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February 10th, 2006
by Michael TilleryMike! Mike! Wake up! You are dreaming! Rudy Gay is not on your team! His sound barrier breaking dunks have driven you to night terrors, haven't they? What's goin' on bruh? Do you see heaven or hell? Is the devil laughing loudly or can you see the beautiful soul-encompassing smile of the victorious archangel? Are you giving up? Man, you sure look beat. Those Italian suits that you wear with GQ like flair can't hide all the quickly sprouting gray hair. We don't see the fire that once consumed you. How come Marco isn't moving his feet on defense? Losing DJ White cannot be used as an excuse anymore. You seriously don't want the state of Indiana to throw in the towel do you? If they do, don't catch it, 'cause it will definitely be on fire. Your career will be like the late Richard Pryor--up in smoke! Can you hear your voice at practice or the sound of burning rubber violently slamming the hardwood? Do you want the chair Coach Knight threw or the whip? Surely you can remember Bobby in these moments of adversity. Remember the fire? The raging rants of jettisoned saliva and almost unbearable screams that went on for hours? Did you learn anything from him?
Mike you have to continue to teach. Your job is to lead. The Big Ten is no joke this year. Michigan is back.
Remember the first time you picked up a ball? Did you make your first shot or miss it? Hopefully you missed it. These are the times when you should consciously remember from whence you came. Shooting in frayed plastic crates and wincing from cuts that were filled with dust from all the big boys pushing you to the ground. You hated the water that your Mom used to clean those cuts, didn't you? Constructive criticism here is the water Mike. We want to see you get through this!
Do you do a double take when you walk past a mirror? Momentarily seeing your image morph into Ty Willingham's--having to shake it off--wondering if you should see the shrink? Do you think you are above what unfortunately became Coach Willingham's premature demise? Mike they actually have a web site calling for your head! Make the team do quadruple suicides or more diving for ball drills. Do something! Do not let this team be the reason why you are fired. That's going to leave a mad sick and nasty taste in your mouth. You will hear the laughs for eternity. The ignorant hater voices that would holler "I told you so" and "about time" would be so prevalent that you'll hear them in your sleep. You will be paranoid getting the mail even in your own neighborhood. No, of course the cynics shouldn't be made relevant, but there has to be something that should make you grit your teeth and dig in like timeless images of your predecessor.
Remember your smile when you were hired albeit intense public scrutiny Mike? Has that smile become slightly more weathered? Remember the amazingly improbable run on your way to the championship game in 2002. Dispatching of teams like Utah and Stan Heath led Kent State. Weren't you down seventeen points to Duke in the regional semifinal? Go get that tape. Show your team what it takes to become a winner. Tell them to look into every one of your former player's eyes. Intensity! Fire! Passionate thoughts of not being denied no matter what. It was you against the world and all the Knight sycophants that couldn't wait for this present moment. You won that game and two more before succumbing to an intense and sadly orphaned Juan Dixon led Maryland squad in the National Championship game. Dixon didn't let the deaths of both of his parents-who died from AIDS-be an excuse or a reason for him to lose. Find something and make it your muse. No matter what is happening in your locker room Mike, please, please find the determination that made you the initial Black coach in Hoosier land. Fight for Tubby-who has to deal with coaching in a hostile arena bearing the insanely racist Adolph Rupp's name. How about good coaches like Cito Gaston and Art Shell? Cito has two championships and is no longer coaching.What the hell?
They became blips. Call them! How about reaching out to Tony Dungy? Could you imagine dealing with the loss of your son during the season? His wisdom and stoic passion would do wonders for anyone who is in a bad spot. There are countless others who failed, Mike.
Don't become an afterthought. Don't become the Black guy who couldn't follow the "White Knight." Bobby has his detractors but he wins no matter what. Nothing is more important to him than making an impression on young men. Yes, he has his unconventional manner of doing things, but he remains unfathomed to the always-evident cynic. They will not move him.
Coach Davis, there are many of us who want to see you succeed. We want to see you hoist the championship trophy like Tubby Did. Your Kentucky peer is in an eerily similar spot. Make this your best coaching job ever. This could be the year that makes the recruits flock to Bloomington. Your teams have always done their best heading into March. Win Mike! Win now! Turn that Indiana fire into a light under Killingsworths's tail. What's up with all his foul trouble? Marco is an exceptional talent, but he looks as if he is playing uninspired basketball. You have talent that is young and impressionable. Simplify the game and put some smiles back into Assembly Hall.Carpei Diem!
Those Rudy Gay dunks can be Vaden threes deep in March. Go get 'em Coach. Think of the present kids of frayed plastic crates and glass littered courts. Reach out to them. Their young eyes are upon your every move. Do you want them to stay home and play for you or make the long trip to Lubbock?
