IU, Eric Gordon and Drugs

[Braves4Life]

More problems coming out at IU. Sounds like Sampson was running a real crack house over there.....................

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/11178479

[Da Coach]

Another article from the Indy Star-

http://www.indystar.com/article/20081217/SPORTS0601/81217054

[tornado]

This was actually rumored a bunch at the time when Sampson was canned.

Here, in a blog, one entry from a guy who says he knew what was going on states...
"I have very close contacts with players on the team.
Their academics were a mess, drugs, alchohol and total disrespect for everything IU basketball stands for."

http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/?p=1972

btw--the two players dismissed instantly by interim coach Dan Dakich were Jamarcus Ellis and Armon Bassett, and although the official reason was never given, it was rumored they had failed drug tests and were insubordinate.
Oddly, we've been talking about Bassett lately...

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10315&highlight=bassett

while Jamarcus Ellis started off great at Oklahoma City University, playing with ex-Illini Rodney Alexander, he missed a couple games and starts for reasons that were never made public.
He has played in only 8 of their 10 games and has started in 6.
He was averaging nearly 20 ppg, but recent games of only 6 pts & 11 pts have dropped his average down to 14 ppg.

[BradleyBrave]

I had heard rumblings of this all the way back last Thanksgiving, when IU played in the Chicago Challenge. I had heard (and I am sure several others heard this as well) stories of heavy pot smoking in the hotel rooms where the team was staying, and I believe some disciplinary actions that occurred during that tournament last year as a result of this. We all take shots at Eric Gordon for what he did to Illinois, but part of me feels bad in what happened to him at IU. Gordon, and moreso his family were completely duped by a cheater and an enabler. Talk about a 'Season on the brink'.

[tornado]

DUPED?
....the kid played the field longer than 99% of prep wonders, and had every chance in the world to get a thorough evaluation of Sampson, Bruce Weber, and any other coach or program.
He and his family were fully informed and educated as to the decision they were making and they chose to go with IU and Kelvin Sampson.

To say he was duped suggests a degree of ignorance and naivete' on the Gordons' part that I just don't think was realistic.

Nope, the Gordons picked what they picked for selfish and personal reasons thinking it was for their own best benefit even though they were stomping all over Bruce Weber, the Illini, and their fans and going back on his own committment and his word.
Even as recently as a few days before he pledged to Sampson, Gordon reiterated his allegiance to Illinois.

I don't have the feelings as you do towards Gordon and I don't believe he was duped.
He took his own chances with the selection he made just as the people at Indiana took their chances with Kelvin Sampson and time has proven their self serving choice was indeed a very bad one, and they were well warned but chose to ignore the obvious and blatant warnings of the disaster they were bringing upon themselves.

[BradleyBrave]

Eric Gordon didn't sign on to play with a bunch of drug users, and I wouldn't put it past parents to be naive to some of the things that really go on inside a college program.

[tornado]

we don't know all the facts, and I agree he didn't sign on to play with drug users, but if he knew it was happening, he could have left, transferred, gone to the authorities, gone to the press, confronted the violators, etc....but he kept quiet and looked out for his own interests.

[BradleyBrave]

we don't know all the facts, and I agree he didn't sign on to play with drug users, but if he knew it was happening, he could have left, transferred, gone to the authorities, gone to the press, confronted the violators, etc....but he kept quiet and looked out for his own interests.

And what exactly would you have done? Sounds like to me he kept his distance from the bad element, played out the season, and left as soon as it was over.

[tornado]

then why is he now going public with allegations?

[BradleyBrave]

What would you have done?

[tornado]

well, I don't know the circumstances, but if I were the member of a team whose other players were doing drugs, I honestly believe I would
start by persuading them to stop, then gone to the staff about the problem.
But given that the staff obviously knows about it and all those players were booted, I would then just keep quiet and play.
Heck-- I don't talk about the other BradleyFans posters who are doing drugs, do I??

[SFP]

What would you have done?

BB I agree with this line of questionaing but T makes a good point of, "Why come out now with these allegations?" Does it serve a purpose and for who?

I know, I for one, would not have considered either of the IUs but BU

[BradleyBrave]

Heck-- I don't talk about the other BradleyFans posters who are doing drugs, do I??

Don't your job requirements preclude you from doing that?

[SFP]

Don't your job requirements preclude you from doing that?

Elaborate please!

[tornado]

my job as a BradleyFans mod?
Note in the story, Tom Crean says...
"privacy laws don't allow him to discuss the issue"

BUT--- whatever privacy laws he is referring to surely would prohibit Gordon just the same, wouldn't they?

.....anyway...here is the original story after the Indianapolis Star interview...

Gordon is the first person of any authority from the 2007-2008 Hoosier team who has publicly cited drugs as an issue.
Even now, Dakich still declines to comment on the subject, but Gordon went so far as to name the ones who were not doing drugs
(himself, DJ White, Taber, and Finkelmeier)....so by implication he has hinted at who was doing them.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20081218/SPORTS0601/812180410