Enhance Your Experience
Technology and following Indiana's recruitment of Cody Zeller.
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 12, 2010 11:56 AM EST
in Enhance Your Experience
In the Cody Zeller commitment thread below, commenter Nofthsa noted the parallels between IU’s recruitment of Zeller and the recruitment of Jared Jeffries eleven years ago. Both Zeller and Jeffries are big men from southern Indiana. Both come from solid family backgrounds and are/were excellent students who present no character risk. Each was weighing a decision between IU and an elite basketball power from the state of North Carolina led by a coach who had won multiple national titles (for Jeffries, it was Duke and Mike Krzyzewski; for Zeller, of course, it was Roy Williams and North Carolina). There were some differences (in 1999, Duke was considered the favorite until the final day; for Zeller, IU has been the conventional wisdom pick for months), but the similarities are strong. Each was, in his own way, viewed as a lynchpin recruit for the IU program. The importance of Zeller, Crean’s first undisputed blue chip recruit from Indiana, is obvious, and it will become even more obvious if the likes of Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell follow Zeller to Bloomington. Yet, in November 1999, Jeffries was considered nearly as significant.
0 commentsAndre Kates and the perils of technology.
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 5, 2010 11:30 AM EDT
in Enhance Your Experience
This is the second in a series of sponsored posts. The content of these posts has not been dictated to us, other than that they must bear some relationship to technology. Unfortunately, last week's developments in the IU football program provided an obvious topic for this post.
The widespread popularity of the Internet in general, and social media in particular, have changed the way fans follow sports and the way fans and players interact. Certainly, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the advent of message boards and blogs changed the way fans follow their teams, and allowed fans from all over the world to interact and discuss their favorite teams. In the last few years, Facebook and Twitter have exploded in popularity, and it's not uncommon for fans to become "Facebook friends" with players, and certainly to follow them on Twitter. That has blown up in the face of IU defensive back Andre Kates. Kates is a highly regarded junior college transfer who was expected to start at cornerback for IU,but has played sparingly. In the days leading up to the Northwestern game, Kates tweeted complaints about his playing time and criticism specifically directed at head coach Bill Lynch. Kates, finally exercising some discretion, now has protected his Twitter page, but he accused the coaching staff of "_______ with his career" and following up with "People Say Dre You Actin Like OchoCinco I Say No Bro Im Getting My Point Across That My Coach Don't Want Me 2 Play." It seems fitting, then, that IU fans learned of Kates's suspension for the Northwestern game not from the traditional media, but from Kates himself: "I'm Suspended For The Game 2morrow For My Tweets, and Facebook Being Media Attention, and Also A Distraction Toward Him!" Kates, according to Adam Rittenberg, continued to tweet during the Northwestern game, although in a positive fashion. Kates now is suspended indefinitely, and it appears likely that his IU career is over.
Has the Big Ten Network helped IU football?
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Oct 29, 2010 10:21 PM EDT
in Enhance Your Experience
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