.”
Bonus situation: Asked how he responded when he found out that five of Michigan’s first seven Big Ten games were on the road, Wolverines coach Brian Ellerbe said: “I got sick to my stomach when I saw that schedule.” Kind of how Michigan fans feel watching the Wolverines.